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r 3.3 Air Quality and Climate Change i �#f Local governments would then devise strategies for housing development,road-building and other land uses to shorten travel distances,reduce vehicular travel time and meet the new targets. If regions develop these integrated land use,housing, and transportation plans,residential projects that conform to the sustainable community strategy(and therefore contribute to GHG reduction) can have a more streamlined environmental review process. CEQA Guideline Amendments on Greenhouse Gases On April 13,2009,OPR submitted to the Secretary for Natural Resources its proposed amendments f to the state CEQA Guidelines for GHG emissions,as required by Public Resources Code §21083.05 (Senate Bill 97)(OPR, 2009)to provide guidance to public agencies regarding the analysis and mitigation of the effects of GHG emissions in draft CEQA documents. The Natural Resources Agency adopted the CEQA Guidelines Amendments with minor,non-substantial changes on I � December 31,2009 and transmitted the Adopted Amendments and the entire rulemaking file to the Office of Administrative Law(OAL). The adopted guidelines became effective on March 18,2010. The adopted amendments incorporated relatively modest changes to various portions of the .7 existing CEQA Guidelines.Modifications address those issues where analysis of GHG emissions .. may differ in some respects from more traditional CEQA analysis. f Adopted 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 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 project may increase or reduce GHG emissions as compared to 7 the existing environmental setting; 2. whether the GHG emissions exceed a threshold of significance that the lead agency determines applies to the project; and L^, 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 amendments include a new subdivision 15064.7(c)to clarify that in developing thresholds 4 of significance, a lead agency may appropriately review thresholds developed by other public agencies, including the CARB's recommended CEQA Thresholds,or suggested by other experts so long as any threshold chosen is supported by substantial evidence. 1 , In addition,the adopted amendments add a new set of environmental checklist questions(VII. ` Greenhouse Gas Emissions)to the CEQA Guidelines Appendix G.The new set includes the } following two questions: 3 n a. Generate GHG emissions,either directly or indirectly,that may have a significant impact - on the environment? b. Conflict with any applicable plan,policy or regulation of an agency adopted for the purpose of reducing the emissions of GHG? I � Munn 8 Perkins quarry Excavation Permit 3.3-13 ESA/211096 Draft EIR April2011 M r�