DEVELOPING A BETTER EIR? BOARD WANTS NEW WAY TO CONDUCT REPORTS.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Citing concerns about the way environmental reports for Newhall Ranch were conducted, the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday ordered a study of alternate ways to prepare the documents required of developers before they build.

Fifth District Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich moved that the Department of Regional Planning review alternative methods in preparing environmental impact reports - reports developers now pay consultants to prepare.

The goal is to determine a way that an impartial party could complete state-mandated environmental impact reports for developers. At present, developers pay consultants to complete the studies, and, in the case of the 21,600-home Newhall Ranch, The Newhall Land and Farming Company required its consultants to sign confidentiality agreements that are now coming into question.

The county staff will report back to the board in three months after reviewing how other counties and cities oversee the process.

``There have been concerns questioning the impartiality and the manner in which EIRs are prepared in the county, and Newhall Land's is one of the EIRs questioned,'' said Bob Haueter, senior deputy to Antonovich.

``If there's a way to do it better, we want to do that. It's important that citizens have trust and faith in their government and if there's a way of ensuring that, that's what we'd like to do.''

The directive came one week before the board is scheduled to consider the massive Newhall Ranch project northwest of Santa Clarita. It mirrors proposed state legislation that would prohibit developers from hiring consultants and imposing confidentiality agreements on those who prepare the environmental reports.

Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, introduced AB 406 a month ago, prompted by allegations that Newhall Land illegally altered a streambed on its property and knowingly destroyed the endangered San Fernando Valley spineflower on the project site. The former accusation was settled; the latter did not result in charges.

Newhall Land has joined with the business community and the housing industry in opposing AB 406.

The current process has strong safeguards in place that allow for extensive public review, making the bill unnecessary, Lauffer said.

``It will cause more delays, more litigation and higher costs without providing better projects,'' Lauffer said. ``It just will cause a lot more adversarial process in trying to bring this information forward.''

Despite the added inconveniences, Newhall Land is open to any changes to the environmental report process and would follow the rules of the governmental body that imposes them, Lauffer said.

``We will work with whatever entity it is, with whatever the rules are that are in place,'' Lauffer said. ``If as a result of Supervisor Antonovich's motion, Regional Planning brings back different ways to improve or streamline the preparation of these environmental documents, we'd be happy to work with whatever rules are in place for that jurisdiction.''