Mitigation Hierarchy diagram

The mitigation hierarchy from the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) provides a decision-making hierarchy to mitigate the effects of solar energy development on sensitive resources. There are three hierarchical levels – avoidance, minimization, and restoration or offsetting – which have successfully been applied to renewable energy development. For more information, see this USGS paper: Predicting the effects of solar energy development on plants and wildlife in the desert southwest, United States: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114823