Article III. Environmental Review Process
21.50.060 Lead and cooperating departments.
(a) The Environmental Department, or its designee, shall be the lead department for the purpose of preparing environmental documents, consultation and scoping, making determinations regarding the environmental impacts of proposed major state or federal actions, issuing findings of no significant impacts, certifying environmental impact statements, and selecting alternatives and mitigation measures deemed most effective to implement the policies set forth in this chapter. The Environmental Department may designate another Tribal department as the lead department upon concurrence of the Tribal department if it has significant expertise or jurisdiction over the major action.
(b) The Environmental Department may request the cooperation of a Tribal department which has jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved in a major state or federal action. Each cooperating agency shall:
(1) Participate in the YEPA process at the earliest possible time; and
(2) Assume, on request of the Environmental Department, responsibility for developing information and preparing environmental analyses including portions of any environmental assessment or environmental impact statement for which the cooperating department has special expertise. [Ord. 62 § 4201, amended, 10/3/2019; Ord. 59 § 4201, adopted, 6/6/2019.]