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November 9, 2010 Page 7 Amended CEQA Guidelines The PEIR will be prepared in accordance with the amended CEQA Guidelines, effective March 18, 2010. These updated CEQA Guidelines include new requirements to address forestry resources in the new Agriculture and Forest Resources subsection of a new Greenhouse Gas Emissions section, and amendments to the Transportation and Traffic section to address alternative modes of transportation. A discussion of forestry resources will be included in the IS to address potential impacts to forestland and timberland resources; however no significant impacts are anticipated. The PEIR will also include a Greenhouse Gases section to address the new CEQA Thresholds. In addition, energy use is now required to be evaluated per the changes to CEQA Guidelines Appendix F. For the PEIR, the Utilities and Service Systems section will include an estimate of energy demand associated with land uses in the Vision Plan. The new transportation thresholds allow for lead agencies to consider thresholds adopted by agencies for alternative transportation. In response to the amended thresholds, the PEIR will include a discussion of implementation policies included in the Vision Plan to promote transit use and other alternative modes of transportation. SB 18 Senate Bill 18 (SB 18) requires local governments to notice and consult with tribes prior to adoption of general plans, specific plans, or projects that require a general plan amendment. This proposal assumes that tribal consultation in accordance with SB 18 will be conducted for the Vision Plan by the City of Santa Ana. A Notice of Availability (NOA) for the PEIR will be sent to tribes on the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) list. Alternatives In compliance with Section 15126(d) of the State CEQA Guidelines, the PEIR will evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives. Per CEQA, PEIR alternatives are required to be selected on the basis of their ability to: ¦ Avoid or reduce one or more of the project's significant impacts ¦ Feasibly attain most of the basic objectives of the project Analyses of up to two alternatives in addition to the "No Project' alternative are included in the cost estimate for the PEIR. Impacts associated with each alternative will be compared to proposed project impacts for each of the environmental impact categories. If any of the land use variations considered during the planning process have the potential to reduce or eliminate significant environmental impacts, we will draw on this effort to prepare meaningful CEQA alternatives for comparison. The environmentally superior alternative will be identified; if it is the No Project/Existing Conditions Alternative, then one of the development alternatives will be identified as environmentally superior to the others. Other Required Sections In addition to the topical issues discussed above, the following sections will be prepared: ¦ Environmental effects found not to be significant during the Initial Study scoping process ¦ Adverse environmental impacts that cannot be avoided if the project is implemented • A discussion of cumulative impacts for each of the impact topics ¦ Any irreversible environmental changes that will occur if the proposed project is implemented ¦ Ways in which the project could directly or indirectly impact population or employment growth in the area Deliverable: - Screencheck Draft PEIR (S review hard copies per screencheck)