Energy Aware Facility Siting and Permitting Guide

Publication Number: CEC-600-2010-007 (Consultant Report)
Date Published: September, 2011

Energy Aware Facility Siting and Permitting Guide, Consultant Report.
(Acrobat PDF file, 178 pages, 6.5 megabytes)

Abstract

The Energy Aware Facility Siting and Permitting Guide is an update of an earlier guide developed by the Energy Commission in the 1990s. This most recent guide assists local governments with developing general plan energy and transmission elements and provides guidance on utility-scale electricity generation and transmission planning and permitting. California has ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and renewable energy development targets that are spurring new energy infrastructure. The guide discusses the increasing role of local governments in energy planning and permitting; describes the energy regulations and policies (both federal and state) and planning processes that define future electricity generation and transmission needs; and identifies opportunities for local government involvement in electricity infrastructure planning and permitting. Examples of local government development of energy planning tools and involvement in generation and transmission planning and permitting are provided. The Energy Aware Facility Siting and Permitting Guide also describes the environmental impacts associated with developing new energy generation facilities and transmission lines.