Environmental Data Task Force (EDTF) Outreach Plan
Winter 2014-2015
Background
WECC created the Environmental Data Task Force (EDTF) in 2010, as a subgroup of the Scenario
Planning Steering Group (SPSG), to identify available sources of environmental and cultural data and to
recommend ways that these data could be used in transmission planning. Since 2010, the EDTF, as the
“face” of WECC’s environmental and cultural activities, has established many ongoing activities, and
has created many tools and products to support transmission planning activities for WECC and its
stakeholders. The EDTF has developed this outreach plan to expand the scope and effectiveness of
WECC’s environmental/cultural planning activities.
Goals and Objectives for EDTF Outreach
Goals. The EDTF’s core goals for stakeholder outreach are to:
1. Inform stakeholders and partner organizations about WECC’s environmental/cultural activities,
tools and products;
2. Advise stakeholders about how WECC’s tools and products can be used to support their
planning activities; and
3. Ensure that WECC’s environmental/cultural products reflect the interests and expertise of the
diverse stakeholders in the Western Interconnection.
Objectives. To achieve these goals, the stakeholder outreach focuses on the following five objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Provide stakeholders with accessible, clear, and comprehensive information about the
EDTF’s activities and opportunities for engagement.
Identify and promote opportunities for information-sharing and collaboration with partners
and complementary programs and organizations.
Provide a process that includes meaningful and timely input regarding interests,
information, and ideas from a diverse group of stakeholders into WECC’s
environmental/cultural processes and products using a variety of engagement approaches.
Document input gathered through the engagement process, acknowledge receipt of input
to the extent practical, make it available where feasible, and explain to stakeholders how
input has shaped EDTF processes and products.
Revise and refine stakeholder outreach approaches based on those shown to be most
effective.
WESTERN ELECTRICITY COORDINATING COUNCIL
155 North 400 West, Suite 200
Salt Lake City, Utah 84103-1114
EDTF Outreach Plan
2
Outreach Focus for 2015
The EDTF’s stakeholder outreach in 2015 will continue to build upon existing WECC outreach activities.
The outreach process is designed to ensure that those interested in regional transmission planning in
the Western Interconnection are aware of the environmental/cultural resources available through
WECC and know how to participate in the ongoing refinement of WECC’s environmental/cultural
products and processes. Broadly, these stakeholders include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Governments (including federal, state, provincial, tribal, and First Nation);
Electric industry representatives;
Non-governmental organizations;
Federal, regional, and state planning bodies; and
WECC members and those involved in existing WECC committees, task forces, and work groups.
Direct Outreach through Written Communications
Many of the stakeholders on the EDTF represent broad constituencies. EDTF members will continue to
use direct outreach (through emails, blog posts, constituent-focused listservs, and other
communication methods) to inform existing WECC and SPSG stakeholders and broader constituent
groups about EDTF activities, processes, and opportunities for engagement.
Website
The WECC website is the hub for information about environmental and cultural considerations for
WECC’s regional transmission planning process. The website includes current environmental planning
documents, summaries for recent EDTF, SPSG, and other planning meetings, and a calendar of
upcoming meetings, webinars, and teleconferences. Specific documents include:





Historical environmental reports and explanatory documents;
EDTF meeting summaries;
A Fact Sheet about the EDTF and its activities;
A downloadable set of PowerPoint slides describing current EDTF activities and upcoming
actions; and
Announcements of upcoming events.
Informational Webinars
WECC staff and EDTF members frequently use webinars to demonstrate environmental products and
processes. Both WECC stakeholders and EDTF members will have available a standard set of
PowerPoint slides, and additional resources as appropriate, to provide information about the EDTF’s
activities and WECC’s environmental and cultural resource products to a wider set of regional
transmission planning stakeholders.
W
E S T E R N
E
L E C T R I C I T Y
C
O O R D I N A T I N G
C
O U N C I L
EDTF Outreach Plan
3
Presentations and Speaking Engagements
As time permits, EDTF members will speak to organizations whose members seek to understand and
potentially contribute to the EDTF’s purpose and activities. These may include the following and other
organizations and forums:
1. Meetings of partner/complementary efforts (e.g. State-Provincial Steering Committee (SPSC),
Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation (CREPC), WECC Subregional Planning
Groups (SPGs), Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative (EIPC), Western Governors’
Association (WGA), Western States Water Council, Western Governors’ Wildlife Council, etc.).
2. Utility and energy planning conferences.
3. Land use planning and/or resource protection forums and conferences.
4. State, provincial, tribal, and First Nation energy and/or environmental forums.
Activities and Timeline for 2014-2015 Outreach
WECC staff and EDTF members will undertake the following outreach activities in the 2014-2015
timeframe:
Activity
Timeframe
Method
Develop and post EDTF
Fact Sheet
December
2014
Kearns & West and WECC will develop a draft Fact Sheet
for EDTF review, approval, and posting
Distribute EDTF Fact
Sheet to stakeholders
January 2015
WECC will coordinate with EDTF members to ensure
distribution to appropriate constituents, including:
1. State and provincial energy offices and public
utilities commissions
2. Resource communities
3. Professional societies
4. State Natural Heritage Programs
5. National Renewable Energy Laboratory
6. Avian Power Line Interaction Committee (APLIC)
7. State Game & Fish agency planning offices
8. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Landscape Scale
Energy Action Plan (LEAP) & Environmental
Conservation Online System (ECOS)
W
E S T E R N
E
L E C T R I C I T Y
C
O O R D I N A T I N G
C
O U N C I L
EDTF Outreach Plan
4
Activity
Timeframe
Method
9. Western Golden Eagle Conservation Team
10. American Society of Foresters
11. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service transmission
committee
12. UC Davis listserv
13. Tribal and First Nation representatives
Develop and post EDTF
Stock PowerPoint
Presentation
December
2014
Kearns & West and WECC will develop a draft PowerPoint
presentation for EDTF review, approval, and posting
Conduct informational
webinars and
demonstrations
Ongoing,
2014-2015
WECC, ICF, and Kearns & West will work with the EDTF
Planning Team to determine appropriate opportunities for
informational webinars and demonstrations.
Specifically, WECC and the EDTF will conduct the following
demonstrations about the WECC Data Viewer and Data
Layer:
1. Northern Tier Transmission Group (coordinated via
Jamie Austin, PacifiCorp)
2. ColumbiaGrid (coordinated via Fred Heutte,
Northwest Energy Coalition)
3. WestConnect & Colorado Coordinated Planning
Group (coordinated via Harliv Singh, Xcel Energy)
W
E S T E R N
E
L E C T R I C I T Y
C
O O R D I N A T I N G
C
O U N C I L
EDTF Outreach Plan
5
Activity
Timeframe
Method
Conduct presentations
at conferences and
regional forums
Ongoing,
2014-2015
Kearns & West and WECC will work with the EDTF to
coordinate presentations at select workshops.
Presentations may include some of the following
conferences, where possible:
1. Transmission Summit West
2. Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation
(CREPC)/State-Provincial Steering Committee
(SPSC) meeting
3. National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners (NARUC)
4. Wind Wildlife Research Meeting
5. Utah Governor’s Energy Development Summit
6. International Right of Way Association conference
7. Right of Way Management conference
8. ESRI Conference
Circulate information
using WECC social
media
TBD
As WECC expands outreach activities to include social
media, staff will work with the EDTF to develop the most
productive ways to advance WECC’s environmental and
cultural resource activities.
Evaluate and modify
outreach approaches
June 2015,
December
2015
WECC will work with the EDTF Planning Team to determine
the effectiveness of outreach strategies conducted to date
and select appropriate modifications for the subsequent
six-month period.
W
E S T E R N
E
L E C T R I C I T Y
C
O O R D I N A T I N G
C
O U N C I L