5. Project Alternatives

The Sacramento International Airport Jet Fuel Pipeline and Tank Farm project FEIR is a project-specific EIR that evaluated alternatives to the proposed project. The following four alternatives to the project were analyzed: no project alternative; alternate pipeline alignment within the Yolo Causeway; alternate pipeline alignment west of the Yolo Causeway; alternate pipeline alignment making maximum use of public roads and rights of way and entering the airport from the west. Potential pipeline alignments were developed or "scoped" at meetings with the Yolo County Planning and Public Works Department, DERA, City of West Sacramento Community Development Department and the project applicants. The goal of the scoping sessions was to develop a self-mitigating project and still meet the project objectives. A number of limiting factors were present in determining potential pipeline alignments. These limiting factors eliminated from further consideration the alternate pipeline alignment within the Yolo Causeway, the alternate pipeline alignment west of the Yolo Causeway, and the alternate pipeline alignment making maximum use of public roads and rights of way/entering the airport from the west.

Through the analysis of the alternatives, it was determined that the proposed alignment was the environmentally superior alternative. The no-project alternative does not reduce the overall environmental impacts from the project. The continued transport of jet fuel via tanker truck contributes to a greater safety risk, contributes to roadway noise along regional and local roadways, contributes to traffic volumes along regional and local roadways, and contributes to greater emissions of pollutants than does the proposed project. While the remaining alternatives would decrease air quality emissions, lessen noise and traffic volumes along the truck transport routes and pose a safer alternative to truck of the jet fuel, they would (because of their locations and increased pipeline length) produce greater short term environmental impacts associated with biological resources, land use, water resources and soils.