Energy

RECON collaborated with the California Energy Commission, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop the Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement and Final BLM Land Use Plan Amendment for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). Covering 22 million acres across seven counties in the BLM California Desert District, the DRECP aims to balance renewable energy development and habitat conservation for endangered species in the Mojave and Colorado deserts, supporting California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. RECON's work addressed impacts on natural, cultural, and other resources and contributed to the DRECP’s role as a multi-species Habitat Conservation Plan and amendment to the BLM’s California Desert Conservation Area Plan.

The Otay Mesa Energy Center project is a 510-megawatt natural gas-fired, combined cycle electric generating facility located on an 80-acre site in the Otay Mesa community in southern San Diego County. The project includes two power islands and supporting facilities plus several utility routes including a short electric transmission line with two new towers, two natural gas pipelines, a water supply pipeline, and a wastewater discharge pipeline. The project also requires reconductoring of 8.9 miles of the existing Miguel-Tijuana transmission line between the project interconnect and the Miguel Substation.

RECON assisted the project applicant in navigating the resource agency requirements through the environmental review process, which included a Biological Assessment and Section 7 Consultation. Pre-activity surveys and focused surveys were conducted for the three federally listed species affected by the project: Quino checkerspot butterfly, coastal California gnatcatcher, and Otay tarplant.

RECON reviewed potential environmental impacts of a 5-acre solar array proposed on agricultural land within the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation, Arizona. RECON National Environmental Policy Act specialists conducted a review of potential impacts to natural and cultural resources within and adjacent to the project site and submitted a draft and final report to the client, including an Administrative Record of information used to develop the report.

RECON restoration ecologists prepared and implemented a Pesticide Use Permit for herbicide use on the lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and provided weed abatement consultation during construction of the Tule Wind Project, which is a commercial wind energy generating facility located on both U.S. Bureau of Land Management and private lands in San Diego County. Major project components include turbines and step-up transformers, overhead and underground collector system, an operations and maintenance building, substation, access roads, and a 138-kilovolt overhead transmission line.