For purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings:

(a) “Acquire” and “acquisition” mean, with respect to land or a waterway, acquisition of fee title or purchase of a conservation easement that protects conservation and mitigation values on the land or waterway in perpetuity.

(b) “Administrative draft natural community conservation plan” means a substantially complete draft of a natural community conservation plan that is released after January 1, 2016, to the general public, plan participants, and the department.

(c) “Advance mitigation” means mitigation implemented before, and in anticipation of, environmental effects of planned transportation improvements.

(d) “Commission” means the California Transportation Commission.

(e) “Conservation easement” means a perpetual conservation easement that complies with Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 815) of Title 2 of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Civil Code.

(f) “Department” means the Department of Transportation.

(g) “Mitigation credit agreement” means a mitigation credit agreement pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 1850) of Division 2 of the Fish and Game Code.

(h) “Natural Communities Conservation Plan” means a plan developed pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 2800) of Division 3 of the Fish and Game Code.

(i) “Planned transportation improvement” means a transportation project that a transportation agency has identified in a regional transportation plan, an interregional transportation plan, a capital improvement program, or other approved transportation planning document, excluding any project that is associated with or interacting with the high-speed rail program. A planned transportation improvement may include, but is not limited to, a transportation project that has been planned, programmed, proposed for approval, or that has been approved.

(j) “Program” means the Advance Mitigation Program implemented pursuant to this article.

(k) “Regional conservation investment strategy” means a regional conservation investment strategy approved by the Department of Fish and Wildlife pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 1850) of Division 2 of the Fish and Game Code.

(l) “Regulatory agency” means a state or federal natural resource protection agency with regulatory authority over planned transportation improvements. A regulatory agency includes, but is not limited to, the Natural Resources Agency, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, California regional water quality control boards, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

(m) “Transportation agency” means the department, a metropolitan planning organization, a regional transportation planning agency, or another public agency that implements transportation improvements.

(n) “Transportation improvement” means a transportation capital improvement project.

(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 95, Sec. 11. (SB 103) Effective July 21, 2017.)