RES 221270 - Laserfiche WebLink

Environmental Checklist Air Quality Final Initial Study – Negative Declaration 33 b. Would the project result in a cumulatively considerable net increase of any criteria pollutant for which the project region is non-attainment under an applicable federal or State ambient air quality standard (including releasing emissions that exceed quantitative thresholds for ozone precursors)? The CAP 2.0 would not involve land use or zoning changes but would instead promote sustainable infrastructure development and redevelopment. As a policy document, the CAP 2.0 would not result in impacts related to criteria pollutants. However, implementation of the following CAP 2.0 actions may promote construction activities that would temporarily generate criteria pollutants during the construction phase. CAP 2.0 Action P2 promotes electrification of existing buildings, Action P5 would expand EV charging stations and supporting infrastructure throughout Pleasanton, and Actions S2 and S3 encourage energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits to existing buildings and municipal facilities. CAP 2.0 Action P15 would incentivize water efficiency retrofits to existing buildings and landscaped areas, and Action S8 seeks to increase green stormwater infrastructure within the City, including low-impact development (LID) strategies such as bioswales, rain catchment basins, and green roofs. Additionally, CAP 2.0 Action P13 would involve the planting of new trees throughout the City, and Action S9 may include controlled burns in wildland areas to prevent wildfire, which could temporarily generate criteria pollutants such as PM10 and PM2.5. Construction-related air quality impacts are generally associated with fugitive dust (PM10 and PM2.5) and exhaust emissions from heavy construction vehicles and soil hauling trucks, in addition to reactive organic gases (ROG) that would be released during the drying phase upon application of architectural coatings. However, implementation of CAP 2.0 actions would not include large-scale construction within Pleasanton and would involve temporary and short-term criteria pollutant emissions. As such, CAP 2.0 would result in low-level criteria pollutant emissions and negligible impacts to air quality. CAP 2.0 projects or actions would also be reviewed for consistency with BAAQMD air quality regulations and other applicable local, State, and federal regulations once project details and locations are known. Thus, the construction required for implementation of the CAP 2.0 would result in a less-than-significant impact related to net increase of criteria pollutants. With respect to operational emissions, many of the CAP 2.0 actions would have the secondary benefit of reducing criteria pollutant emissions, such as strategies aiming to increase building energy efficiency, promote EVs, reduce on-road gasoline fuel use, and reduce VMT. Implementation of CAP 2.0 would be beneficial by helping Pleasanton meet applicable air quality plan goals. In addition, future CAP 2.0 projects would be required to comply with local, regional, and State air quality regulations. Therefore, the CAP 2.0 would result in a less-than-significant impact related to criteria pollutant emissions. c. Would the project expose sensitive receptors to substantial pollutant concentrations? Implementation of the CAP 2.0 strategies and actions as described under Response 3b., above, promote infrastructure development and redevelopment that may result in temporary construction activities. Construction-related air quality impacts are generally associated with fugitive dust (PM 10 and PM2.5) and exhaust emissions from heavy construction vehicles and soil hauling trucks, in addition to ROG that would be released during the drying phase upon application of architectural coatings. However, implementation of CAP 2.0 strategies and actions would not include large-scale construction, and construction-related emissions would be temporary. As such, implementation of the CAP 2.0 would result in low-level toxic air contaminant emissions associated with construction.