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Administrative Draft Environmental Impact Report Gill Medical Center Project site in the General Plan.Therefore, the Project could potentially conflict with the population or job growth projections used by the County to develop the GHG emissions inventory in the County General Plan. Similarly, the Project could potentially conflict with the assumptions used by the SJCOG to develop the land use and transportation scenario, which defines a pattern of future growth for the region, used in the RTP/SCS.The Project potential to conflict with the types, intensity, and patterns of land use assumed to develop both the GHG emissions inventory in the County General Plan and mobile-source GHG-reduction strategies contained in the RTP/SCS is articulated by the projected increase in regional VMT identified for the Project. According to the Traffic Impact Study prepared for the Project (KD Anderson and Associates 2020), the current VMT per Service Population in the County General Plan Planning Area is 24.16 VMT per Service Population and the Proposed Project is expected to result in 85.98 VMT per Service Population.As discussed in Section 4.19 Traffic and Transportation of this Draft EIR, the Proposed Project is considered to have a significant impact on its contribution to regional VMT (KD Anderson and Associates 2020). Vehicular VMT is a substantial source of GHG emissions.As previously described, General Plan Policy TM- 1.13 mandates smart growth to reduce VMT. Similarly, the RTP/SCS seeks to reduce GHG emissions through land use strategies that reduce per capita VMT.The RTP/SCS preferred scenario consists of an intensified land use distribution approach that concentrates the forecasted population and employment growth in existing urban areas (infill development).This focus intends to minimize impacts on rural areas which contain the majority of agricultural land throughout the County. Since the Project would potentially conflict with the land use assumptions used by the County and SJCOG to develop the GHG emissions inventory in the County General Plan and mobile-source GHG-reduction strategies contained in the RTP/SCS, respectively, a significant impact would occur.All development in the County, including the Project, is required to adhere to all County-adopted policy provisions, including those contained in the adopted General Plan.The County ensures all provisions of the General Plan are incorporated into projects and their permits through development review and applications of mitigation measures and/or conditions of approval as applicable. General Plan policy provisions directly applicable to the Project include Policy PHS-5.14, which encourages energy consumption reduction strategies into new development, Policy NCR-5.11, which encourage green building practices in new construction, and Policy PHS-6.6,which requires the incorporation of all feasible mitigation to reduce GHG emissions in new development. The majority of Project pollutant emissions would be generated by mobile sources, which is an emission source that cannot be regulated by the County of San Joaquin.A reduction in vehicle trips to and from the Proposed Project would reduce the amount of mobile emissions. Methods for reducing personal vehicle trips include carpooling, transit, cycling, and pedestrian connections. Roadway improvements eventually constructed as part of future development along the frontage of North Ham Lane and West Lane would include sidewalks and would be consistent with County road standards.As required by the California Building Code, areas to secure bicycles would be provided within the Proposed Project. However, even with the connectivity provided by the roadway improvements and the areas to secure bicycles, there is no way to know if employees or patients would cycle to the Proposed Project. According to the Alliance for Biking and Hiking (2016), 1.1 percent of Californians commute to work via bicycling and/or walking. Furthermore, the SJCOG reports that 1,611 San Joaquin residents consistently biked to work in 2017, while 2,907 residents consistently walked to work (SJCOG undated). However, it is unlikely Greenhouse Gas and Climate Change 4.10-13 October 2021