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San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Page 4 <br /> District Reference No. 20200208 <br /> May 15, 2020 <br /> A VERA is a mitigation measure by which the project proponent provides pound-for- <br /> pound mitigation of emissions increases through a process that develops, funds, and <br /> implements emission reduction projects, with the District serving a role of <br /> administrator of the emissions reduction projects and verifier of the successful <br /> mitigation effort. To implement a VERA, the project proponent and the District enter <br /> into a contractual agreement in which the project proponent agrees to mitigate Project <br /> specific emissions by providing funds for the District's incentives programs. The funds <br /> are disbursed by the District in the form of grants for projects that achieve emission <br /> reductions. Thus, project-specific regional impacts on air quality can be fully <br /> mitigated. Types of emission reduction projects that have been funded in the past <br /> include electrification of stationary internal combustion engines (such as agricultural <br /> irrigation pumps), replacing old heavy-duty trucks with new, cleaner, more efficient <br /> heavy-duty trucks, and replacement of old farm tractors. <br /> In implementing a VERA, the District verifies the actual emission reductions that have <br /> been achieved as a result of completed grant contracts, monitors the emission <br /> reduction projects, and ensures the enforceability of achieved reductions. After the <br /> project is mitigated, the District certifies to the Lead Agency that the mitigation is <br /> completed, providing the Lead Agency with an enforceable mitigation measure <br /> demonstrating that project-specific regional emissions have been mitigated to less <br /> than significant. To assist the Lead Agency and project proponent in ensuring that the <br /> environmental document is compliant with CEQA, the District recommends the Draft <br /> EIR includes an assessment of the feasibility of implementing a VERA. <br /> 3) Health Risk Screening/Assessment <br /> A Health Risk Screening/Assessment identifies potential Toxic Air Contaminants <br /> (TAC's) impact on surrounding sensitive receptors such as hospitals, daycare centers, <br /> schools, work-sites, and residences. TAC's are air pollutants identified by the Office <br /> of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment/California Air Resources Board <br /> (OEHHA/CARB) (https://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/healthval/healthval.htm) that pose a <br /> present or potential hazard to human health. A common source of TACs can be <br /> attributed to diesel exhaust emitted from both mobile and stationary sources. <br /> The District recommends the Project be evaluated for potential health impacts to <br /> surrounding receptors (on-site and off-site) resulting from operational and multi-year <br /> construction TAC emissions. <br /> 3a) The District recommends conducting a screening analysis that includes all <br /> sources of emissions. A screening analysis is used to identify projects which <br /> may have a significant health impact. A prioritization, using CAPCOA's updated <br /> methodology, is the recommended screening method. A prioritization score of <br />