WattEV 3C: Connecting California’s Corridors - Fresno

2025080551

California Energy Commission

NOE - Notice of Exemption

8/13/2025

8/13/2025

Kristi Villareal

California Energy Commission

Air Pollution Specialist

Lead/Public Agency

715 P Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 908-7494

kristi.villareal@energy.ca.gov

Marcelo Barros

WattEV., Inc.

Project Manager

Project Applicant

444 W. Ocean Boulevard, Suite 1250
Long Beach, CA 90802

(949) 916-2751

mbarros@wattev.com

37°53'55.2"N 121°15'43.9"W

95206

1

30

Interstate 5

Categorical Exemption

CCR, title 14, Sections 15301, 15303, 15304

CCR section number: Sections 15301, 15303, 15304 Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, Section 15301 Existing Facilities provides that the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment or topographical features which involve negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the responsible agency’s determination, are categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act. This project involves the installation of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including 70 Combined Charging System (CCS) 240 kW chargers and 14 Megawatt Charging System (MCS) 1200 kW chargers in existing paved parking lots across three corridor sites in Fresno, Stockton, and Oakland, California. Therefore, this project is exempt under California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15301 and will not have a significant effect on the environment. Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, Section 15303 provides that projects which consist of construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures; installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures; and the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure, are categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA. This project involves the installation of new, small equipment, including 70 Combined Charging System (CCS) 240 kW chargers and 14 Megawatt Charging System (MCS) 1200 kW chargers in existing paved parking lots across three corridor sites in Fresno, Stockton, and Oakland, California. The charging equipment to be installed is small and each charger has a footprint of approximately 3 square feet. Therefore, this project is exempt under California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15301 and will not have a significant effect on the environment. Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, Section 15303 provides that projects which consist of construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures; installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures; and the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure, are categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA. This project involves the installation of new, small equipment, including 70 Combined Charging System (CCS) 240 kW chargers and 14 Megawatt Charging System (MCS) 1200 kW chargers in existing paved parking lots across three corridor sites in Fresno, Stockton, and Oakland, California. The charging equipment to be installed is small and each charger has a footprint of approximately 3 square feet. Therefore, this project is therefore categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA under section 15303 of the CEQA Guidelines as a project that consists of construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures or the installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures. Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, Section 15304 provides that projects which consist of minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees except for forestry and agricultural purposes are categorically exempt from CEQA. This project requires minimum grading on land with a slope of less than 10 percent, and the grading is not in a waterway, in any wetland, in an officially designated (by federal, state, or local government action) scenic area, or in officially mapped areas of severe geologic hazard such as an Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone or within an official Seismic Hazard Zone, as delineated by the State Geologist. Furthermore, The project will not affect any visual resources, such as protected trees or historic resources. Installation of the chargers will include installation of conduit, wiring, electrical connections, and mounting equipment. On-site trenching is required to bring power to the charging system. The project will not impact adjacent residential homes, traffic or right of way, or noise. The reconstruction and conversion of any small structures for this project will not impact any scenic resources. Therefore, this project is exempt under California Code of Regulations, title 14, Section 15304. The project will not impact an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern where designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies; does not involve any cumulative impacts of successive projects of the same type in the same place that might be considered significant; does not involve unusual circumstances that might have a significant effect on the environment; will not result in damage to any scenic resources within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway; the project sites are not included on any list compiled pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5; and the project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. Therefore, none of the exceptions to categorical exemptions listed in CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply to this project, and this project will not have a significant effect on the environment.