Environmental and land use categories in California

Category 1 lands are protected, development prohibited, or technically infeasible due to slope or existing land cover.

Category 2 lands have potential resource conflicts, less acute than Category 1.

First footnote: For more information on the 2009 creation of Environmental Category 1 & 2 maps, see 2008 RETI Phase 1B report, beginning on page 333 at:http://www.energy.ca.gov/2008publications/RETI-1000-2008-003/RETI-1000-2008-003-F.PDF Tables 2-1 and 2-2 outline the criteria used for the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) Category 1 and Category 2 land.

Second footnote:The CPUC has long recognized the importance of land use planning in developing plausible renewable energy futures in the RPS proceeding: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/RPS_Calculator/ In particular see the August 2015 ALJ Ruling and staff paper titled "Incorporating Land Use and Environmental Information into the RPS Calculator and Developing and Selecting RPS Calculator Portfolios" accessible online at the following URL: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/RPS_Calculator/ See Ruling and staff paper released 8/28/15.

Third footnote: See 2016 study released by Berkeley Law and Conservation Biology Institute: "A Path Forward: Identifying Least-Conflict Solar PV Development in the San Joaquin Valley" accessible online at the following URL: https://d2k78bk4kdhbpr.cloudfront.net/media/reports/files/A-PATH-FORWARD-May-2016.pdf