This week Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2421, authored by Assembly Member Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), which will set forth a streamlined local permitting process for siting back-up power generators on macro cellular tower sites.
Specifically, AB 2421 provides that siting an emergency standby generator is subject only to a ministerial permitting process provided that 1) it meets specified standards, and 2) is being proposed at an existing permitted macro cell tower site. Additionally, a local agency that receives a permit application to install an emergency standby generator is required to approve or deny the application with 60 days of submittal of the application will be deemed approved. The provisions of AB 2421 will go into effect January 1, 2021 and are scheduled to sunset January 1, 2024.
RCRC staff worked with Assemblymember Quirk’s office throughout the legislative session to ensure that the expedited permitting process preserved important local government review of health and safety requirements. This year has brought new rolling power black outs as well as Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. These two events as well as unprecedented wildfires reiterates the systemic infrastructure weaknesses that exist in both the electricity grid and the telecommunication systems. RCRC supported AB 2421 and believes the streamlined permitting process will assist to expeditiously deploy back-up power generation to cell towers to mitigate loss of wireless communication services during a power outage.
RCRC’s signature request letter can be accessed here. For more information, please contact Tracy Rhine, RCRC Legislative Advocate, at (916) 447-4806 or trhine@rcrcnet.org.