Altamont Winds Inc
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November 2014 ALTAMONT WINDS INC. 86 MW Altamont Wind Farms Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report 2018 CUP Extension PROJECT NUMBER: 135763 PROJECT CONTACT: Chris Knopp EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: 858-810-5381 POWER ENGINEERS, INC. Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report - 2018 CUP Extension Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report 2018 CUP Extension PREPARED FOR: COUNTY OF ALAMEDA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, PLANNING DEPARTMENT PREPARED BY: POWER ENGINEERS, INC. 858-810-5381 [email protected] POWER ENGINEERS, INC. Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report - 2018 CUP Extension TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 1 SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT ....................................................................... 1 Asset Exchange .............................................................................................................................. 2 MAJOR CONCLUSIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS ............................................................. 2 Impacts ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Mitigation ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Alternatives Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 6 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND NEXT STEPS ........................................................................................... 6 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 PROJECT UNDER REVIEW ....................................................................................................... 8 1.2 LEAD AGENCY ........................................................................................................................ 8 1.3 THE SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT ...................................................... 8 1.3.1 Intended Use ................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.2 Type of EIR .................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.3 Decision to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report ............................ 10 1.4 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS .................................................................................... 10 1.4.1 Notice of Preparation .................................................................................................... 10 1.4.2 Public Involvement and Review ................................................................................... 11 1.4.3 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report ...................................................... 11 1.4.4 Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report ...................................................... 12 1.5 ORGANIZATION OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT ..................... 12 1.5.1 Scope and Focus of the DSEIR, Compared to the 2013 FEIR ..................................... 13 1.6 INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE ........................................................................................... 13 2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................... 14 2.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................... 14 2.2 PROJECT LOCATION .............................................................................................................. 15 2.3 PROJECT NEED AND OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................... 21 2.4 MAJOR PROJECT COMPONENTS ............................................................................................ 22 2.4.1 Asset Exchange ............................................................................................................ 22 2.4.2 Repowering Development Milestones .......................................................................... 22 2.4.3 Circumstances Outside AWI’s Control ........................................................................ 23 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ANALYSIS AND MITIGATION MEASURES .......... 24 3.1 APPROACH TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS ................................................................. 24 3.1.1 Noise ............................................................................................................................. 24 3.1.2 Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases .............................................................................. 24 3.1.3 Biological Resources .................................................................................................... 25 3.1.4 Hazards and Hazardous Materials ................................................................................ 25 3.2 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ..................................................................................................... 26 3.2.1 Regulatory setting ......................................................................................................... 26 3.2.2 Environmental Setting .................................................................................................. 26 3.2.3 Environmental Impacts ................................................................................................. 26 3.3 HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ............................................................................. 38 3.3.1 Regulatory setting ......................................................................................................... 38 3.3.2 Environmental Setting .................................................................................................. 38 ANA 305-260 (PER 02) ALTAMONT WINDS (11/14/2014) 135763 YU PAGE i POWER ENGINEERS, INC. Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report - 2018 CUP Extension 3.3.3 Environmental Impacts ................................................................................................. 39 4.0 LIST OF PREPARERS AND OTHERS CONSULTED .................................................... 44 4.1 COUNTY OF ALAMEDA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY ........................................... 44 4.2 POWER ENGINEERS, INC. .................................................................................................... 44 5.0 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 45 FIGURES: FIGURE 1 LOCATION MAP .......................................................................................................... 17 FIGURE 2 PROJECT FACILITY EXCHANGE MAP – SEE MAP POCKET IN THE BACK OF THE DOCUMENT ................................................................................................................. 19 FIGURE 3 CLOSE-UP VIEW OF WIND TURBINE BLADE IFD ROD ............................................... 41 FIGURE 4 CLOSE-UP VIEW OF RUST STAINING EMANATING FROM WIND TURBINE IFD ROD . 42 TABLES: TABLE ES-1 ESTIMATED AVIAN FATALITIES AT FULL PROJECT CAPACITY (85.8 MW) BASED ON 2008-2010 BIRD YEAR ADJUSTED FATALITY RATES ................................................... 3 TABLE ES-2 ESTIMATED AVIAN FATALITIES AT FULL PROJECT CAPACITY (85.8 MW) BASED ON 2005-2011 BIRD YEAR BDJUSTED FATALITY RATES ................................................... 3 TABLE ES-3 COMPARISON OF ADJUSTED SPECIES FATALITY TOTALS OF FOUR FOCAL SPECIES, BASED ON AN AVERAGE FATALITY RATE (FATALITIES PER MEGAWATT PER YEAR) . 3 TABLE ES-4 SUMMARY OF IMPACTS, MITIGATION MEASURES, AND LEVELS OF SIGNIFICANCE .... 7 TABLE 2-1 LIST OF CUPS, LANDOWNERS AND APNS ................................................................. 16 TABLE 3-1 ADJUSTED APWRA-WIDE AVIAN FATALITY RATES PER MW PER YEAR ................ 30 TABLE 3-2 SUMMARY OF INSTALLED CAPACITY PER MEGAWATT YEAR FOR SCENARIOS ......... 31 TABLE 3-3 ESTIMATED AVIAN FATALITIES AT FULL PROJECT CAPACITY (85.8 MW) BASED ON 2008-2010 BIRD YEAR ADJUSTED FATALITY RATES ................................................. 31 TABLE 3-4 ESTIMATED AVIAN FATALITIES AT FULL PROJECT CAPACITY (85.8 MW) BASED ON 2005-2011 BIRD YEAR ADJUSTED FATALITY RATES ................................................. 31 TABLE 3-5 COMPARISON OF ADJUSTED SPECIES FATALITY TOTALS OF FOUR FOCAL SPECIES, BASED ON AN AVERAGE FATALITY RATE (FATALITIES PER MEGAWATT PER YEAR) 32 TABLE 3-6 ASSET EXCHANGE EFFECT ON NUMBER OF HRTS IN OPERATION ............................. 33 TABLE 3-7 ASSET EXCHANGE EFFECT ON MEGAWATT CAPACITY (2016 – 2018) ...................... 34 TABLE 3-8 ANNUAL NUMBER OF EAGLES FATALITIES TO BE MITIGATED THROUGH POWER POLE RETROFITS .................................................................................................................. 35 TECHNICAL APPENDICES: APPENDIX A NOP, DISTRIBUTION LIST, WRITTEN COMMENTS APPENDIX B STEP-UP TRANSFORMER SOILS TESTING ANA 305-260 (PER 02) ALTAMONT WINDS (11/14/2014) 135763 YU PAGE ii POWER ENGINEERS, INC. Draft Supplemental Environmental