The ''State Environmental Quality Review Act'' (SEQRA) is a

stipulation In United States law, a stipulation is a formal legal acknowledgment and agreement made between opposing parties before a pending hearing or trial. For example, both parties might stipulate to certain facts and so not have to argue them in court. A ...

enacted by the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

that all local and state

government agencies A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administratio ...

must uniformly reflect the

environmental impacts Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

when considering taking

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and/or

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

factors into action.

History

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, the state of

passed the State Environmental Quality Review Act to better establish a process when looking to add new developments on a site. From 1976 to 2005 there have been alterations to the Changes or Applications and Amendments categories.

Who Must Apply

This applies to any group that is deciding to approve a funded sponsored action through private or public financials. These groups include the following; * Authorities * Special Boards *

Districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Local Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

State Government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

A ''Type I'' action is any class of actions that unavoidably is going to have significant impacts on the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

. ''Type II'' actions are classified as the project not having any significant impacts on the surrounding environment, or actions that have been exempted from SEQRA reviews. Any project or action classified under Type I has to follow SEQRA requirements.

Enforcement

There is no one agency that has the power to enforce SEQRA. The formation of the

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

enables it to be self-enforcing. The agencies responsible for an action that falls under SEQRA requirements must under its own power meet these

regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. For ...

s. The regulations that are issued are provided through the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Do Not Apply

If the project is listed under the statewide and agency SEQRA regulations are listed under the Type II list then it is determined not to have a large impact on the surrounding environment.

Satisfying Requirements

When going forward to satisfying the SEQRA requirements there is an 11 step process that you need to follow. Step 1 Is the action being taken subject to SEQRA? If yes then it needs to be classified as a type II Action or Type I Action. Step 2 The correct environmental assessment form needs to be completed and reviewed. Step 3 A coordinated review is set up by all agencies involved in Type 1 Actions. Step 4 This is the step where the agency that is taking the lead will make its determination on the significance. Step 5 The preparation of the draft ''EIS'' is started by the lead agency or the applicant can. Step 6 The lead agency that received the draft EIS has 45 days to review and see if it is the draft is adequate for public review. Step 7 The publishing notice that the EIS has been accepted for the public review. Step 8 After the notice of complete of the EIS a public comment period then begins. Step 9 A debate on weather a public hearing should be held. Step 10 This is where the lead agency is held accountable for checking the precision on the final EIS statement. This should be finalized 45 days after the final hearings or 60 days after the filing of the draft EIS. Step 11 The final step is involves each agency writing their own SEQRA findings statement for that project. This has to be completed after the final EIS statement and before the final decision the agency makes. Findings certify that the project has met requirements of Part 617.

Critical Areas

These are specific geographical areas that local agencies can deem Critical Environmental Areas (CEA). To designate an area to this stand it mus have one of more of the following characteristics ; # a threat or benefit to human

well-being Well-being, or wellbeing, also known as wellness, prudential value or quality of life, refers to what is intrinsically valuable relative ''to'' someone. So the well-being of a person is what is ultimately good ''for'' this person, what is in th ...

, # a natural setting that includes things such as areas of important

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

or scenic quality,

wildlife habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

, and

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...

, # values that include

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

historic History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, or

educational Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

qualities, or # an essential

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

, or

hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

sensitivity that can be altered by any change around it.

References

{{reflist Environmental issues Human impact on the environment United States state environmental legislation New York (state) law