(a) Commission Review Requirements: The Commission reviews and considers environmental documents and findings as part of its responsibilities to allocate funding for state or local capital projects and approve the location of state highway routes, and may need to review and consider environmental documents for other discretionary decisions.

(b) Scope of Commission Review: The Commission generally examines and considers effects related to project cost and funding, including costs of mitigation measures being considered or proposed, and may consider any other environmental effects; the Commission advises agencies preparing environmental documents at a minimum to describe scope and cost of project alternatives, including costs for mitigation measures, and the complete funding package for the project, in documents that they send to the Commission.

(c) Basis of Commission Action: The Commission uses the final environmental document as a basis to ratify and approve project scope, cost, and funding participation for subsequent allocation of funds; the Commission as a matter of practice schedules large, complex projects into the first two years of state programs ready for allocation of funding only after final environmental documents required under CEQA have been completed.

(d) Linkage to Commission Responsibilities: The Commission may postpone or refuse allocation of funds to a project when it has not previously been given an opportunity to review environmental documents.