Butte County Air Quality Management District – 2014 CEQA Air Quality Handbook
Throughout the Northern Sacramento Valley Air Basin the major contributor to air pollution is the motor vehicle. The CEQA Air Quality Handbook seeks to reduce emissions resulting from vehicular activity. This includes measures to reduce dependency on the automobile for mobility and mitigate the air quality impacts of new development. The mitigation measures in these guidelines encourage walking, bicycling, transit use and other alternative travel modes by making them more convenient and safe to use.
The Butte County Air District, as a Responsible/Concerned agency under CEQA, reviews proposed projects and provides comments to the lead agencies. Project review will include suggested mitigation measures from those listed in Section V and Appendix C of the CEQA Air Quality Handbook and from additional Responsible/Concerned Agency responses.
The lead agency will either accept or reject District recommendations. If accepted, the applicant shall initiate mitigation measures by Land Use Permit application. If the recommendations are rejected, the local land use authority must identify the basis for rejection.
Following a review of the final mitigation measures, the District may elect to appeal the final decision before the local land use authority (Public Resources Code §21167).
Links to Planning Documents:
CAPCOA released California’s Progress Toward Clean Air (April 2015), the annual collaborative state of the air report. The full report is available on CAPCOA’s website.
Clean Air Plan The 2015 Air Quality Attainment Plan was created by the air districts within the Northern Sacramento Valley. The purpose of the plan is to achieve and maintain healthy air quality throughout the northern air basin. The plan addresses the progress made in implementing the original plan submitted to the California Air Resources Board in 1991 and has been updated every three years, most recently in 2015, and approved by the District Governing Board in March 2016. The plan includes the proposed control strategies necessary to attain the California ozone standard at the earliest practicable date.
Siting Guidance In 2012, CARB staff prepared a document entitled “Status of Research on Potential Mitigation Concepts to Reduce Exposure to Nearby Traffic Pollution“. It provides information on scientific research that has been conducted on various building-related and site mitigation concepts suggested as potentially effective approaches for reducing traffic-related pollution exposure to those living near high traffic roadways. This paper is not intended as guidance for any specific project and does not provide a methodology for determining appropriate mitigation measures for purposes of compliance with CEQA, however it does provide useful information that could be considered when evaluating potential mitigation approaches.
National Association of Clean Air Agencies July 2011 – Primer on Climate Science Change – This brochure provides a summary of the most important information on climate change science in one document.
