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Adelanto adopts county GHG screening tables to streamline CEQA review for new development
Summary
Council adopted greenhouse‑gas screening tables developed under a San Bernardino County regional plan, a grant‑funded approach that lets small projects and larger candidates use a 100‑point menu or project‑specific quantification to demonstrate less‑than‑significant CEQA impacts.
The Adelanto City Council voted Jan. 8 to adopt greenhouse‑gas (GHG) emissions screening tables and related thresholds as a CEQA implementation tool, following a presentation from the city planning department and a consultant who helped develop the regional approach.
Jim Hirsch of the planning department introduced consultant Michael Hendricks, who explained that the San Bernardino County Council of Governments created a regional GHG reduction plan covering 24 jurisdictions. Hendricks said the plan — entirely grant‑funded — supports a screening‑tables method: small projects estimated to produce 3,000 metric tons or less can rely on the regional plan, while larger projects may choose from a menu of mitigation options worth points or complete project‑specific quantification to reduce emissions to an acceptable level.
"A screening table is a menu of options that new development projects can pick and choose from that best fits their project in order to achieve 100 points," Hendricks said. He told the council that complying with Title 24 building standards typically accounts for about 80 points, and developers must identify measures to reach the remaining points or perform project‑level calculations.
Hendricks said the regional plan and screening approach have legal precedents and that screening tables challenged in court have withstood scrutiny. Councilmembers asked whether regional air districts were involved; Hendricks replied that the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District and South Coast Air District had been consulted during the plan’s development.
After a brief public comment period with no callers, the council moved and seconded adoption of the screening tables and related performance standards; the motion carried with council concurrence.
Next steps: planning staff will integrate the screening tables into CEQA review processes and provide guidance to applicants on the 100‑point menu and documentation for demonstrating consistency.
