Standard Environmental Reference

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What is the SER? The Standard Environmental Reference (SER) is an on-line resource to help state and local agency staff plan, prepare, submit, and evaluate environmental documents for transportation projects. The SER contains information appropriate to all transportation projects developed under the auspices of Caltrans, and to all local agency highway or local streets and roads projects with funding or approvals by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

The Standard Environmental Reference (SER) includes:

• Caltrans Environmental Handbooks
  • Vol 1: Guidance for Compliance - NEPA and CEQA documentation; a general technical resource for planners; and a compendium of applicable federal and state laws and regulations
  • Vol 2: Cultural Resources - For archaeologists, historians, and other cultural resources specialists
  • Vol 3: Biological Resources - For biologists and other natural resources specialists
  • Vol 4: Community Impacts Assessment - Environmental Justice and other community issues
  • Vol 5: Coastal Requirements - Details the coastal permitting processes
• Policy Memos that relate to the environmental process.
• Other Guidance which includes guidance on cumulative impact analysis, growth-related impact analysis, alternatives analysis, visual impact analysis, and a variety of guidance documents relating to biological and cultural resources.
• MOUs, MOAs, and Programmatic Agreements
• Forms and Templates used during the environmental process.
• Topics Matrices - A fast way to link to key information for major technical issues.