The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) is a landscape-scale, multi-agency, joint Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) planning effort for 22.5 million acres in California’s desert. The draft DRECP assumes that up to 20,000 megawatts of renewable energy could be generated in the California desert to reach state and federal long-term renewable energy and climate goals for 2020 and beyond. The DRECP will allow agencies and the public to work together at the landscape level to decide where it is appropriate to site future renewable energy projects, and where it is not. The DRECP provides an opportunity for local, state, and federal agencies to consider renewable energy, wildlife, recreation, and many other values of the desert together in one planning process.
The DRECP will advance state and federal conservation goals in the desert regions of California while also facilitating the timely permitting of renewable energy projects in appropriate areas. Within the Plan Area, the DRECP will: 1) preserve, restore, and enhance natural communities and ecosystems and conserve sensitive species; 2) protect and enhance other resources and values on Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-administered lands, including cultural resources, recreation opportunities, visual landscapes, etc.; 3) identify appropriate areas for the siting of utility-scale renewable energy projects; and 4) streamline environmental review and permitting for projects sited in these areas. http://www.drecp.org/