As described in an article by Leslie Stewart in the most recent Monitor, this summer the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is developing the latest version of its Clean Air Plan, intended to reduce ozone, particulate matter, local air toxics, and greenhouse gases across the nine-county region.
Last week, the Air District released a Notice of Preparation and Initial Study for the plan. The purpose of this notice is “to seek comments about the scope and content of the environmental impact assessment that will be conducted.” The deadline for comments is July 16, and anyone who wishes to submit them may do so to environmental planner Josh Pollak at [email protected] or (415) 749-8435.
A central feature of the 88-page notice is a list of 83 proposed control measures, divided across nine sectors. These sectors include stationary sources (38 measures), transportation (23), buildings (4), energy (2), agriculture (4), natural and working lands (3), waste (4), water (2), and short-lived climate pollutants (3). The bulk of the remainder of notice is a set of checklists identifying and evaluating potential adverse environmental impacts of the plan across 18 categories.
There will be additional opportunities for public comment on other aspects of plan development throughout the year.