Senate Bill X8 34 (Padilla) (SB 34), was enacted on March 22, 2010
to facilitate project mitigation actions for certain proposed renewable
energy projects in the California desert that are seeking federal American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. Among other things, the
bill authorizes CDFW, in consultation with the California Energy Commission
(CEC), U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) (collectively the REAT Agencies) to design
and implement advanced mitigation actions, including the purchase of
land and conservation easements to protect, restore, and enhance the
habitat of CESA listed plants and animals.
The Department awards grants through the “SB34 Advance Mitigation
Land Acquisition Grant Program,” to third party land trusts and
for-profit corporations who then complete the acquisition transactions.
The Department holds a perpetual conservation easement on all properties
purchased through the grant program for advance mitigation purposes.
Negotiations are continuing with other landowners in the DRECP area
while the pace of acquisitions and grant requests is increasing in
2011.