Proposed Amended Rule 445 – Wood-Burning Devices
2 Documents in Project
Summary
SCH Number
2020060120
Public Agency
South Coast Air Quality Management District
Document Title
Proposed Amended Rule 445 – Wood-Burning Devices
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/27/2020
Present Land Use
NA
Document Description
To satisfy the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) requirement to submit a Reasonable Further Progress (RFP) contingency measure that provides for additional ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards emission reductions in the event that the South Coast Air Basin (Basin) fails to comply with an applicable Clean Air Act milestone, amendments to Rule 445 are proposed that would establish contingency measures for the applicable ozone standards. Specifically, Proposed Amended Rule 445 would: 1) establish an automatic Basin-wide No-Burn day that is triggered when the daily maximum 8-hour ozone air quality is forecast to exceed 80 parts per billion (ppb) in any Source Receptor Area; 2) automatically reduce the ozone threshold to 75 ppb and 70 ppb if the U.S. EPA makes a secondary and tertiary finding, respectively, of a failure to comply with a milestone or attainment requirement by the applicable due date ; and 3) add contingent ozone No-Burn days to the definition of wood-burning season (currently November, December, January, and February) to include additional months (September, October, March, and April). Existing rule provisions regarding PM 2.5 remain unchanged. Other minor proposed amendments include additional definitions of terms used in the rule, and revisions
to improve rule implementation and clarify existing requirements.
Contact Information
Name
Ryan Banuelos
Agency Name
South Coast AQMD
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Agency Name
South Coast AQMD
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Location
Counties
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino
Regions
Countywide
Other Location Info
The project location is the portion within the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) jurisdiction which includes the four-county South Coast Air Basin (all of Orange County and the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties) as defined in the California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Section 60104.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
15061(b)(3); 15308
Reasons for Exemption
Since the adoption of additional RFP contingency measures for ozone in accordance with U.S. EPA requirements is administrative in nature, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed project may have a significant adverse effect on the environment. Therefore, the proposed project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) – Common Sense Exemption. In addition, the proposed project is designed as a backstop measure to further prevent the creation of additional ozone from woodburning devices on days when ozone levels are forecasted to exceed the applicable threshold and thus, is considered an action to protect or enhance the environment pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15308 – Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment. Further, there is no substantial evidence indicating that any of the exceptions to the categorical exemption apply to the proposed project pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 – Exceptions.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. You may also contact the OPR via email at state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov or via phone at (916) 445-0613. For more information, please visit OPR’s Accessibility Site.