Starting in 2010, projects undertaken in California that are required to complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) are also required to include greenhouse gas (GHG) impact and mitigation information. Currently, regional Air Quality Districts have different standards for designating significant impacts, but overall thresholds for stationary sources have been set at 10,000 metric tons CO2e, and for other projects at 1,100 mtCO2e or 4.6 MT CO2e/yr/SP. In cases where a project’s impact is above thresholds, the EIR must include a Climate Action Plan.
EcoShift uses a comprehensive approach to examine multiple GHG emission mitigation options according to a set of financial and environmental criteria. EcoShift Consulting uses its extensive expertise in greenhouse gas consulting to identify mitigation strategies with clear GHG reductions while achieving cost savings, increasing energy conservation, and maximizing potential co-benefits. In the cases where on-site mitigation is not possible (preferred alternative under CEQA), we will help select credible, permanent, and verifiable offsets, as well as help our clients work with communities to mitigate locally, creating important social and environmental co-benefits in the process.
EcoShift consultants follow the BAAQMD guidelines to document impacts of your proposed project. As more guidelines are developed for different Air Quality Management Districts, we will incorporate those into our procedures. We examine stationary source impacts, as well as land use change, transportation, and other potential GHG sources. We use the URBEMIS model, as well as specialized modeling tools developed by EcoShift to estimate the magnitude of proposed impacts. Results of such modeling exercises are used to create a Climate Action Plan that details emission reduction and mitigation efforts. We are also monitoring the evolving standards, and adapt our techniques to reflect the current state-of-the-art procedures, ensuring a transparent and defendable final assessment.
To learn more about our climate change consulting services and CEQA, see our services page, contact us, or download our CEQA-Shift InfoPak.
