Environmental and Cultural Data Use in Planning Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Presentation Overview WECC Overview Environmental Resource Data Cultural Resource Data Western Electricity Coordinating Council

WECC is the Regional Entity responsible for coordinating and promoting Bulk Electric System reliability in the Western Interconnection (the western United States and Canada and part of Mexico).  WECC is the largest geographic area of the eight Regional Entities Entire Western Interconnection (1.8 million square miles) - includes all or part of 14 U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, and a portion of Baja California Norte, Mexico WECC Planning Functions Loads and Resources Assessments Reliability studies Transmission Expansion Planning

Non-Planning Functions WECC Functions Non-Planning Functions Planning Functions Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Standards Development Market-Operations Interface Operator Training WREGIS System Adequacy System Stability Performance Analysis Event Analysis

System Adequacy at WECC Lead transmission expansion planning for the Western Interconnection Annual study program Congestion studies Transmission Expansion Planning Policy Committee (TEPPC) Technical analysis Studies Data Scenarios Subcommittees and Work Groups

Who Does TEPPC Serve? TEPPC State & Provincial Entities Members Transmission Stakeholders State & Provincial Entities Environmental Stakeholders Tribes Other Stakeholders

Transmission Expansion Planning Key Question: How might the transmission grid in the Western Interconnection need to change in 10 or 20 years to meet load reliably with available resources?

Environmental Data Task Force Environmental Data Task Force (EDTF) Formed in June, 2010 Includes representation by broad stakeholders Provides input to transmission expansion planning process Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Risk Classification System Review of Study Case Results Primary EDTF Products Available Reviewed for Quality Relevant to Transmission Planning Preferred Data Sets Four Risk Levels Low Risk (1) to Exclusion Area (4) Risk Classification System Compares relative risks of transmission alternatives Alternatives identified in long-term study cases Available for use outside of WECC Comparison Methodology Considers “environmental risk contours” Also considers cultural risks Considers capital costs of “bending lines” Review of Study Case Results Data is at the planning scale “Preferred Data”—Data Quality Protocol Technical quality assessment Subject Matter Expert review Relevance to transmission planning

Environmental/Cultural Data (Samples) Preferred Data Sensitive Species Areas Tribal Lands Conservation Areas Wilderness Areas Scenic Management Areas Historic Trails

Risk Classification Category 4 Category 3 Category 2 Category 1 Exclusion Areas Category 3 High Risk Category 2 Low-to-moderate risk Category 1 Lowest Risk Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4

Benefits of Environmental Data Decrease cost and conflict Avoid delays Use of Data at Planning Stage Avoid or mitigate risks at planning level Ensure Data Quality Use by federal/state/provincial/ regional entities Public Availability of Tools The EDTF’s work provides multiple benefits to WECC and its stakeholders. The EDTF’s preferred environmental and cultural data sets provide access to environmental and cultural data for use in planning, and come with the assurance that the data meet standards for quality. The EDTF’s land classification system identifies areas at higher and lower risk areas, providing the opportunity to avoid or mitigate risks at the planning level. The transmission alternative comparison methodology provides a consistent method for evaluating environmental and cultural risks from transmission planning, and includes a process for engaging stakeholders at multiple levels. The WECC Data Viewer enables all stakeholders to access these data sets and risk classifications. Many transmission planning stakeholders believe that if key environmental and cultural aspects were addressed upfront, many of the conflicts could be avoided thus saving companies, consumers, and stakeholders time and money. The use of spatially explicit (GIS) environmental and cultural data sets to identify, early on, areas with high likelihood for environmental or cultural challenges not only increases initial awareness of potential difficulties during subsequent siting, permitting, and construction; but may also be used to identify alternate route opportunities. Furthermore, state, regional, and federal agencies and planning efforts are now able to use the EDTF products to better understand the intersection between transmission and environmental and cultural resources at a planning scale. Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Example of Use: WECC Long-Term Planning Tool Creates transmission expansion options based on study case inputs Loads, resource costs, fuel prices, carbon cost Options are “point-to-point” Need to “bend the lines” Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Environmental Risk Classes 1-4 Blue line connects endpoints Darker areas = higher risk category Western Electricity Coordinating Council

LTPT With Environmental Overlay Semi-transparent EDTF overlay on terrain map Semi-transparent corridor over EDTF and terrain maps Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Western Electricity Coordinating Council How Can You See the Data? Western Electricity Coordinating Council

WECC Environmental Data Viewer Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Cultural Resource Data Cultural resource data differs from environmental resource data Location of cultural resources is highly sensitive Using cultural resource data in transmission planning requires a different approach Relative density of known cultural sites Whether and when a location has been surveyed Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Approach to Applying Cultural Data Collect SHPO Data Known Sites (can be points, lines, and/or polygons) Surveyed (inventoried) Areas Overlay the standard EDTF grid cell (0.5 km2) Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Approach to Applying Cultural Data Grid cells that contain any sites are marked as cultural resource grid cell Identify the number of grid cells in the “neighborhood” (directly adjacent) to each cell Range of 0 to 9 Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Cultural Resource Data Approach Designation Name Description Category A Lowest Cultural Resource Risk or Uncertainty “Low Density” of sites that have been surveyed in the last 10 years Category B Moderate Cultural Resource Risk or Uncertainty Areas where a “Low Density” of sites has been identified, but where the survey information is older (>10 years) Category C High Cultural Resource Risk or Uncertainty Areas with a “Moderate Site Density” (regardless of when or if a survey has been conducted in the area). Category D Highest Cultural Resource Risk or Uncertainty Areas with a “High Site Density” regardless of when or if a survey has been conducted in the area. Category E Unknown Cultural Resource Risk or Uncertainty Areas with a zero site density and where no surveys have been conducted. Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Cultural Risk Assignments Site Density++ Area Surveyed Within Last 10 Years Area Surveyed Prior to Last 10 Years Outside Surveyed Area A B E Low (1-3) C Moderate (4-6) High (7-9) D Any cell listed as TCP/sacred site ++Number of grid cells found within the neighborhood Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Cultural Resource Risk Example Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Western Electricity Coordinating Council 24 Cultural Resources WA Five states currently committed to sharing cultural resource data Others in negotiations WY NV UT CO Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Western Electricity Coordinating Council Ocean and Coastal Data Why is WECC concerned with ocean and coastal data? Increasing off-shore energy development (wind off of Oregon) Developmental projects (wave energy off of the Pacific Coast) Increasing interest in offshore transmission—California project Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Ocean and Coastal Data Examples Category Description Examples 1 Lowest Risk 2 Low-to-Medium Risk Marine protected areas managed for multiple use or with undetermined protection High vessel density areas Existing submarine cable and pipeline ROW 3 High Risk Marine protected areas subject to “no take” restrictions Hard benthic substrate/rock reef Commercial benthic fishery Habitat areas of particular concern 4 Exclusion Areas Marine protected areas subject to “no impact” or “no access” restrictions Areas restricted for military use Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Western Electricity Coordinating Council Contacts Environmental Data Task Force Chair Carl Zichella Natural Resources Defense Council czichella@nrdc.org (415) 875-6100 WECC Staff Liaison Byron Woertz Senior Project Manager bwoertz@wecc.biz (801) 883-6841 Western Electricity Coordinating Council