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Page IV.D-12 act Report Pa Draft Environmental p p g Forward Landfill Expansion 1., OPR Proposed Amendments to the CEQA Guidelines FOn April 13,2009, OPR submitted to the Secretary for Natural Resources its proposed amendments to the CEQA Guidelines for GHG emissions, as required by Public Resources Code section 21083.05 (Senate Bill 97). These proposed.CEQA Guideline amendments would provide guidance to public agencies regarding the analysis and mitigation of the effects of GHG emissions in draft CEQA documents. The Natural Resources Agency will conduct formal rulemaking in 2009, prior to certifying and adopting the amendments, as required by Senate Bill 97. Proposed amendments include a new section(15064.4) to assist lead agencies in determining the significance of the GHG impacts. This section urges lead agencies to quantify, where possible,the GHG emissions of proposed projects. In addition to quantification, this section recommends consideration of several other qualitative factors that may be used in determination of significance including: (1) the extent to which the F project may increase or reduce GHG emissions as compared to the existing environmental setting; (2) whether the GHG emissions exceed a threshold of significance that the lead agency determines applies to the project; and (3) the extent to which the project complies with regulations or requirements adopted to implement a Statewide, regional, or local plan for the reduction or mitigation of GHG emissions. The proposed amendments include a new subdivision 15064.7(c)to clarify that in developing thresholds of significance,a lead agency may appropriately review thresholds I developed by other public agencies, including the CARE s recommended CEQA Thresholds, or suggested by other experts, such as the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association, so long as any threshold chosen is supported by substantial evidence. { The proposed amendments also include a new subdivision 15130(f) to emphasize that the effects of GHG emissions are cumulative, and should be analyzed when the incremental contribution of those emissions may be cumulatively considerable. In addition, the proposed amendments add a new set of environmental checklist questions(VII. F Greenhouse Gas Emissions)to the CEQA Guidelines Appendix G. The new set includes the following two questions: FWill the project: a) Generate GHG emissions,either directly or indirectly, that may have a significant impact on the environment? 1 b) Conflict with any applicable plan, policy or regulation of an agency adopted for the purpose of reducing the emissions of GHG? California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA) In January 2008, the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association(CAPCOA) issued a "white paper" on evaluating and addressing GHGs under CEQA (CAPCOA, 2008). This resource guide was prepared to support local governments as they develop F their programs and policies around climate change issues. The paper is not a guidance document. It is not intended to dictate or direct how any agency chooses to address GHG emissions. Rather, it is intended to provide a common platform of information about key elements of CEQA as they pertain to GHG,including an analysis of different approaches to setting significance thresholds. F FI