Inventory of the California Energy Commission: Siting and Environmental Division Records
Processed by The California State Archives staff; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Brooke Dykman Dockter.
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© 2000
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California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the California Energy Commission: Siting and Environmental Division Records
Inventory: F3912
California State Archives
Office of the Secretary of State
Sacramento, California
- California State Archives
- 1020 "O" Street
- Sacramento, California 95814
- Phone: (916) 653-2246
- Fax: (916) 653-7363
- Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
- URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
- Processed by:
- The California State Archives staff
© 2000 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Title: California Energy Commission: Siting and Environmental Division Records
Inventory: F3912
Creator:
California Energy Commission
Extent:
See Arrangement and Description
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Language:
English.
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collections.
[Identification of item], California Energy Commission: Siting and Environmental Division Records, F3912, California State
Archives.
The California Energy Commission was created in 1974 pursuant to the Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation and
Development Act (Stats. 1974, ch. 276). Prior to the development of the Commission, utilities wanting to construct an energy
facility faced a fragmented and lengthy siting process that necessitated authorization of local, state, and federal agencies.
Beginning in the mid 1960s the Resources Agency assumed the duties of determining acceptability of proposed sites and coordinating
the activities of state agencies connected to the siting process. The changing environmental laws at the state and federal
levels and the need for a formalized siting process prompted the Legislature to introduce several siting bills beginning in
the 1970 session. In response to the oil shortage of 1973, the Governor signed A.B. 1575 (1974) into law, which consolidated
the operations of energy forecasting, conservation, development, and siting within a single agency.
The California Energy Commission consists of five members appointed by the Governor for staggered five-year terms, with one
member designated as chair. Four of the five members must have backgrounds in specific fields -- environmental sciences, economics,
engineering, and law, while one is from the public at large.
The Energy Commission is responsible for the assessment, development, and conservation of energy and energy resources in the
state, and it is empowered with the authority to certify all sites and related energy generating facilities. Using data supplied
by utilities concerning projected supply and demand of electricity in their service areas, the Commission forecasts the state's
short and long-term energy requirements. It will also assess trends in the consumption of electricity and other forms of energy,
and it examines the impact of energy development on California's social, economic, and environmental structure. The Commission
conducts research and funds development of alternative energy sources and improved methods for the design, construction, and
operation of energy facilities. Conservation activities focus on the regulation of the growth rate of energy use in the state.
The Commission carries out a program to reduce uneconomic and inefficient consumption of energy, and it establishes regulations
for appliance efficiency, building insulation, and the operation of power plants. The Commission also takes action on applications
for proposed facilities, and certifies sites and facilities after an extensive review process.
As of 1989 the Commission consisted of five divisions: Administrative Services; Energy Forecasting and Planning; Energy Efficiency
and Local Assistance; Energy Technology and Development; and Energy Facilities Siting and Environmental Protection.
The Energy Facilities Siting and Environmental Protection Division, commonly known as the Siting and Environmental Division,
takes action on all applications for proposed power generating facilities, certifying all sites and power plants, whether
an addition or change to an existing facility or a new site and a connected facility. The exceptions to the Commission's certification
authority are non-thermal generating facilities, thermal power plants under fifty megawatts, and geothermal wells and steam
lines. The division may also prohibit construction on sites which have not been certified, and it ensures that all certified
facilities are constructed according to all applicable laws, regulations, and Commission standards. The division also establishes
a monitoring system to assure that the construction, operation, and decommissioning of a facility are in compliance with state
and federal environmental laws, public health and safety standards, local codes, and Commission established conditions. The
power plant siting process satisfies the intent of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The division has undergone
periodic reorganization, but it has maintained its primary functions since the agency's inception.
1. Power Plant Siting Case Files. 1971-1982. F3912:279-480.
Physical Description:
10 cubic feet.
Scope and Content Note
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by project and topically thereunder.
Power plant siting case project files of five geothermal facilities and one oil-fired, combined-cycle facility. The projects
included are: Department of Water Resources' Bottle Rock Power Plant (on-line in 1984); Department of Water Resources' South
Geysers Power Plant; Northern California Power Agency's Geothermal Project 1; Pacific Gas and Electric's Geysers Unit 16 (on-line
in 1985); Pacific Gas and Electric's Geysers Unit 18 (on-line in 1983); and Pacific Gas and Electric's Pittsburg Units 8 &
9. The case project files cover a wide range of subjects, including environmental concerns, questions of possible public health
impacts, land use issues, and disputes regarding the extent of the Commission's certification jurisdiction. The topics include,
but are not exclusive of, project and agency correspondence, technical subject staff assessments, position statements, written
testimony, environmental impact reports, hearing transcripts, briefs, and exhibits and references. The Geysers Unit 16 files
in particular contain a sizable amount of transcripts.
Two significant issues covered in the files are the questions of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emmissions in the Geysers Known Geothermal
Resource Area and, particularly with regard to P.G.&E.'s Geysers Unit 16 plant, intense local opposition to the construction
of an associated transmission line through several sensitive areas.
For the most part, the records reflect the agency's consolidated power plant siting process, which is divided into two phases.
The Notice of Intention identifies several potential sites before the specific proposal is approved. Within the NOI process,
the Commission evaluates potential alternative sites, considers the suitability and acceptability of the proposed sites, and
determines the probable need for the project. The review time for the NOI is nine months for geothermal projects and twelve
months for non-geothermal and transmission line projects. The second phase, the Application for Certification, evaluates the
applicant's actual need for the facility with regard to its conformance with the projected electricity demand. The AFC will
determine the facility's compliance with applicable laws and standards for its design, construction, and operation. It also
examines the environmental, health and safety, and legal impacts of the project. The review time for the AFC can be from twelve
to eighteen months.