California Supplemental (CSE) Practice Exam

What is a key feature of a Mitigated Negative Declaration?

1. It indicates no significant impacts have been found

2. It allows a project to proceed unchanged

3. It identifies significant impacts that can be avoided or mitigated

4. It signifies that a project is fully exempt from CEQA

The correct answer is: It identifies significant impacts that can be avoided or mitigated

A Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) is a specific type of environmental document used under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The key feature of an MND is that it identifies significant impacts that a proposed project may have, but it also shows that these impacts can be avoided or reduced to a level of insignificance through specific mitigation measures. This process recognizes that while a project may initially pose potential environmental concerns, there are practical steps that can be taken to lessen those impacts. The MND serves as a declaration of intent, conveying that the lead agency has identified mitigation strategies that are feasible and effective, thereby allowing the project to move forward with those strategies in place. In contrast, an indication that no significant impacts have been found would result in a Negative Declaration rather than a Mitigated Negative Declaration. Allowing a project to proceed unchanged would imply that no impacts or mitigation efforts are necessary, which contradicts the nature of an MND. Furthermore, a project being fully exempt from CEQA would not involve an MND, as these documents specifically deal with addressing potential significant impacts.