Environmental Setting. Evaluation — The additional ROW required additional field work, mapping and report preparation for the Wetland Delineation and Biological Studies.
Environmental Setting. The issue of combating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) has been the subject of recent state legislation (AB 32 and SB 375). The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research has recommended changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, and the environmental checklist which is used for Initial Studies such as this one. The changes to the checklist are incorporated above in the two questions related to a project’s GHG impacts. A third question has been added by Yolo County to consider potential impacts related to climate change’s effect on individual projects, such as sea level rise and increased wildfire dangers. To date, specific thresholds of significance to evaluate impacts pertaining to GHG emissions have not been established by local decision-making agencies, the Yolo Xxxxxx Air Quality Management District, the State, or the federal government. However, this absence of thresholds does not negate CEQA’s mandate to evaluate all potentially significant impacts associated with the proposed project. Yolo County has adopted a Climate Action Plan (CAP) which addresses these issues. The following discussion of GHG/climate change impact relies upon the draft CAP and “tiers off” the analysis, conclusions, and measures included in the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) of the 2030 Yolo Countywide General Plan (Yolo County, 2009b). The FEIR assumed th conversion of over 4,200 acres for open space uses including parks, trails, and habitat. While the FEIR analysis concluded that the severity of impacts related to planned urban growth and GHG/climate change could be reduced by some policies and some available mitigation measures, the overall impact could not be reduced to a less than significant level. The impacts of countywide cumulative growth on GHG emissions, and the impacts of climate change on cumulative growth, are considered significant and unavoidable at this time. The adopted 2030 Yolo Countywide General Plan (Yolo County, 2009a) contains several policies and implementation programs that require proposed development projects to reduce GHG emissions and conserve energy. The policies and action programs that are relevant to the proposed wetlands and wildlife habitat project include the following: Policy CO-8.2: Use the development review process to achieve measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Action CO-A117: Pursuant to the adopted Climate Action Plan (CAP), the County shall take all feasibl...
Environmental Setting. Existing information from relevant environmental documents will be used to describe the baseline environmental conditions within the project vicinity. This section describes those aspects of the environment that may be affected by implementation of the Proposed SVIP Project. This section focuses on existing conditions within and surrounding the SVIP Project site with specific reference to the following topics: ▪ Physical environment – visual resources; air quality; greenhouse gas emissions; geology, soils, and seismic hazards; hydrology and water quality; and hazardous materials. ▪ Biological environment – vegetation and wildlife, including migratory birds and forestry resources. ▪ Social environment – cultural and tribal resources; land use; noise; population and housing; public services, utilities, and energy; recreation; and transportation and traffic.
Environmental Setting. 4.1 Location/Land Use Discuss facility size, location and adjacent land use. Include a rough demographic profile of the human population who use or have access to the facility and adjacent lands. Provide approximate distance to nearest residential areas, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, parks, playgrounds, etc.
Environmental Setting. 5.1 TOPOGRAPHY The topographic map of the Site area was not readily available.
Environmental Setting. 9 5.1 Topography............................................................... 9 5.2 Soils.................................................................... 9 5.3 Geology & Hydrology...................................................... 9 5.4 Groundwater.............................................................. 9
Environmental Setting. Environmental characteristics including topography, geology and hydrogeology were evaluated based on Site observations, published literature and maps.
Environmental Setting. Heritage resources are indicators of past human activities. They provide valuable information about past lifeways, are a link between past and present generations, and are the surviving tangible products of past culture. Culture can be described as the fabric of human existence and is the source of one’s identity. Heritage resources were an important component of the environmental impact assessment. The assessment considered a number of sources of information, including previous heritage resource surveys, predictive modeling, and preparatory research including a literature review. Field research was undertaken specifically for the Wuskwatim Project. These are described in Volume 9 of the Environmental Impact Statement. The assessment concluded: “It is expected that most of the heritage resources in the central area of the development, the section of river between Wuskwatim Falls and Taskinigup Falls, have been previously impacted by CRD. Archaeological sites not discovered during the various archaeological surveys, or by the archaeological study team HRIA field study, may be present within the footprint of the generating station.” Undiscovered sites may remain. The Partnership has concluded that it is important to develop and implement this Aniskowatesewe Ketapahchikewe Othaschikekwin (Heritage Resources Protection Plan) to achieve its commitment to protect heritage resources and to ensure that any human remains or heritage objects that may be found, discovered or disturbed during the development of the Wuskwatim Project are treated in the manner set out in section 5.2 of this Aniskowatesewe Ketapahchikewe Othaschikekwin (Heritage Resources Protection Plan), which is consistent with the principles of Nisichawayasihk Nehethowuk customary law, and in accordance with applicable laws.
Environmental Setting. In May 2012, DWR adopted its Climate Action Plan Phase 1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Plan (GGERP), which details DWR’s efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions consistent with Executive Order S-3-05 and the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Assembly Bill 32) (DWR 2012). DWR also adopted an IS/ND prepared for the GGERP in accordance with the CEQA Guidelines review and public process. Both the GGERP and the IS/ND are incorporated herein by reference and are available at xxxx://xxx.xxxxx.xx.xxx/climatechange/CAP.cfm. The GGERP provides estimates of historical (back to 1990), current, and future GHG emissions related to operations, construction, maintenance, and business practices (e.g., building-related energy use). The GGERP specifies aggressive 2020 and 2050 emission reduction goals and identifies a list of GHG emissions reduction measures to achieve these goals. DWR specifically prepared its GGERP as a “Plan for the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions” for purposes of CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.5. That section provides that such a document, which must meet certain specified requirements, “may be used in the cumulative impacts analysis of later projects.” Because climate change, by its nature, is a global cumulative impact, an individual project’s compliance with a qualifying GHG reduction plan may suffice to mitigate the project’s incremental contribution to that cumulative impact to a level that is not “cumulatively considerable” (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15064[h][3]). More specifically, “[l]ater project-specific environmental documents may tier from and/or incorporate by reference” the “programmatic review” conducted for the GHG emissions reduction plan. “An environmental document that relies on a GHG reduction plan for a cumulative impacts analysis must identify those requirements specified in the plan that apply to the project, and, if those requirements are not otherwise binding and enforceable, incorporate those requirements as mitigation measures applicable to the project” (CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.5[b][2]).
Environmental Setting. The CLSP EIR described applicable existing noise standards and noise conditions in and around the Specific Plan area, including ambient noise levels and transportation noise generated by I-5, the principal noise source in the project area. There has been no change in the applicable noise standards since the certification of the EIR. I-5 noise levels have likely increased with annual increase in traffic; however, progressive traffic and associated noise increases were considered in the EIR’s impact analysis.
