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GoBiz launches renewable permitting initiative, aims for summer draft of 'playbook' to speed BESS approvals
Summary
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz) said it is producing a renewable energy permitting playbook after surveys and interviews with local jurisdictions, developers and tribes; GoBiz expects a draft toolkit this summer and a final report in the fall.
Amanda Bomar, moderator for the webinar, and Rahima Mali of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz) opened a state‑led effort to ease permitting of large renewable projects, saying the office will publish a draft permitting toolkit for public comment this summer and a final report later in the year.
"We brought on consultants to help produce this playbook," Rahima Mali said, describing outreach that includes online surveys and one‑on‑one interviews with permitting authorities, developers, community groups and tribes. The assessment will synthesize responses into recommended tools for local planners and developers.
The initiative, Mali said, focuses on three recurring barriers: permitting, interconnection/transmission, and supply‑chain constraints. The playbook is intended to provide model ordinances, templates and operational tools—items stakeholders said would reduce friction during local review.
Lakshmi Lagakan of e3, the consulting team supporting GoBiz, said outreach is ongoing and that the draft toolkit will emphasize practical resources requested by local planners: model ordinances, clear guidance on setback distances and emergency response plans, one‑page fact sheets to explain safety issues to the public, and permitting workflow templates that can be adopted by jurisdictions.
"Local planners and developers told us community concerns about health and fire safety are one of the largest barriers," Lagakan said. "Model ordinances, required testing and clear emergency response templates were repeatedly requested."
GoBiz asked attendees to complete a still‑open survey; Mali said the team will synthesize survey and interview data into a draft assessment and toolkit by this summer and seek stakeholder feedback before publishing a final version in the fall. GoBiz also plans additional webinars and outreach events tied to the effort.
Next steps: GoBiz will continue outreach through April, follow up with interviewees, post the draft toolkit for comment in the summer, and finalize the playbook in late fall.
