Plain English Breakdown
The official status indicates the bill was vetoed, but it is unclear if lawmakers successfully overrode that veto.
Making Wildlife Data Public in Power Plant Applications
This vetoed bill would require biological resources data submitted with power plant applications to be made public, unless the Department of Fish and Wildlife determines that releasing specific location data could harm species.
What This Bill Does
- Requires biological resources data from power plant certification or exemption applications to be posted on the commission's public docket.
- Allows an exception if the Department of Fish and Wildlife writes a determination stating that sharing specified location data would pose a significant risk to individuals of a species.
- Requires the department, in its written determination, to assess how much of the sensitive data can still be released without posing a risk.
- Applies these same public availability rules to applications for eligible solar or wind power plants with 50 megawatts or more capacity.
Who It Names or Affects
- Companies applying to build electrical transmission lines or thermal powerplants, including those seeking exemptions up to 100 megawatts.
- Developers proposing eligible solar photovoltaic or terrestrial wind facilities of 50 megawatts or more.
- The State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, which reviews these applications.
Terms To Know
- Certification
- Official approval from the commission for building electrical transmission lines or thermal powerplants at specific locations.
- Biological resources data
- Information about wildlife and species submitted as part of an application to build a facility.
- Docket
- A public file or record kept by the commission that contains documents related to a specific case.
Limits and Unknowns
- The governor vetoed this bill, so it did not become law unless lawmakers later overrode the veto.
- The official text does not define exactly what counts as 'specified location data' or how to measure a 'significant risk,' leaving those details for the department's determination.