(a) General policies for the conduct of the department shall be formulated by the commission. The director shall be guided by those policies and shall be responsible to the commission for the administration of the department in accordance with those policies.
(b) The department shall respond to requests from the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, acting as the lead agency for the review of timber harvesting plans, within the time period required under Section 4582.6 of the Public Resources Code, unless additional time is granted by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The department shall include specific comments or recommendations, or both, on any significant environmental issues raised by the proposed timber harvesting plan in its area of jurisdiction, including any proposed mitigation measures. The department shall also identify its statutory authority for any requests or recommendations for mitigation that it may determine to be necessary. If the department has no comment to make on the proposed timber harvesting plan, it is not required to submit a response.
(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 612, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1996.)