The Raney Division has completed over 200 Air Quality Assessments and GHG Analyses for public and private sector clients throughout California. Raney’s air quality expertise ranges from private development projects, affordable housing projects, and large-scale specific plans, to unique and complex projects, such as mining and industrial projects. Over the years, Raney has developed excellent working relationships with local air quality management districts throughout California and through these relationships understand unique requirements for various air quality management districts. For example, Raney’s air quality team has prepared multiple Air Quality Mitigation Plans (AQMPs) and GHG Reduction Plans (GHGRP) for projects located in the Sacramento Metro Air Quality Management District’s (SMAQMD) jurisdiction. AQMPs are prepared for all projects that exceed the SMAQMD operational emissions thresholds to describe how air quality emissions for projects will be reduced and determines the level of reductions needed for each individual project. GHGRPs are prepared for projects with significant GHG impacts to recommend all feasible mitigation measures sufficient for a project to meet CEQA requirements and the regional climate change goals.
Raney’s air quality team has the ability and experience to prepare more advanced technical analyses. Raney has completed numerous Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) for project’s exposing nearby sensitive receptors, such as residential developments, to increased health risk impacts from toxic air contaminants associated with gas dispensing facilities, diesel truck trips, and/or construction equipment to name a few. Raney’s approach is to coordinate with local air districts to determine the appropriate level of analysis and threshold of significance depending on project specifics. Additionally, Raney’s air quality team also has experience preparing larger GHG policy documents for jurisdictions, such as Climate Action Plans (CAPs) which are comprehensive roadmaps that outline the specific activities that a jurisdiction will undertake to reduce GHG emissions.
What further separates Raney from other air quality firms is our unique understanding of how the air quality and GHG analyses fit into the overall CEQA/NEPA and planning process. Raney’s reports can be utilized as stand-alone documents in conformance with CEQA/NEPA or prepared in a manner that is easily incorporated into a larger CEQA/NEPA document, such as an Initial Study or Environmental Impact Report. Raney works closely with the lead agency, the air district, and the applicant to ensure that the mitigation measures are feasible, easy to understand, implementable, and straightforward to sign-off by the lead agency.
