In 2013, the Governor signed SB 743, which has brought about changes in the identification of transportation impacts. The legislation specifically tasked the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) with exploring alternative metrics for assessing transportation as a CEQA impact. The OPR released the final guidelines in December 2018, designating vehicle miles of travel (VMT) as the preferred metric going forward. To implement this change, the Natural Resources Agency concluded the rule-making process to amend the CEQA guidelines in December 2018. These guidelines stipulated that, by July 2020, all lead agencies must utilize VMT as the new transportation metric for identifying impacts related to land use projects.
In anticipation of transitioning to VMT, the City of San Bernardino recently conducted an SB 743 Implementation Study in collaboration with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), aiming to assist agencies throughout the county. This regional approach focuses on addressing key implementation questions regarding the methodology, thresholds, and mitigation strategies for analyzing VMT impacts. The regional approach encompasses the following primary components:
Thresholds Evaluation Memorandum for San Bernardino Traffic Study: This document explores potential thresholds that agencies could consider when establishing significance thresholds for VMT assessment Sample Projects Memorandum: It outlines the types of VMT that could be considered for impact assessment and proposes approaches for conducting project assessments.Tools Evaluation Memorandum: This memorandum examines different types of tools that can be utilized to estimate VMT, along with the associated pros and cons of each tool.
Mitigation Memorandum for San Bernardino Traffic Study: This memorandum outlines the various types of mitigation measures that can be considered for addressing VMT impacts.
VMT Screening Tool: An online Geographic Information System (GIS) tool designed for VMT screening. This tool is accessible to all member agencies of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) for their use.
It is important to highlight that CEQA Guidelines for San Bernardino Traffic Study in Section 15064.7(b) encourages lead agencies to formally adopt their significance thresholds, as this constitutes a crucial aspect of the SB 743 implementation process.
(b) Each public agency is encouraged to develop and publish thresholds of significance that the agency uses
in the determination of the significance of environmental effects. Thresholds of significance to be adopted
for general use as part of the lead agency’s environmental review process must be adopted by ordinance,
resolution, rule, or regulation, and developed through a public review process and be supported by
substantial evidence. Lead agencies may also use thresholds on a case‐by‐case basis as provided in Section
15064(b)(2).