The highly anticipated emergency regulations describe how the direct permitting process will work under AB 205
The California Energy Commission (“CEC”) recently finalized its highly anticipated emergency regulations describing how renewable and energy storage projects can apply for direct permits under Assembly Bill 205 (“AB 205”). Among other things, AB 205 (signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 30, 2022) expands the CEC’s siting jurisdiction to include solar, wind and energy storage facilities that meet certain criteria.
On Oct. 16, 2022, the CEC propounded its AB 205 emergency regulations, and the Office of Administrative Law (the “OAL”) timely approved the regulations on Oct. 24, 2022.
The AB 205 emergency regulations provide detail on the AB 205 direct permitting process:
Mandatory Pre-filing Consultation: at least 30 days prior to submitting an…