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The California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board), as the lead agency for the 2022 State Strategy for the State Implementation Plan (2022 State SIP Strategy), is preparing an environmental analysis (EA) under its certified regulatory program (Public Resources Code section 21080.5 et seq.; California Code of Regulations, title 17, sections 60000 through 60008) to comply with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA ). CARB staff announces the release of the Draft Environmental Analysis for the proposed 2022 State Strategy for the State Implementation Plan (Draft EA) for public comment. The Draft EA is included as Appendix B to the Draft 2022 State SIP Strategy which was released on January 31, 2022. CARB staff will later release the Proposed 2022 State SIP Strategy for consideration by the Board, along with the Final EA and Response to Comments (RTC) on the Draft EA, in Summer 2022.
The 2022 State SIP Strategy is being developed to identify the control measures and emissions reductions necessary from State-regulated sources to support attainment of the federal 70 ppb 8-hour ozone standard across California. Nineteen areas in California are nonattainment for the 70 ppb 8-hour ozone standard. Per the Clean Air Act, nonattainment areas must develop SIPs to demonstrate attainment of federal air quality standards that include identifying both the magnitude of emission reductions needed by the required attainment deadline and the actions necessary to achieve those reductions. While the 2022 State SIP Strategy will include measures and commitments for achieving the 70 ppb 8-hour ozone standard, the emissions reductions will also support attainment for the other national and State ambient air quality standards and provide benefits to near-source communities.
The Draft EA assesses the potential for significant adverse and beneficial environmental impacts associated with the proposed actions and provides a programmatic environmental analysis of the reasonably foreseeable compliance responses that could result from implementation of the 2022 State SIP Strategy. The Draft EA concluded implementation of the 2022 State SIP Strategy could result in: beneficial impacts to air quality (long-term operational-related) and greenhouse gas emissions; less than significant impacts, or no impacts, to energy demand, land use, mineral resources, population, employment and housing, public services, recreation, and wildfire; and potentially significant adverse impacts to aesthetics, agriculture and forest resources, air quality (short-term construction-related), biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, noise and vibration, transportation and traffic, tribal cultural resources, and utilities and service systems.
Written Comment Period
The Draft EA will have a 45-day public comment period that will start on March 29, 2022 and end on May 13, 2022. Comments submitted outside that comment period are considered untimely. CARB may, but is not required to, respond to untimely comments. Written comments regarding the Draft EA or any environmental impacts of the 2022 State SIP Strategy must be received no later than May 13, 2022, and submitted electronically to the following website:
Please note that under the California Public Records Act (Government Code section 6250 et seq.), your written and oral comments, attachments, and associated contact information (e.g., your address, phone, email, etc.) become part of the public record and can be released to the public upon request.
Further inquiries regarding this matter should be directed to Rebecca Fancher, Staff Air Pollution Specialist, Legal Office CEQA Unit or Rebecca Maddox, Senior Attorney, Legal Office.
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