(a) A permit applicant for a project may request the secretary to designate a consolidated permit agency to administer the processing and issuance of a consolidated permit for the project pursuant to this division. The secretary, in accordance with the guidelines and procedures adopted pursuant to Section 71020, shall, within 30 days of the date that the request is received, either designate a consolidated permit agency for the project or refer the designation to the council.

(b) A permit applicant who requests the designation of a consolidated permit agency shall provide the secretary with a description of the project, a preliminary list of the environmental permits that the project may require, the identity of any public agency that has been designated the lead agency for the project pursuant to Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 65920) of Division 1 of Title 7 of the Government Code or Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code, and the identity of the participating permit agencies. The secretary may request any information from the permit applicant that is necessary to make the designation under subdivision (a), and may convene a scoping meeting of the likely consolidated permit agency and participating permit agencies in order to make that designation.

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(c) The consolidated permit agency shall serve as the main point of contact for the permit applicant with regard to the processing of the consolidated permit for the project and shall manage the procedural aspects of that processing consistent with existing laws governing the consolidated permit agency and participating permit agencies, and with the procedures agreed to by those agencies in accordance with Section 71022. In carrying out these responsibilities, the consolidated permit agency shall ensure that the permit applicant has all the information needed to apply for all the component environmental permits that are incorporated in the consolidated permit for the project, coordinate the review of those environmental permits by the respective participating permit agencies, ensure that timely environmental permit decisions are made by the participating permit agencies, and assist in resolving any conflict or inconsistency among the environmental permit requirements and conditions that are to be imposed by the participating permit agencies with regard to the project.

(d) This division shall not be construed to limit or abridge the powers and duties granted to a participating permit agency pursuant to the law that authorizes or requires the agency to issue an environmental permit for a project. Each participating permit agency shall retain its authority to make all decisions on all nonprocedural matters with regard to the respective component environmental permit that is within its scope of its responsibility, including, but not limited to, the determination of environmental permit application completeness, environmental permit approval or approval with conditions, or environmental permit denial. The consolidated permit agency may not substitute its judgment for that of a participating permit agency on any such nonprocedural matters.

(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 419, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1994.)