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4 Environmental Analysis <br /> 4.15 Transportation <br /> The following Caltrans regulations apply to potential transportation and traffic impacts of the <br /> Project: <br /> 0o California Vehicle Code, Division 15, Chapters 1 through 5 (Size,Weight, and Load): <br /> Includes regulations pertaining to licensing, size, weight, and load of vehicles operated on <br /> highways. <br /> 0o California Street and Highway Code, Sections 660-711, 670-695: Requires permits <br /> from Caltrans for any roadway encroachment during truck transportation and delivery, <br /> includes regulations for the care and protection of state and county highways and <br /> provisions for the issuance of written permits, and requires permits for any load that <br /> exceeds Caltrans weight, length, or width standards for public roadways. <br /> Senate Bill 743 <br /> Senate Bill (SB) 743, which was codified in Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 21099, <br /> required changes to the guidelines implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA <br /> Guidelines; California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3 § 15000 et seq.) <br /> regarding the analysis of transportation impacts. Pursuant to PRC Section 21099(b)(1), the <br /> criteria for determining the significance of transportation impacts must "promote the reduction of <br /> GHG emissions, the development of multimodal transportation networks, and a diversity of land <br /> uses." (See adopted CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.3(b), Criteria for Analyzing Transportation <br /> Impacts). To that end, in developing the criteria, the Governor's Office of Planning and Research <br /> (OPR) has proposed, and the California Natural Resources Agency has certified and adopted, <br /> changes to the CEQA Guidelines that identify vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as the most <br /> appropriate metric to evaluate a project's transportation impacts. With the California Natural <br /> Resources Agency's certification and adoption of the changes to the CEQA Guidelines, <br /> automobile delay, as measured by "level of service" and other similar metrics, no longer <br /> constitutes (in most cases) a significant environmental effect under CEQA (PRC Section <br /> 21099(b)(3)). <br /> California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15064.3, subdivision (b) <br /> In 2013, the State of California passed SB 743, transitioning from automobile delay (commonly <br /> measured by LOS) to VMT in transportation analysis under CEQA. CEQA Guidelines Section <br /> 15064.3(b) describes specific considerations for evaluating a project's transportation impacts. <br /> Generally, VMT is the most appropriate measure of transportation impacts. VMT refers to the <br /> amount and distance of automobile travel attributable to a project. Other relevant considerations <br /> may include the effects of the project on transit and non-motorized travel. Except as provided in <br /> subdivision (b)(2) regarding roadway capacity, a project's effect on automobile delay shall not <br /> constitute a significant environmental impact. <br /> It should be noted that SB 743 requires CEQA lead agencies to eliminate the use of vehicular <br /> LOS as the primary transportation metric. The OPR has mandated that all CEQA lead agencies <br /> adopt a new VMT transportation metric by July 1, 2020. Prior to July 1, 2020,jurisdictions had the <br /> option to continue using LOS analysis or converting to VMT analysis once such thresholds were <br /> adopted. San Joaquin County, the CEQA lead agency for this Project, and Alameda County are <br /> currently in the process of transitioning to the VMT metric. Therefore, LOS analysis is presented <br /> Griffith Energy Storage Project 4.15-5 Tetra Tech/SCH 2022120675 <br /> Draft Environmental Impact Report August 2023 <br />