June 29, 2010

Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report
for the 2010 Clean Air Plan for Santa Barbara County

The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD), as Lead Agency under the California Environmental Quality Act, will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the 2010 Clean Air Plan (2010 Plan) for Santa Barbara County.

Project Location
The 2010 Plan will apply to Santa Barbara County, the state tidelands and the outer continental shelf (OCS). State tidelands facilities are located in coastal waters within three miles of the coastline. OCS facilities are in waters within 25 miles of the seaward boundaries of the state and located off the coast of Santa Barbara County, which is the corresponding onshore area.

Project Description
The purpose of the 2010 Plan is to chart a course of action that will ensure clean, healthful air for the residents and environment of Santa Barbara County. Our County’s air quality has improved enough to be considered in attainment of the federal 8-hour ozone standard and the state 1-hour ozone standard. As we have yet to attain the state 8-hour ozone standard, the 2010 Plan demonstrates how we plan to attain that standard. This 2010 Plan will therefore satisfy all state triennial planning requirements pursuant to the California Clean Air Act of 1988.

Also included in this 2010 Plan is a new Climate Protection chapter that discusses greenhouse gas emissions and climate change issues in a planning context. This chapter, which is informational and not regulatory in nature, presents an overview of global climate change issues and provides a baseline 2007 carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions inventory for the county. CO2 emissions are estimated for industrial, commercial, transportation, residential, and agriculture activities in Santa Barbara County, as well as for electricity consumption within the county.

The air pollution control measures evaluated for the 2010 Plan include measures that are substantially the same as control measures that were considered in previous Clean Air Plans (CAPs), including the 2007 CAP, 2004 CAP, 2001 CAP, 1998 CAP, 1994 CAP and the 1991 AQAP. The twelve control measures considered for implementation during the plan period rely on established air quality control methods such as vapor controls, reformulation of products, improved transfer efficiency for application of coatings, external combustion modification, post-combustion modification, and operation and maintenance methods. The control measures will be implemented through revisions to existing APCD Rules as listed below:

1. First revision to Rule 321, Solvent Cleaning Machines and Solvent Cleaning
2. Revision to Rule 342, Control of Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) from Boilers, Steam Generators and Process Heaters (With Heat Inputs in the Range of 5 MMBtu/hr and Greater)
3. Revisions to Rules 330 and 337, Surface Preparation and Surface Coating of Metal Parts and Products; Surface Preparation and Surface Coating of Aircraft or Aerospace Vehicle Parts and Products
4. Revision to Rule 351, Surface Preparation and Surface Coating of Wood Products
5. Revision to Rule 349, Polyester Resin Operations
6. Revision to Rule 353, Adhesives and Sealants
7. Revision to Rule 354, Graphic Arts and Paper, Film, Foil, and Fabric Coatings
8. Revision to Rule 352, Natural-Gas Fired Residential Water Heaters
9. Revision to Rule 323, Architectural Coatings
10. Revision to Rule 361, Control of Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) from Boilers, Steam Generators, and Process Heaters (With Heat Input Ratings in the Range of > 2 MMBtu/hr to < 5 MMBtu/hr)
11. Revision to Rule 360, Emissions of Oxides of Nitrogen from Large Water Heaters and Small Boilers, Steam Generators, and Process Heaters (With Heat Input Ratings in the Range of > 0.075 MMBtu/hr to 2 MMBtu/hr)
12. Second revision to Rule 321, Solvent Cleaning Machines and Solvent Cleaning

Environmental Issues to be addressed in the EIR:

The 2010 Plan EIR will focus on potentially significant impacts to the following issue areas:

• Air Quality
• Transportation/Circulation
• Water Resources
• Biological Resources
• Noise & Nuisance
• Land Use/Planning
• Public Service
• Utilities/Energy
• Hazardous Materials
• Geology
• Global Climate Change

Project Comments
The views of concerned agencies and any interested persons regarding the scope and content of the environmental document for the proposed project are hereby requested. Please send your written responses to this Notice of Preparation to: Molly Pearson, Community Programs Supervisor, 260 N. San Antonio Road Suite A, Santa Barbara, CA, 93110 or by email at mmp@sbcapcd.org . Due to time limits mandated by state law, your response must be sent at the earliest possible date but not later than 30 days after the receipt of this notice.

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