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The SJVAPCD requested in its comments on the Notice of Preparation for the <br /> Draft EIR that"[m]itigation measures must be included in the EIR that reduce the <br /> emissions of reactive organic gases (ROG), nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and <br /> PM-10 to the maximum extent feasible." Specifically, the District"strongly <br /> recommends that the project applicant... implement all feasible mitigation measures to <br /> reduce the amount of ozone precursors that will result from the buildout of this project" <br /> In this letter, the District provided a list of potential mitigation measures and <br /> emphasized that"the list is not meant to be all inclusive, and the District encourages <br /> new innovative ideas." (SJVAPCD 01/0342, p. 2; emphasis added.) The Draft EIR for the <br /> most part ignored the District's request as well as the CEQA Guidelines. <br /> The Draft EIR concluded that emissions of ROG and NOx from Project <br /> operation are significant. (Draft EIR, Impact 4.6.2, pp. 4.6-21 -4.6-24.) However, <br /> rather than identifying and evaluating feasible mitigation, as it is obligated to do <br /> under CEQA, the Draft EIR claims with no support or analysis that operation of new <br /> equipment satisfies it mitigation obligation. (Draft EIR, p. 4.6-24.)The Draft EIR - <br /> further declines any further mitigation for the much larger cumulatively significant eons <br /> cont. <br /> impacts, citing back to the single project Mitigation Measure 4.6.2,which relies only <br /> on the use of new equipment. (Draft EIR, p. 6-11.) This mitigation measure is <br /> insufficient to mitigate both Project and cumulative impacts for several reasons. <br /> First, the use of new equipment must be explicitly required as mitigation <br /> rather than just being"proposed" by the Applicant. This assumed proposal to use <br /> only new equipment is contradicted by the anticipated move of older equipment <br /> from the Applicant's Tracy aggregate plant (Draft EIR, p. 3-7.) Further, Mitigation <br /> Measure 4.6.4 (p. 4.6-28) substantially conflicts with Mitigation Measure 4.6.2 <br /> (p. 4.6-24) because it allows the option of either using new equipment or retrofitting <br /> its fleet of excavators, on-site haul trucks, and front-end loaders with catalyzed DPM <br /> filters to minimize DPM emissions. (Draft EIR, p. 4.6-28.) Catalyzed DPM filters <br /> remove ROG and some NOx and, thus, are applicable as mitigation for Impact 4.6.2. <br /> We note that catalyzed DPM filters can be used on new equipment. Thus, this <br /> measure should be revised to require both new equipment and catalyzed DPM <br /> filters. <br /> Second, the use of new equipment is claimed to provide the"best available — <br /> operating efficiency."(Draft EIR, p. 4.6-24.) The relevant inquiry should be the <br /> amount of emission reductions that can be achieved relative to the significance <br /> 92 San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District,Re:Notice of Preparation for the Environmental <br /> Impact Report for RMC Pacific Materials-Quarry Excavation,January 23, 2003. <br /> 32 <br />