California’s new 33% renewable portfolio standard (RPS) law provides tremendous opportunities for renewable developers. To meet the challenge of the nation’s most ambitious renewable development law, the California Legislature focused this year on streamlining the permitting, environmental review, and judicial review of renewable energy projects.

This Client Alert summarizes six key new bills affecting California renewable project permitting and development.

A.B. 1x 13 (Perez), the only bill signed into law to date by Governor Jerry Brown, alters the siting and permitting of certain renewable energy power plants, particularly those proposed to be located in the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Specifically, the geographic area subject to the bill matches the area under the state’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, which facilitates the review and approval of renewable energy projects by coordinating permitting for biological and natural resources impacts.