Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 231, Sec. 2. (AB 525) Effective January 1, 2022. Repealed as of January 1, 2031, pursuant to Sec. 25991.10.
(a)(1) The commission, in coordination with the California Coastal Commission, the Ocean Protection Council, the State Lands Commission, the Office of Planning and Research, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the Independent System Operator, and the Public Utilities Commission, and other relevant federal, state, and local agencies as needed, shall develop a strategic plan for offshore wind energy developments installed off the California coast in federal waters.
(2)Development of the strategic plan shall incorporate, but not delay, progress to advance responsible development of
offshore wind in other relevant policy venues.
(b)(1) The commission shall submit the strategic plan to the Natural Resources Agency and the Legislature on or before June 30, 2023.
(2)The plan submitted to the Legislature pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(c)The strategic plan shall include, at a minimum, the following
five chapters:
(1)Identification of sea space, including the findings and recommendations resulting from activities undertaken pursuant to Section 25991.2.
(2)Economic and workforce development and identification of port space and infrastructure, including the plan developed pursuant to Section 25991.3.
(3)Transmission planning, including the findings resulting from activities undertaken pursuant to Section 25991.4.
(4)Permitting, including the findings resulting from activities undertaken pursuant to Section 25991.5.
(5)Potential impacts on coastal resources, fisheries, Native American
and Indigenous peoples, and national defense, and strategies for addressing those potential impacts.
(d)(1) The strategic plan shall emphasize and prioritize near-term actions, particularly related to port retrofits and investments and the workforce, to accommodate the probable immediate need for jobs and economic development.
(2)In considering port retrofits, the strategic plan shall strive for compatibility with other harbor tenants and ocean users to ensure that the local benefits related to offshore wind energy construction complement other local industries.
(3)The strategic plan shall emphasize and prioritize actions that will improve port infrastructure to support land-based work for the
local workforce.
(e)The development of the strategic plan regarding workforce development shall include consultation with representatives of key labor organizations and apprenticeship programs that would be involved in dispatching and training the construction workforce.
(f)The commission shall provide an opportunity for public review and comment on a draft strategic plan.