District Policy & Guidance
To assist Lead Agencies, project proponents, permit applicants, and interested parties in assessing and reducing the impacts of project specific greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) on global climate change, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (District) has adopted the guidance: Guidance for Valley Land-use Agencies in Addressing GHG Emission Impacts for New Projects under CEQA and the policy: District Policy – Addressing GHG Emission Impacts for Stationary Source Projects Under CEQA When Serving as the Lead Agency. The guidance and policy rely on the use of performance based standards, otherwise known as Best Performance Standards (BPS) to assess significance of project specific greenhouse gas emissions on global climate change during the environmental review process, as required by CEQA. Use of BPS is a method of streamlining the CEQA process of determining significance and is not a required emission reduction measure. Projects implementing BPS would be determined to have a less than cumulatively significant impact. Otherwise, demonstration of a 29 percent reduction in GHG emissions, from business-as-usual, is required to determine that a project would have a less than cumulatively significant impact. The guidance does not limit a lead agency’s authority in establishing its own process and guidance for determining significance of project related impacts on global climate change.
Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) Resources
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District CCAP Development Process
The District’s Governing Board adopted the Climate Change Action Plan in August 2008. More information on the Governing Board Mandates can be found below:
This new plan will assist local land-use agencies, Valley businesses, and the District in complying with State and Federal mandates. Interested parties are invited to participate in two technical workgroups to provide input in the development of CCAP recommendations to be presented to the District Governing Board. The two workgroups are the Greenhouse Gas CEQA Guidance workgroup and the Carbon Exchange Program workgroup.
Other Air Districts
- Bay Area Air Quality Management District
- Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD)
- South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)
Other Agencies and References
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Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32)
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Assembly Bill 170
- Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP)
- California Air Pollution Control Officers Association
- California Air Resource Board (ARB)
- California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
- California Climate Action Registry (CCAR)
- California Energy Commission
- Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR)
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC)
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Senate Bill 97 (SB 97)
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Senate Bill 375 (SB 375)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Proposed Permitting Requirements for Large Industrial Facilities
- On September 20, 2009, U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced a proposal requiring large industrial facilities that emit at least 25,000 tons of GHG’s a year to obtain construction and operating permits covering these emissions. These permits must demonstrate the use of BACT and energy efficiency measures to minimize GHG emissions when facilities are constructed or significantly modified.
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Western Climate Initiative (WCI)
- World Resources Institute (WRI)
Documents
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