Draft Environmental Impact Report - California Off Highway Vehicle ...

Regional Plans, Policies, Regulations, and Ordinances
Certified Unified Program Agency
3.10 Hazards and Hazardous Materials
The Butte County Public Health Department, Environmental Health Division, was certified by
Cal/EPA as the Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) for Butte County in 2005. The CUPA
Program is the consolidation of six state hazardous materials management programs into one
program under the authority of CUPA. CUPA inspects businesses or facilities that handle or store
hazardous materials; generate and/or treat hazardous waste; own or operate underground
storage tanks; store petroleum in aboveground tanks over state thresholds; and store federal
regulated hazardous materials over state thresholds. The CUPA Program is instrumental in
accomplishing this goal through education, community and industry outreach, inspections, and
enforcement. Although the CUPA is administered by Butte County, because it was certified by the
Cal/EPA, the CUPA has regulatory authority at the state‐owned Clay Pit SVRA.
Interagency Hazardous Material Team
The Interagency Hazardous Material Team was organized by the Butte County Fire Chiefs'
Association beginning in 1989 through the use of a Joint Powers Agreement. Team members are
provided by the various fire departments in the area: Cities of Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Biggs, and
Gridley; and the County of Butte/CAL FIRE. The team is composed of 30 to 40 hazardous‐material
specialists. Through California Master Mutual Aid, this team is available for response throughout
California (Butte County 2009).
3.10.3 Thresholds of Significance
The significance criteria for this analysis are based on the environmental checklist in Appendix G
of the State CEQA Guidelines, as amended. Implementation of Clay Pit SVRA General Plan,
including construction and operation of the headquarters facilities, would have significant
environmental impacts related to hazards and hazardous materials if it would:
create a significant hazard to the public or the environment through the routine transport,
use, or disposal of hazardous materials;
create a significant hazard to the public or the environment through reasonably
foreseeable upset and accident conditions involving the release of hazardous materials into
the environment;
emit hazardous emissions or require the handling of hazardous or acutely hazardous
materials, substances, or waste within one‐quarter mile of an existing or proposed school;
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
Draft EIR 3.10-5 February 2012