The bill was previously approved by the California Senate, and now will go to Gov. Jerry Brown, who is expected to sign it.
Environmentalists and government officials in California's San Bernardino and Kern Counties have long opposed the Calico Solar Farm, deriding it as a threat to endangered and sensitive species ranging from desert tortoises to bighorn sheep.
They also contend the energy commission is predisposed to approving the project because it is mandated to further the state's goal of having one-third of its energy needs met by renewable power by 2020.
In the days leading up to the votes on the bills in the Senate and Assembly, Gov. Brown was a vocal advocate for the measure. Ultimately members of the Assembly said they voted in favor of the measure because K Road Power faces a June deadline to apply for approval from the energy commission.
The project has a long history of controversy and delays. It was originally proposed by Tessera Solar as an 850 MW CSP plant, and was to have been developed on more than 8,000 acres. The project size was subsequently reduced by nearly half to accommodate the desert tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species in the US.
K Road Power acquired it from Tessera in 2010 and plans to convert it to PV-based facility.
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