About the Open Biennial Process for Updated or New
Environmental and Cultural Data Sets
Background – WECC Regional Transmission Planning
Through the Regional Transmission Expansion Planning (RTEP) Process, the Western
Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) is evaluating 10 and 20-Year regional transmission
system use and possible expansion in the Western Interconnection. Variables addressed in
WECC’s transmission planning efforts include reliability analysis, electric demand, generation
resource availability, transmission infrastructure costs, energy policies, technology costs,
environmental and cultural resources, and emissions. The resulting transmission plans will
provide high quality, credible information on potential transmission infrastructure requirements
to stakeholders, planners, and decision-makers at all levels.
What Is Environmental and Cultural Data?
WECC is seeking data with the following characteristics:

Environmental Data: Refers to data related to land use, animal or plant species, water
use or availability, air quality, or other environmental factors.

Cultural Data: Refers to tribal and indigenous cultural resources, archeological
resources, cultural artifacts, and/or historical artifacts.

Geospatial Data: Data correlates environmental and/or cultural features to their
geographic/spatial locations.
How is WECC Using Environmental and Cultural Data?
WECC’s Environmental Data Task Force (EDTF) is compiling and providing to WECC
information about environmental and cultural resources in the Western Interconnection along
with guidance for using this information in transmission planning. WECC is incorporating this
information into its Long-Term Planning Tool along with information about capital costs,
reliability, generation and load, energy policies, and other data relevant to long-term
transmission planning. The Long-Term Planning Tool will model potential future energy
generation and load to determine potential electric transmission expansion needs 20 years into
the future, in an optimized fashion. This information will also be used to inform the development
of WECC’s 10- and 20-Year Regional Transmission Plans through an analysis of potential
environmental and cultural risks for transmission expansion alternatives.
How are the Environmental and Cultural Data Sets Selected and Categorized?
The EDTF has identified preferred planning-level environmental and cultural resource
geospatial data sets (learn more about “planning level” data sets in the next question, below)
based on quality standards described in the Data Quality Validation Process. For each data set
that met the quality requirements and was deemed relevant for transmission planning, the EDTF
assigned a corresponding risk classification that identifies the level of environmental/cultural risk
Environmental/Cultural Update Process
expected from transmission development for the features represented in that data set. The four
risk classification categories are:
Category 1: Least risk of environmental or cultural resource sensitivities/constraints.
Category 2: Low to moderate risk of environmental or cultural resource
sensitivities/constraints.
Category 3: High risk of environmental or cultural resource sensitivities/constraints.
Category 4: Areas for which transmission development is currently precluded by law or
regulation.
Details about these risk levels and how they are used in conjunction with the environmental and
cultural data sets are located in the Environmental Recommendations for Transmission
Planning report. A list of preferred data sets, as well as those considered but not currently
recommended for use, is located on the Data Inventory Spreadsheet.
What is a “Planning Level” Data Set?
WECC requests that stakeholders supply planning-level environmental and cultural data sets
that will inform regional transmission planning across the Western Interconnection. The planning
level differs from the siting level in that it deals with broad transmission corridors rather than
specific facility locations characteristic of siting-level data. The goals, process, and data needs
for WECC’s regional transmission planning effort are not the same as those for National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other siting-level processes.
Siting-level processes define specific locations and are used to analyze the effects of a
proposed transmission line on specific environmental and cultural features on the landscape,
and/or to determine potential routes for that transmission line. Siting-level data sets showing
precise locations of environmental and cultural features allow transmission developers to
identify and avoid specific sensitive or protected areas.
In contrast, WECC’s regional transmission planning provides an initial survey of environmental
and cultural risks related to electric transmission expansion needs across the entire Western
Interconnection. This process does not determine precise routes for (or environmental impacts
from) transmission lines and therefore, the planning-level data sets WECC collects are generally
high-level and aggregate. For example, a data set showing critical habitat across the United
States for an Endangered Species Act listed bird would be considered planning-level data, while
a data set showing a nest location for that same species would be considered siting-level. In this
example, the identified critical habitat would likely cover a large, multi-state/county area, and
would therefore be beneficial to identify and consider before siting began, while the single nest
location would be an important factor during the development of alternate routes or while
considering mitigation options for siting. See Figure 1 below for examples of planning- versus
siting-level data sets.
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Environmental/Cultural Update Process
Figure 1 – Example “Planning Level” versus “Siting Level” data
*
* Raptor nest locations are for illustration only and do not represent actual nest sites.
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Environmental/Cultural Update Process
What Are the Anticipated Results of the Open Biennial Process?
By conducting the Open Biennial Process for data updates, WECC hopes to:

Update existing environmental and cultural data sets with the most current available
information;

Add new or previously-undiscovered data sets that will improve WECC’s ability to
assess environmental and cultural risks associated with transmission expansion; and

Build relationships with organizations that manage environmental and cultural data to
facilitate ongoing collaboration in transmission planning in the Western Interconnection.
How Can I Participate in the Open Biennial Process?
Stakeholders in the West who have data they believe to be useful in transmission planning can
submit planning-level geospatial data sets and recommended corresponding risk classification
categories to WECC as part of the Open Biennial Process using the 2013 TEPPC Study
Program Study Request Form. Every even year, beginning in 2012, WECC will solicit updated
or new environmental and cultural geospatial data sets and associated risk classifications from
stakeholders. The open season begins September 1 of each even year and ends on January
31st of the following year. Stakeholders will be asked to describe the data sets recommended for
use in transmission planning, recommend ways that they could be used, and identify any
confidentiality concerns or restrictions.
How Will Data Sets and Recommendations be Considered and Used?
After the data sets and proposed risk classification assignments are received, WECC will apply
the Environmental and Cultural Data Quality Validation Process to ensure that submitted data
meets criteria for use in regional transmission planning (i.e., is this data set of a quality and
relevance that would allow WECC to use it in regional transmission planning?). Data sets that
meet these criteria, along with their proposed risk classification assignments, will be reviewed
by WECC. WECC will determine whether each data set is appropriate for inclusion in the RTEP
process, document its decisions, create a list of all data sets that it reviews, and publish this
information to the web. Submitted data sets may be published on the WECC website; if you
have concerns about confidentiality or distribution of your proposed data sets, please contact
Byron Woertz (information below).
For More Information
For additional information about the EDTF or the Open Biennial Process, please contact Byron
Woertz, WECC RTEP Senior Project Manager: bwoertz@wecc.biz, (801) 883-6841. The
following table includes EDTF documents with additional information about the EDTF and its
processes and products.
Document
What It Contains
Environmental/Cultural
Data Quality Validation
Process
Describes the process WECC uses to ensure that environmental
and cultural resource data sets used in transmission planning meet
appropriate quality standards.
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Environmental/Cultural Update Process
Document
What It Contains
EDTF Web Page
Provides information about the EDTF’s history and background
EDTF Frequently Asked
Questions
Includes general information about the EDTF’s activities and
processes and how they can be beneficial for transmission
planning.
Transmission Alternative
Comparison Methodology
Includes information about how WECC will apply the environmental and
cultural data sets and associated risk classification categories as part of
the RTEP process
Environmental
Recommendations for
Transmission Planning
Report
This first report drafted by the EDTF includes foundational
information about compilation of EDTF data sets and the risk
classification category approach.
Data Update Process
Describes how WECC will manage additions and changes to
environmental and cultural data sets.
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