Pooled Mitigation Account Could Expedite Renewables Approval

A new agreement will allow renewable energy projects proposed for the California deserts to place funds into a deposit account earmarked for environmental mitigation projects rather than undertake individual mitigation measures themselves.

The funds will be assessed based on each project’s estimated impact. It is hoped that the new process will help expedite renewables projects and make funding available to address various environmental issues at the discretion of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which will manage the account.

The pooled funds in the account could be used to acquire wildlife habitat, to improve existing management programs or to develop new ones.

In this case, the account can only be used in the Mojave and Colorado Desert areas of southern California. However, the concept could help accelerate approval and streamline environmental mitigation for projects elsewhere in the country. 

The REAT account, so called because it is the product of the joint federal and state Renewable Energy Action Team, is the result of an agreement between REAT members. 

REAT includes representatives from the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Game, and the California Energy Commission, and was created by a Governor's Executive Order and a Memorandum by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

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