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III. Environmental Setting, Impacts, and Mitigations <br /> G. Air Quality <br /> Regulation of toxic air contaminants(TACs),termed Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)under <br /> federal regulations,is achieved through federal and state controls on individual sources. Federal <br /> law defines HAPs as non-criteria air pollutants with short-term(acute)and/or long-term (chronic <br /> or carcinogenic) adverse human health effects. The 1977 CAA Amendments required the EPA to <br /> identify National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants(NESHAPs)to protect public <br /> health and welfare. NESHAPs were established for benzene,vinyl chloride,inorganic arsenic, <br /> beryllium, mercury,asbestos,radionuclides,and coke oven gas. The establishment of NESHAPs <br /> failed to result in substantial reductions of the emissions of HAPs,however. <br /> The 1990 CAA Amendments offer a comprehensive plan for achieving significant reductions in <br /> both mobile and stationary source emissions of HAPs. A total of 189 air pollutants have been <br /> designated HAPs because of their adverse human health effects. Title III of the 1990 CAA <br /> Amendments deals exclusively with HAPs. All sources of HAPs will be required to obtain an <br /> operating permit under Title V of the Amendments. <br /> State <br /> The Air Resources Board(ARB),California's state air quality management agency,regulates <br /> mobile emissions sources, and oversees the activities of County Air Pollution Control Districts <br /> (APCDs) and regional Air Quality Management Districts(AQMDs). The ARB regulates local <br /> air quality indirectly by having established State Ambient Air Quality Standards(SAAQS)and <br /> vehicle emission standards,by conducting research activities, and by planning and coordinating <br /> activities. <br /> California has adopted ambient standards for the criteria air pollutants that are more stringent <br /> than the federal standards. The California Clean Air Act(CCAA),passed in 1988, calls for the <br /> establishment of a program to secure air quality data for each Air Basin in the State,and to <br /> inventory and monitor air pollutants. Under the California Clean Air Act,patterned after the <br /> federal Act,areas have been designated as attainment or nonattainment with respect to the state <br /> ambient air quality standards(SAAQS). The San Joaquin Valley has been designated as non- <br /> attainment for 03 and PMIO. Unlike the federal classification, 03 and PMIO are categorized as <br /> "serious," with respect to the state air quality standards (Kwong, 1993). <br /> SJVAB has been required by the CCAA to develop an air quality attainment plan(AQAP)in <br /> order to meet attainment status for the nonattainment criteria pollutants. The SJVUAPCD <br /> accordingly has developed an Air Quality Attainment Plan that describes the strategies to reach <br /> i <br /> III.G.3 <br />