Environmental Impact Report

Under the law known as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), MTC and ABAG must prepare a "program-level" Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to inform citizens and decision makers of potential significant environmental impacts that could result from implementing Plan Bay Area 2040. The Draft EIR was made available for public comment on April 17, 2017.

Update

Read or download the document here: 2040.planbayarea.org/reports

Agencies and members of the public were previously invited to comment on the scope and content of the environmental impact assessment conducted for Plan Bay Area 2040. A Notice of Preparation of the Draft EIR was released in early May 2016, and three public meetings were held to discuss the scope of the Draft EIR.

In November 2016, a preferred scenario—encompassing a 2040 regional pattern of household and employment growth and a prioritized set of transportation investments—was adopted by the MTC and ABAG policy boards. The preferred scenario is analyzed in the Draft EIR as the "proposed Plan.” CEQA requires EIRs to evaluate a range of reasonable alternatives that could feasibly attain most of the proposed Plan’s objectives and would avoid or substantially lessen any of the significant environmental impacts.

The Draft EIR evaluates the proposed Plan and four alternatives, including a No Project alternative. These alternatives were confirmed by the MTC Planning Committee and ABAG Administrative Committee on December 9, 2016.

In general, the purpose of the EIR is to:

  • analyze the potential environmental effects of implementation of proposed Plan’s regional pattern of household and employment growth and  transportation investments;
  • inform decision-makers, responsible and trustee agencies, and members of the public as to the range of the environmental impacts of the proposed Plan;
  • recommend a set of measures to mitigate significant adverse impacts; and
  • analyze a range of reasonable alternatives to the proposed Plan.

The Draft EIR for Plan Bay Area 2040 is an assessment of the potential impacts of implementation of proposed Plan as a whole. Assumed transportation and development project impacts are not analyzed individually. Individual projects are required to separately comply with CEQA and/or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as applicable.

The Draft EIR contains an Executive Summary, and is organized into three main sections:

  • Introduction and Project Description
  • Approach to the Analysis and Analysis Results by Subject Area
  • Alternatives to the Proposed Plan and Conclusions

The Draft EIR is supported by appendices documenting analysis assumptions and results.

On April 17, 2017, the Draft EIR was made available for public review online here: 2040.planbayarea.org/reports

The draft EIR was also made available at select public libraries in all nine Bay Area counties. For a list of locations, visit the Access the Plan page.

Comments should have been submitted to eircomments@mtc.ca.gov, and had to be received by the deadline of June 1, 2017.

A Final EIR will be prepared following public review and comment on the Draft EIR. The Final EIR will consist of changes to the Draft EIR and written responses to comments submitted during the comment period on the Draft EIR. MTC and ABAG will consider this information during their deliberations on certification of the Final EIR and adoption of the proposed Plan, Plan Bay Area 2040.

 

Review the comments received from all agencies, organizations and persons on the Draft EIR during the review period in the Your Comments section of this website. Click this link to view the page.

In May and June 2016, agencies and members of the public were invited to comment on the scope and content of the environmental impact assessment that would be conducted for Plan Bay Area 2040. Review the meeting dates and materials. 

 

The public was invited to three public hearings, where interested residents could comment on the Draft EIR. The full list of past public hearings is as follows:

  • Friday, May 12, 9:40 a.m.: Public Hearing at Joint MTC Planning and ABAG Administrative Committees, Bay Area Metro Center, Board Room, 375 Beale Street, San Francisco
  • Tuesday, May 16, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Public Hearing in San Jose, Martin Luther King Library, Room 225, 150 E. San Fernando Street, San Jose
  • Thursday, May 18, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Public Hearing in Vallejo, Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, 734 Marin Street, Vallejo