SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON COMPANY • PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY • NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL • SIERRA CLUB
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE • THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY • AUDUBON CALIFORNIA
CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
July 18, 2016

Electronic Mail (with Hard Copy to follow)
Neil Kornze
Director, Bureau of Land Management
1849 C Street NW, Rm. 5665
Washington, DC 20240

Re: California Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan
Dear Director Kornze:

The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Defenders of
Wildlife, The Wilderness Society, Audubon California, California Native Plant Society,
Southern California Edison Company, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (Conservation
and Utility Stakeholders) respectfully submit this letter to the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) to express our strong support for a timely completion of the Desert Renewable
Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA), and to urge the
BLM to continue to work with the state of California on the next phase of the DRECP.
For over seven years, the Conservation and Utility Stakeholders have worked together
towards the protection of ecosystems, landscapes and species while supporting the timely
development of renewable energy in the California desert.

California’s energy landscape is changing dramatically with renewable resources and other
greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies being central to the state’s energy policies.
The DRECP is a landmark collaborative effort that embodies the kind of multi-agency and
multi-sector cooperative planning that is needed both to meet California’s climate goals
and protect the state’s unique and remarkable natural resources.

The LUPA is the foundation for a successful DRECP. We believe the LUPA’s landscape
approach to balancing conservation and clean energy will help provide consistency and
certainty for desert stakeholders as California seeks to achieve its climate goals. We
strongly support the timely completion of this landmark effort.

 The Conservation and Utility Stakeholders also urge the BLM to continue to work with the
state of California on the next phase of the DRECP on non-federal lands. In particular, we
urge the BLM to finalize a memorandum of understanding with the state focused on
implementing the BLM’s LUPA and collaborating towards successful completion of DRECP
Phase II. While there are many facets to this collaboration, we highlight two key elements
for the DRECP’s successful implementation: transmission planning and durable mitigation.
Electrical infrastructure upgrades and additions will be needed to safely and reliably
interconnect renewable energy resources from designated Development Focus Areas
(DFAs) to load centers. The DFAs can provide greater certainty to developers and utilities,
resulting in more rational, timely, and cost-effective state and regional transmission
planning. Integrating the LUPA into state and regional transmission planning should be a
priority for implementation.

We applaud the BLM and California Department of Fish and Wildlife on the completion of a
Durability Agreement for California. The Durability Agreement represents an important
step forward in the effort to improve long term conservation of BLM land, including a menu
of tools BLM may use to provide durable protections on BLM Conservation Lands for
compensatory mitigation. BLM should continue to work with the state of California to
advance use of the durability tools in support of achieving climate, clean energy, and
conservation goals.
The Conservation and Utility Stakeholders look forward to continuing our collaborative
participation in LUPA implementation and the next phase of the DRECP.
Sincerely,

Dawn Wilson
Director, Environmental Affairs and
Sustainability
Southern California Edison Company

Erica Brand
California Energy Program Director
The Nature Conservancy

Diane Ross-Leech
Director, Environmental Policy
Safety, Health, and Environment
Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Kim Delfino
California Program Director
Defenders of Wildlife

 Barbara Boyle
Senior Representative, Beyond Coal Campaign
Sierra Club

Helen O’Shea
Director, Western Renewable Energy Project
Natural Resources Defense Council

Dan Smuts
Senior Director – Pacific Region
The Wilderness Society

Garry George
Renewable Energy Director
Audubon California

Greg Suba
Conservation Program Director
California Native Plant Society

CC:

Elizabeth Klein, Associate Deputy Secretary, Department of the Interior
Janice Schneider, Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Depart of the Interior
Jerome (Jerry) Perez, California State Director, Bureau of Land Management
Karen Douglas, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
Ken Alex, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Governor of the State of California