California Environmental Quality Act: grounds for noncompliance.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires, among other things, a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA prohibits an action or proceeding from being brought in a court to challenge the approval of a project by a public agency unless the alleged grounds for noncompliance are presented to the public agency orally or in writing by a person during the public comment period provided by CEQA or…