DRECP Goals
The planning goals for the DRECP include:
- Provide for the long-term conservation and management of Covered Species within the DRECP Plan Area
- Preserve, restore, and enhance natural communities and ecosystems that support Covered Species within the DRECP Plan Area
- Build on the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones identified by Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI)
- Further identify the most appropriate locations within the DRECP Plan Area for the development of utility-scale renewable energy projects, taking into account potential impacts to threatened and endangered species and sensitive natural communities
- Provide a means to implement Covered Activities in a manner that complies with the Natural Communities Conservation Planning Act (NCCPA), Federal Endangered Species Act (FESA), California Endangered Species Act (CESA), National Environmental Policy Act, California Environmental Quality Act, and other relevant laws
- Provide a basis for the issuance of Take Authorizations allowing the lawful Take of Covered Species incidental to Covered Activities
- Provide for issuance of Take permits for other species that are not currently listed but which may be listed in the future
- Provide a comprehensive means to coordinate and standardize mitigation and compensation requirements for Covered Activities within the Plan Area
- Provide a framework for a more efficient process by which proposed renewable energy projects within the Plan Area may obtain regulatory authorizations and which results in greater conservation values than a project-by-project, species-by-species review would have/li>
- Provide durable and reliable regulatory assurances, as appropriate, under the NCCPA and the FESA for Covered Activities that occur within the DRECP Plan Area
- Identify and incorporate climate change adaptation research, management objectives, and/or policies into the final plan document