Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The EIR will evaluate the air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from construction and operation of the project in conformance with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) guidelines and the CEQA guidelines based on an assessment to be completed by Xxxxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxx. The analysis will including: • Evaluation of the consistency of the project within the 2010 Clean Air Plan. • An assessment of changes to local air quality in terms of carbon monoxide and toxic air contaminants (TACs) will be completed based on a comparison of ambient air quality standards and BAAQMD risk management policy. Potential community risk impacts from roadway traffic and stationary sources will be described using BAAQMD screening data. • A plan level review of construction impacts will be qualitatively addressed. As the Xxxxxx site is not in proximity to sensitive receptors, project-level construction impacts need not be quantified but will also be qualitatively addressed. Mitigation will be identified for identified construction and operational air quality impacts. The project site is located in the City of San Xxxx, which has a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Strategy. The County has an adopted Climate Action Plan, but the plan has not been qualified as a GHG Reduction Strategy consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.5. The EIR will discuss the project’s consistency with the City of San Jose’s GHG Reduction Strategy. To further address the potential GHG emissions impacts of the project, Xxxxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxx will also quantify GHG emissions from the proposed development using the CalEEMod models.
Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Air quality impacts associated with the construction, occupancy, and use of the two proposed buildings for residential, hotel, and office uses will be assessed in the EIR in conformance with the requirements of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). Separate analysis will be provided for the residential uses proposed in the Phase 1 building and the hotel or office uses proposed in the Phase 2 building. Baseline air quality information presented will describe the climate and meteorological conditions in the project area; applicable federal and State air quality standards; existing local and regional air quality; the extent of the affected air basin; and the Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP). The quantitative discussion of potential air quality impacts associated with construction activities and operations will address construction equipment, fugitive dust, energy use, vehicle trips, and the application of paint and other architectural coatings. The increase in emissions associated with traffic generated by the project will also be presented. As required by the SCAQMD, the project impact analysis will include an assessment of the project’s possible effect on local air quality, including carbon monoxide concentrations (”hotspots”) at congested intersections in the area. This section of the EIR will also assess the project’s cumulative impacts as they relate to the AQMP performance standards for attaining federal and State air quality standards while accommodating growth. Mitigation measures necessary to reduce or avoid any potential project-generated impacts to air quality will be identified and their performance quantified based on methodologies available from the SCAQMD and other sources. Meridian Consultants will estimate air and greenhouse gas emissions that would result from construction and occupancy of the new buildings using the CalEEMod land use emissions computer model, the latest model made available by the SCAQMD. Regional construction-related emissions will be calculated for each phase of project development, including demolition of the existing buildings and site improvements, site preparation, and construction of the new building and site improvements. Maximum daily emissions will be assessed against the applicable SCAQMD Mass Daily Thresholds to determine the potential for significant environmental impacts associated with air quality and GHGs. Project design features will be incorporated to ensure consistency with the SCAQM...
Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The air quality section will evaluate both short- and long-term air quality effects. A separate EIR section will analyze Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The computational procedures for both issues use the same modeling approach, so the work on these issues will be performed simultaneously. This analysis section will be prepared in accordance with the methodologies outlined in the San Xxxx Obispo County Air Pollution Control District CEQA Air Quality Handbook (APCD April 2012). The motor vehicle constituents of concern include ROG, NOX, CO, and PM10. Significance criteria for criteria pollutants will be based on APCD thresholds. APCD recommended mitigation measures will be incorporated. The EIR will also address the project’s compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and the San Xxxx Obispo County Clean Air Plan. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been recognized by the State of California as an issue of increasing importance within the context of CEQA analysis. California Senate Bill 97 (SB 97, signed in August 2007, acknowledges that climate change requires analysis under CEQA. The approach and thresholds for the GHG discussion will be based on Greenhouse Gas Thresholds and Supporting Evidence (APCD March 28, 2012). Xxxxxx will use the latest version of the California Emissions Estimator Model (CalEEMod) software to estimate emissions of criteria pollutants and for GHG. CalEEMod was developed by air districts throughout the state and is designed as a uniform platform for government agencies, land use planners and environmental professionals to quantify potential criteria pollutant and GHG emissions associated with project construction and operation. The model quantifies direct emissions from construction and operation (including vehicle use), as well as indirect emissions, such as GHG emissions from energy production, solid waste handling, vegetation planting and/or removal, and water conveyance. Further, the model calculates the benefits from implementing mitigation measures, including GHG mitigation measures developed and approved by the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA). Emission factor data, when not identified in the APCD guidelines, will be obtained from EPA AP-42, Compilation of Air Pollutant Emissions Factors, Third Edition, and any updates published by the EPA, as well as the California Climate Action Registry’s General Reporting Protocol, and other sources, as appropriate. Traffic data to be input ...
Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. We will prepare this section in accordance with Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Guidelines. We will analyze both temporary construction effects and long-term regional effects. We will compare growth potential under the General Plan EIR to the Housing Element. This analysis will also consider the project’s potential contribution to cumulative impacts related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change. An overview of the current regulatory framework regarding GHGs/climate change including SB 32, AB 32, SB 97, and SB 375, as well as adopted amendments to the CEQA Guidelines, will be described.
