California Valley Solar Ranch & Twisselman Conditional Use Permits (DRC2008-00097, DRC2009-00004)

The California Valley Solar Ranch project involves the construction, operation, and maintenance of a 250-megawatt solar photovoltaic energy facility located on 4,691 acres in San Luis Obispo County, California. Situated on the east side of the Carrizo Plains near State Route 58, the infrastructure includes solar panel arrays, gathering power lines, a substation, access roads, buildings, two evaporation ponds, and an approximately three-mile long generation tie-line designed to connect to the existing Morro Bay-Midway transmission line. The project is managed by the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building, with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) serving as a responsible agency. A critical component of the project is its environmental compliance under the California Endangered Species Act. The development is expected to result in permanent impacts to 1,782 acres and temporary impacts to 80 acres of habitat, leading to the incidental take of the threatened San Joaquin kit fox and San Joaquin antelope squirrel, as well as the endangered giant kangaroo rat. To manage these impacts, the project operates under an Incidental Take Permit and its subsequent amendments. Major Amendment No. 10 specifically updates the project by adding details to covered activities, clarifying the responsibilities of designated biologists and monitors, and adjusting the timeframe for completing required mitigation measures.