4/15/2026 - 4/15/2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM PST



Registration ends on 4/15/2026

Webinar: Important Farmland and Williamson Act Contracts and How They Relate to CEQA
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - Noon – 1:00 PM
[AICP Credit Submitted Pending]
This virtual 1.5 hour session will provide an overview of the California Department of Conservation's Important Farmland and Williamsson Act Contracts and how they relate to CEQA. It will provide valuable insights for environmental planners who are encountering the growing dilemma of development on agricultural lands. The session will include the following topics:

• California Department of Conservation’s Important Farmland Classifications - Prime Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance, Unique Farmland, and Farmland of Local Importance
• Williamson Act Contracts
• Participation by Local Government
• CEQA Impact Analysis
• Potential Mitigation Options
• Renewable Energy and Agriculture
• Recent Case Law – focus on mitigation

Speakers: Jenifer King is a senior environmental planner at GEI Consulting, Inc. with 31 years of consulting experience. She is a CEQA/NEPA practitioner and has worked on large-scale infrastructure projects including energy, transportation, water resources, flood management, and public building and development projects. Jenifer specializes in complex impact analyses in the areas of aesthetics/visual resources, agricultural resources (Storie soil index rating, Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program classification, and Williamson Act Contracts), environmental justice, land use (permitting, zoning, annexation, and compatibility analyses), public services, utilities and service systems, and wildfire. She enjoys conducting cumulative analysis and alternatives analysis.
Jody Fessler is a senior environmental project manager at GEI Consulting, Inc. with 25 years of experience in environmental consulting and agency work. Jody’s clients have encompassed various government agencies, including the CPUC, CDFW, California State Parks, SMUD, SCVWD, DWR, counties, and other municipalities and local utilities. Much of her work has focused on energy infrastructure, including renewable energy. She leads and manages CEQA/NEPA teams and oversees technical studies, such as biological resources assessments, aquatic resources delineations, cultural resources investigations, as well as the preparation of resource agency permit applications. Jody works closely with clients and their engineers to design projects and create mitigation strategies that will avoid and minimize impacts to the environment.                    
Cost: FREE for AEP members. $30 for non-members

Webinar. Link will be emailed to all registrants on April 13, 2026.
Non-members may pay via PayPal on the registration website or check payable to AEP. Mail check to AEP c/o Janet Dallas, Treasurer, 2020 L Street, Suite 300, Sacramento, CA 95811. If those payment options don’t work for you contact Janet Dallas at janet.dallas@aecom.com or (916) 607-1775, and we can work something out with you.
If you have any issues with registration, contact Janet Dallas, AEP Chapter Treasurer at janet.dallas@aecom.com or (916) 607-1775.