Certified Final Program Environmental Impact Report For Connect SoCal 2024

Overview

In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), as Lead Agency, prepares a Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for the Connect SoCal Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS), which is updated every four years.  

The program-level environmental impact report conducts a region-wide assessment and discloses potential impacts of the RTP/SCS on the environment at a regional level. The PEIR also considers program-wide mitigation measures and broad policy alternatives. The PEIR provides a foundation for subsequent, project-specific environmental reviews that may be conducted by local implementation agencies serving as CEQA lead agencies for later projects with narrower scope.  

SCAG, as the Lead Agency pursuant to CEQA, has certified a Final 2024 PEIR (State Clearinghouse No.: 2022100337) for the Connect SoCal 2024 RTP/SCS. The 2024 PEIR serves as a programmatic document that presents a region‐wide assessment of potential environmental effects of Connect SoCal 2024.    

On Nov. 9, 2023, SCAG published a Notice of Availability (NOA) of a Draft PEIR for Connect SoCal 2024. The NOA notified interested agencies, organizations, and individuals of the public release of the Connect SoCal 2024 Draft PEIR. The 65-day CEQA public review and comment period began Nov. 9, 2023, and closed Jan. 12, 2024. 

The SCAG Regional Council certified the Final PEIR on April 4, 2024. The Final PEIR consists of three components: the 2024 Draft PEIR, including an Executive Summary, Chapters 1 to 7, and Appendices A to G; Chapter 8: Response to Comments and Appendix H: Comment Letters Received on the 2024 Draft PEIR; and Chapter 9: Clarifications and Revisions and Appendices I to J.

General Disclaimer

The posted files are compliant with California Government Code Section 11546.7, which requires website accessibility for individuals who require assistive technologies. The files are compatible with screen reading software to provide an auditory format, where feasible, given the type of information presented (e.g., some figures, tables, and other highly graphic information may not be translated to an auditory format). 

The Appendices to the 2024 PEIR contain supporting technical information and reports referenced in the PEIR. These Appendices contain highly detailed figures and other graphic information that are difficult to translate for screen reading software; therefore, the Appendices have not been translated into an auditory format.  

If you have a disability and/or have difficulty accessing any material, including the Appendices in the 2024 PEIR, please contact us by mail, email, or telephone, and we will work with you to make all reasonable accommodations. Please indicate the nature of the accessibility needs; your preferred format; the material you are trying to access and its location within this document; and how to reach you if questions arise while fulfilling your request. You can direct your requests to:  

Southern California Association of Governments 
900 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1700 
Los Angeles, CA 90017 
Phone (Toll-Free): (800) 735-2922 
Phone (Local): (213) 236-1800 
TTY: (800) 735-2929 

Certified Final PEIR for Connect SoCal 2024 

Individual chapters
Appendices
Resolution
Contact

For more information on SCAG PEIRs or to request hard copies of documents or public notices, please contact Karen Calderon at ConnectSoCalPEIR@scag.ca.gov.

Previously Conducted Noticing and Public Meetings

CONNECT SOCAL 2024 DRAFT PEIR AND CEQA NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY 

On Nov. 9, 2023, SCAG published a Notice of Availability (NOA) of a Draft PEIR for Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. The NOA notified interested agencies, organizations, and individuals of the public release of the Connect SoCal 2024 Draft PEIR. SCAG provided a 65-day CEQA public review and comment period, which began Nov. 9, 2023, and closed Jan. 12, 2024. 

CEQA Notice of Preparation and Scoping Meetings

On Oct. 17, 2022, SCAG released a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Draft PEIR for Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. The NOP formally initiated the CEQA process and notified interested agencies, organizations, and individuals of the preparation of the PEIR. Release of the NOP also initiated a CEQA-required 30-day public review and comment period, which began on Oct. 17, 2022, and ended on Nov. 16, 2022, at 5 p.m. to seek input from interested parties on the scope and content of the Connect SoCal 2024 Draft PEIR.

During the 30-day public review, SCAG hosted two virtual public scoping meetings for the NOP, each providing the same content, to receive verbal comments. The agenda and presentation for the scoping meetings are available here:

Connect SoCal 2024 PEIR Addendum 1 

Addendum 1 to the Final Program Environmental Impact Report for Connect SoCal 2024  

In accordance with CEQA, SCAG has prepared Addendum 1 to the Final Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, which analyzes the changes documented in Amendment 1 to Connect SoCal 2024. Based on the evaluation, SCAG finds that the changes would result in neither new significant environmental impacts nor a substantial change in the severity of the previously analyzed and disclosed region-wide environmental impacts in the certified Final PEIR for Connect SoCal 2024. SCAG also finds that the projects identified in Amendment 1 to Connect SoCal 2024 are programmatically consistent with the analysis, mitigation measures, alternatives, Findings of Fact, and Statement of Overriding Considerations contained in the previously certified Final PEIR for Connect SoCal 2024.

The SCAG Regional Council adopted Addendum 1 to the Final PEIR for Connect SoCal 2024 on Sept. 5, 2024.

Resolution