SU0007861 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Draft Environmental Impact Report Page IV.D-6 Forward Landfill Expansion Toxic Air Contaminants. Toxic air contaminants (TACs) are pollutants that are associated with acute, chronic, or carcinogenic effects but for which no NAAQS or CAAQS have been established. TAC impacts are evaluated by determining if a particular chemical poses a significant risk to human health and, if so, under what circumstances. The ambient background of TAC is the combined result of many diverse human activities, including gasoline stations, refineries, automobiles, industrial operations, and painting operations. In general,mobile sources (such as diesel) contribute more significantly to health risks than stationary sources. In August of 1998, the CARB identified particulate emissions from diesel-fueled engines (diesel particulate matter [DPM]) as a TAC. In 2000, CARB published the Risk Reduction Plan to Reduce Particulate Matter Emissions from Diesel-Fueled Engines and Vehicles3 and the Risk Management Guidance for the Permitting of New Stationary Diesel-Fueled Engines.4 The documents represent proposals to reduce diesel particulate emissions, with the goal being to reduce emissions and the associated health risk by 75 percent in 2010 and by 85 percent in : 2020. The program aims to require the use of state-of-the-art catalyzed diesel particulate filters and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel. Greenhouse Gases Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are referred to as greenhouse gases(GHGs) because they capture heat radiated from the sun as it is reflected back into the atmosphere, similar to a greenhouse. The accumulation of GHGs has been implicated as a driving force for global climate change. Definitions of climate change vary between and across regulatory authorities and the scientific community,but in general can be w described as the changing of the earth's climate caused by natural fluctuations and the impact of human activities that alter the composition of the global atmosphere. Both natural processes and human activities emit GHGs. Potential global warming impacts in California may include, but are not limited to, loss in snow pack, sea level rise, more extreme heat days per year, more high ozone days,more large forest fires, and more drought years. Secondary effects are likely to include a global rise in sea level,impacts to agriculture, changes in disease vectors, and changes in habitat and biodiversity. jThe accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere regulates the earth's temperature; however, emissions from human activities such as electricity production and motor vehicles have elevated the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere. This has contributed to an increase in the temperature of the earth's atmosphere and contributed to Global Climate Change. GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane(CH,), nitrous oxide (N20), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), perfluorocarbon(PFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons. Carbon dioxide is the reference gas for climate change because it gets the most attention and is considered the most important greenhouse gas. To account for the warming potential of GHGs, GHG emissions are often quantified and reported as CO2 equivalents (CO2e). The effects of GHG emission sources (i.e., individual projects) are reported in metric tons/year of COZe. In 2005,in recognition of California's vulnerability to the effects of climate change, Governor Schwarzenegger established Executive Order S-3-05, which sets forth a series of 3 California Air Resources Board (CARB), Risk Reduction Plan to Reduce Particulate Matter Emissions from Diesel—Fueled Engines and Vehicles,September 28,2000. California Air Resources Board (CARE), Risk Management Guidance for the Permitting of New Stationary Diesel—Fueled Engines,September 28,2000. �I