AgdaPkt 2012-02-13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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8. B. - Page 5 a. Appellant claims that the EIR's health risk assessment and evaluation of potential impacts from Toxic Air Contaminants (TACs) (i.e., residents' exposures to emissions from EI Camino Real) are both inadequate. City's response: The health risk assessment and the EIR's air quality analysis comply with applicable CEQA and Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) requirements.� The City's health risk evaluation and air quality analysis, including its analysis of potential TAC impacts, followed all BAAQMD recommended methods and guidelines. As the regional agency with primary responsibility for regulating pollutant emissions and regulating and maintaining air quality, it was reasonable for the City to utilize BAAQMD's recommended methods. (Refer to Final EIR Responses A-12, A-14, 0-20, 0-22, 0-41 (pages 42-46 and 59-70) and BAAQMD's Recommended Methods for Screening and Modeling Local Risk and Hazards (page 34)). These analyses comply with all CEQA requirements. b. Appellant claims that the EIR fails to adequately identify and describe all air pollution sources in the Project area. City's response: The EIR correctly determined that there are no permitted stationary sources of pollutants within 1,000 feet of the Project site, as required by BAAQMD and in compliance with CEQA requirements. c. Appellant claims that the air quality analysis is inadequate because air quality modeling data relied upon by the City does not conform to U.S.EPA guidance and fails to provide a complete description of air emissions associated with the Project. City's response: The health risk assessment and air quality analyses followed BAAQMD guidelines, which include recommendations regarding the use of EPA models. Reliance on and conformance to BAAQMD guidelines constitutes compliance with applicable CEQA requirements. d. Appellant claims that the EIR fails to disclose potential health risks to sensitive residential receptors on and near the Project site. City's response: The health risk assessment and EIR thoroughly discuss and fully disclose the health risks to sensitive residential receptors on and near the Project site. As noted above, these analyses are based on BAAQMD thresholds of significance for such health risks, assessed in accordance with BAAQMD 1 Note that BAAQMD's new policies governing project analysis and mitigation requirements related to toxic air contaminants and greenhouse gas emissions have recently been set aside on procedural grounds. However, this does not undercut the validity of the science behind the BAAQMD policies and does not undermine the City's ability to rely on the standards and thresholds of significance.