Environmental Impact Statement - Sonoma Land Trust

California Department of Fish and Game
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Section 3.11. Air Quality
while areas classified as a maintenance nonattainment areas are exempt from
conformity if emissions of CO are less than 100 tons per year.
Climate Change Regulation
Federal Climate Change Regulations
Twelve U.S. states and cities (including California), in conjunction with several
environmental organizations, sued to force the EPA to regulate GHGs as a
pollutant pursuant to the CAA (Massachusetts vs. Environmental Protection
Agency et al. [U.S. Supreme Court No. 05–1120. Argued November 29, 2006—
Decided April 2, 2007). The court ruled that the plaintiffs had standing to sue,
that Clean Air Act does give EPA the authority to regulate tailpipe emissions of
GHG, and the EPA is required to review its contention that it has discretion in
regulating carbon dioxide and other GHG emissions. No regulations have been
proposed by the EPA to date pursuant to this ruling.
In February 2002, President Bush committed the United States to a
comprehensive strategy to reduce the GHG emission intensity of the American
economy by 18 percent by 2012. In April 2008, President Bush announced a new
national goal to stop the growth in U.S. GHG emissions by 2025. Although there
is substantial work underway by the current administration of President Obama
and new policies on GHG emissions are expected, no specific new policies on
GHG emissions have been adopted as of March 2009.
Thus, at present, there are no federal regulations specifically limiting the GHG
emissions overall.
State Climate Change Regulations
California Executive Order S-3-05 established the following GHG emission
reduction targets for California:
• by 2010, reduce GHG emissions to 2000 levels;
• by 2020, reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels; and
• by 2050, reduce GHG emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels.
California Assembly Bill (AB) 1493 required ARB to develop and adopt the
nation’s first GHG emission standards for automobiles. The legislature declared
in AB 1493 that global warming was a matter of increasing concern for public
health and environment in the state. It cited several risks that California faces
from climate change, including reduction in the state’s water supply, increased
air pollution creation by higher temperatures, harm to agriculture, and increase in
wildfires, damage to the coastline, and economic losses caused by higher food,
water energy, and insurance prices. Further the legislature stated that
Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration
Project Final Environmental Impact
Report/Environmental Impact Statement
3.11-11
April 2012