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

3.11 Climate Change
increased attendance envisioned in the General Plan would occur over a period of 20 years or
more. For this reason, future conditions were analyzed for the year 2030.
Operational area and mobile sources of GHGs for the General Plan would include emissions from
the headquarters facilities, emissions from the OHV recreation facilities envisioned in the General
Plan, and emissions from increased visitation and use of Clay Pit SVRA. Area source emissions of
GHGs would come from propane combustion and fuel station emissions. On‐road, mobile sources
of GHG emissions would be from passenger vehicles, light‐duty trucks, and motorcycles. Off‐road,
mobile sources of GHG emissions would be from recreational OHVs. Visitors to and staff of the
SVRA would generate GHG emissions from vehicle trips to and from the project site. Operational
emissions were quantified using the same assumptions as detailed in Section 3.2, “Air Quality.”
Table 3.11‐1 shows the estimated existing GHG emissions for Clay Pit SVRA and those associated
with implementation of the Clay Pit SVRA General Plan. The majority of emissions would come
from on‐road mobile sources (e.g., trips to and from the SVRA). OHV emissions would account for
approximately 34 MT CO2e, or 1.9% of operational emissions. Construction emissions would
account for approximately 695 MT CO2e but are finite and may be amortized (i.e., averaged over
the life of the plan) per the methodology recommended by the Sacramento Metropolitan Air
Quality Management District (SMAQMD; 2009). It should be noted that state measures (i.e., the
LCFS to reduce the carbon intensity of vehicle fuel and the Pavley clean‐air standards to reduce
GHG emission from passenger vehicles) exist that will lower the GHG emissions from mobile
sources. Both measures apply to on‐road transportation vehicles. The net emissions associated
with on‐road travel were estimated using EMFAC and CARB’s Postprocessor, a tool that provides
estimates of how the LCFS and Pavley measures will reduce GHG emissions. The Pavley state
measure does not apply to off‐road vehicles. However, LCFS does apply to off‐road vehicles,
including OHVs, and is estimated to reduce GHG emissions by 10%. When these state measures
are considered, 2030 emissions are 22% lower than conditions would be without consideration of
LCFS and Pavley measures.
The net increase in GHG emissions that would result from implementing the General Plan,
including constructing and operating the headquarters facilities, would be approximately 636 MT
CO2e per year, which is well below all the currently adopted thresholds of other air districts in the
state described above in Section 3.11.3, “Thresholds of Significance.” The purpose of this analysis
is to put the project’s GHG emissions in the appropriate statewide context to evaluate whether the
project’s contribution to the global impact of climate change would have a significant impact on
the environment. Thus, the project’s GHG emissions fall well below the adopted thresholds
discussed above and would not be considered substantial. Therefore, the GHG emissions that
would result from implementing the General Plan, including constructing and operating the
headquarters facilities, would not have a significant impact, either directly or indirectly, on the
environment and would not conflict with California’s GHG‐reduction goals and strategies of AB 32.
This impact would be less than significant.
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
Draft EIR 3.11-7 February 2012