Section 2099.20.

(a) As used in this section, "eligible project" has the same meaning as defined in Section 2099.10.

(b) (1) At the request of the applicant, the department shall meet with the applicant in person or by telephone to develop a plan for processing the application and, to the extent feasible, identify and clarify information that will be needed in an application for a project subject to Section 2099.10 prior to its submittal to the department.

(2) Within 45 days after the department receives an application for a project subject to Section 2099.10, the department shall determine whether the application is complete or incomplete and shall notify the applicant of its determination. If the department determines that the application is incomplete, it shall concurrently identify and inform the applicant in writing of the specific information or supporting documentation that is needed to complete the application currently under review, unless otherwise requested in writing by the applicant. The department shall make all reasonable efforts to consolidate its information request into a single request.

(3) Within 30 days of receipt of the information requested of the applicant pursuant to paragraph (2), the department shall make a determination whether the application is complete.

(4) If the department determines pursuant to paragraph (3) that additional information is needed to complete the application, the department shall inform the applicant in writing of the specific information or supporting documentation that is needed to complete the application, and the director, or his or her designee reporting directly to the director, shall offer to meet with the applicant to review the application and establish a plan and a timeframe to complete the application, unless otherwise requested in writing by the applicant.

(c) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (d) and (e), the department shall approve or reject an incidental take permit application for an eligible project 60 days or less from the date the application is deemed complete, unless a longer period is agreed upon by the department and the applicant. If the department has not made a determination to reject or approve the incidental take permit application within 45 days after deeming the application complete, the director, or his or her designee reporting directly to the director, shall offer to meet with the applicant to review the status of the application.

(d) If the department deems an application is complete more than 60 days before the project is certified under the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code) by an agency other than the department, the department shall reject or approve the incidental take permit application within 30 days after the California Environmental Quality Act certification, unless a longer period is agreed upon by the department and the applicant. If the department is the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act, the department shall reject or approve the incidental take permit application concurrently with the California Environmental Quality Act certification.

(e) Subdivision (c) does not apply to projects that the department determines are eligible to obtain a consistency determination pursuant to Section 2080.1, in which case the department shall approve or reject a consistency determination application for these projects within 30 days after the director has received notice pursuant to Section 2080.1 that a federal permit has been issued.

(f) (1) By January 1, 2014, the department shall provide an accounting to the Legislature on incidental take permit applications for eligible projects. This accounting shall include, but shall not be limited to, all of the following:

(A) The number of applications received.

(B) The number of applications approved, rejected, or withdrawn.

(C) The type and nature of the incidental take permits sought, including, but not limited to, the number of acres in each permit, the location of the project, the list of endangered or threatened species and whether the species were state or federally listed, the land ownership, the other permits involved in the project during the permit review period and which agencies were involved, and any relevant special resource issues.

(D) The time that elapsed between when a permit was deemed complete and when it was approved, if the permit was approved.

(E) The staff time spent on each permit.

(F) Other information determined by the department to be relevant in assessing whether the permit approval process, including the deadlines prescribed by this section, provide for an efficient review process in furtherance of the department's statutory obligations.

(2) By January 1, 2012, and annually thereafter for two years until 2014, the department shall report to the Legislature on the extent to which it arranges for entities other than itself to provide all or part of the environmental review of eligible projects. The 2014 report may be combined with the report described in paragraph (1).

(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(4) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this subdivision is inoperative on January 1, 2016.

(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 311, Sec. 2. Effective September 22, 2011. Operative December 10, 2011, pursuant to Sec. 4 of Ch. 311.)