On November 17, 2010, a team of federal and state agencies including the California Energy Commission (CEC) will hold a stakeholder meeting on a plan to streamline the approval process for renewable energy projects while supporting conservation goals. The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) was initiated through a 2008 executive order by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and will cover the Mojave and Colorado Desert regions. The November 17 meeting will be held in Ontario, California and will include a forum for public input.
DRECP meeting hosted by CEC, BLM, other state and federal agencies
The meeting will be hosted by the Renewable Energy Action Team (REAT), composed of the CEC, California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These agencies are involved in the approval of large concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in Southern California, and in recent months have approved seven of nine large CSP projects totaling 3.49GW through a fast-track process. The agencies were brought together as the REAT under Governor Schwarzenegger's Executive Order S-14-08, signed in November 2008, which also created the DRECP.
The committee that will formulate the DRECP includes the REAT, counties in the region, renewable energy developers, environmental organizations and electric utilities. Through the DRECP, this team will identify areas suitable for wildlife conservation and areas suitable for renewable energy development with the least environmental impact.
