- Solar projects use significant acreage and use it intensively - Wildlife agencies are concerned, conservative, and inconsistent - Public land rights take time to obtain, while private land is subdivided so as to make land assemblage difficult - It will take a village of alphabet soup agencies, solar developers, and national environmental groups to make sense of our crazy quilt of regulation so that solar energy can be a growing source of our nation's energy Peter H. Weiner, Partner, PAUL HASTINGS JANOSKY & WALKER LLP

1. CSP 2009
SITING
CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER
PROJECTS: BIG DESERT? OR
NOWHERE LEFT TO GO?
Peter H. Weiner
Paul Hastings
55 Second Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
peterweiner@paulhastings.com
415.856.7010

2. Concentrating Solar Power: An
Expanding Resource
4 The CA Renewable Portfolio Standard is 20% by
statute and 33% by Air Resources Board Plan.
4 The Obama Administration promises a national
RPS and attention to transmission.
4 Concentrating Solar Technology has the largest
potential to fulfill national and State objectives.
4 Solar projects must be built where the resource
is (and where the species may be).
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3. Renewable Energy Is Currently
7% of the Energy Pie
Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels
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4. Concentrated Solar Power: The
Hot New Properties
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Map by International Mapping.
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5. Solar Facilities: Extensive and
Intensive Use of Land
4 More concentrated ground coverage, need to
grub and grade, more vehicle usage (mirror
washing, etc.)
4 Focus on public lands because of greater need
for dedicated acreage
4 Size matters: 5-10-15 square miles can impact
wildlife corridors, drainage
4 Water usage can be a key issue
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6. Initial Siting Considerations
4 Sufficient insolation, flat ground
4 Avoid National Parks, DOD land, Wilderness
4 Private degraded lands (e.g. current or former ag land)
have fewer potential conflicts but rarely available
4 Public land almost always means BLM
4 ESA (16 USC ? 1531 et seq.) and CESA (Fish & Game
Code ? 2050 et seq.) screen
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7. A closer look: Potential Solar
Species Impacts and Resolutions
4The Mojave Ground Squirrel
4The Desert Tortoise
4CA Kit fox, Yuma Clapper Rail
4The West Mojave Plan: DWMAs, ACECs,
and the impact on the Eastern Mojave
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8. The Current Siting Divide: Fast-
Track Projects and Future Zones
4Projects with Access to Transmission,
Adequate Plans of Development (PODs),
Completed Biological Studies: Possible
Eligibility for Stimulus (15 or fewer
nationally)
4Projects that will be clustered in zones for
new transmission
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9. Where and When Will We have
Solar Development Zones?
4Several Different Processes:
• CA RETI
• WGA WREZ
• BLM PEIS
• CA DRECP
4Dates from 2010-2012: Effect on
Investment?
4Non-Science Based Constraints:
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10. The Interplay of CEQA, ESA,
CESA, and DFG
4 Lack of NEPA
applicability
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11. The Federal Bureau of Land
Management and the PEIS
4Stated avoidance of all sensitive areas:
impact on solar development
4Initial Lack of U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service involvement
4Coordination with RETI
4Next steps: 13 EIS Level Zones to be
proposed
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12. Creative Species Protection
Solutions for Solar Development
4The CEC and CDFG look at Natural
Community Conservation Plans (NCCPs)
4U.S. F&WS must be involved: HCPs
4The Concept of Non-Acquisition Mitigation
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13. The Future
4 The need for large-scale advanced mitigation
solutions
4 Interagency cooperation and coordination are
essential to solar siting.
4 Multi-stakeholder solutions work better than fiat;
encouraging those solutions works for all of us.
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