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

3.2 Air Quality
Rule 205, “Fugitive Dust Emissions,” was developed to reduce ambient concentrations and
limit fugitive emissions of PM10 from construction activities; bulk material handling and
storage; carryout/trackout (i.e., any bulk materials that adhere to the exterior surfaces of
motor vehicles and/or equipment [including tires] and fall out or track onto a paved road,
creating visible roadway dust) and similar activities; weed abatement activities; unpaved
parking lots, staging areas, and roads; inactive disturbed land; disturbed open areas; and
windblown dust.
Rule 221: Phase I Vapor Recovery Requirements, which requires installation of an CARB‐
certified Phase I vapor recovery system at the time of tank installation. Rule 222, Phase I
Vapor Recovery Requirements, would not apply to the SVRA because it would not be
dispensing gasoline for retail purposes.
3.2.3 Thresholds of Significance
The significance criteria for this analysis are based on the Butte County AQMD’s CEQA Air Quality
Handbook. Under Butte County AQMD’s CEQA Air Quality Handbook (Butte County AQMD 2008:
Section 2), a programmatic evaluation of a general plan, specific plan, or area plan can generally be
done qualitatively. However this assumes that the plan being evaluated will involve different types
of land use and can include measures/policies to reduce urban sprawl and dependence on motor
vehicles, which is not the case with the Clay Pit SVRA General Plan. For this reason, a largely
quantitative analysis was undertaken to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of
implementing the General Plan related to air quality. Implementation of the General Plan,
including construction and operation of the headquarters facilities, would have significant
environmental impacts related to air quality if:
the project construction or operations would generate regional emissions of ROG, NOX, and
PM10 that exceed the thresholds in Table 3.2‐4;
TABLE 3.2­4. THRESHOLDS OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERIA POLLUTANTS OF CONCERN
Pollutant
Daily Threshold for Project Emissions 1
Level B Level C
NOX 25 lbs/day 137 lbs/day
ROG 25 lbs/day 137 lbs/day
PM10 80 lbs/day 137 lbs/day
Notes:
1 Emissions that do not exceed Level B thresholds would require the use of Butte County AQMD’s standard
mitigation measures. Emissions in excess of Level B thresholds but less than Level C would require, in addition to
Butte County AQMD’s standard mitigation measures, incorporation of Butte County AQMD’s best available
mitigation measures, to the extent feasible, to reduce project‐related emissions.
Source: Butte County AQMD 2008:2‐2
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
Draft EIR 3.2-7 February 2012