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Spring Valley Wind Energy Facility

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Spring Valley Wind Energy Facility U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Final Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-NV-L020-2010-0007-EA October 2010 Spring Valley Wind Energy Facility Location: Spring Valley, White Pine County, Nevada Applicant/Address: Spring Valley Wind LLC 1600 Smith Street, Suite 4025 Houston, Texas 77002 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Schell Field Office Phone: (775) 289-1800 Fax: (775) 289-1910 This page intentionally left blank. Environmental Assessment Spring Valley Wind CONTENTS Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................... ix 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR ACTION ................................................................................ 4 1.3 PRELIMINARY ISSUES ............................................................................................................. 5 2.0 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................... 7 2.1 PROPOSED ACTION .................................................................................................................. 7 2.1.1 Wind Energy Facility Construction ................................................................................. 8 2.1.1.1 Wind Energy Facility Components ................................................................. 8 2.1.1.2 Preconstruction and Construction Activities ................................................... 9 2.1.2 Wind Energy Facility Operation .................................................................................... 22 2.1.2.1 Operations, Workforce, Equipment, and Facility Maintenance Needs ......... 22 2.1.2.2 Maintenance Activities, Including Road Maintenance ................................. 23 2.1.3 Wind Energy Facility Decommissioning....................................................................... 23 2.1.4 Construction, Operation, and Reclamation Design Features ......................................... 23 2.1.4.1 Facility Commitments ................................................................................... 23 2.1.4.2 Construction, Operation, and Decommissioning Commitments ................... 24 2.1.4.3 Resource Conservation Measures ................................................................. 24 2.2 ALTERNATE DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVE (BLM PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE) ....................................................................................................................... 27 2.2.1 Wind Energy Facility Construction ............................................................................... 27 2.2.1.1 Wind Energy Facility Components ............................................................... 27 2.2.1.2 Preconstruction and Construction Activities ................................................. 28 2.2.2 Wind Energy Facility Operation .................................................................................... 32 2.2.2.1 Operations, Workforce, Equipment, and Facility Maintenance Needs ......... 32 2.2.2.2 Maintenance Activities, Including Road Maintenance ................................. 32 2.2.3 Wind Energy Facility Decommissioning....................................................................... 32 2.2.4 Design Features Included in the Alternate Development Alternative ........................... 32 2.3 NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE ................................................................................................. 32 2.4 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES ..................................................................................... 33 2.5 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATED FROM DETAILED ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................ 36 2.5.1 Alternate Northern Project Area .................................................................................... 36 2.5.2 Alternate Northeastern Project Area .............................................................................. 36 2.6 CONFORMANCE WITH BLM LAND USE PLAN................................................................. 37 2.7 RELATIONSHIP TO STATUTES, REGULATIONS, OR OTHER PLANS ........................... 37 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................................... 40 3.1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 40 3.2 WILDLIFE ................................................................................................................................. 45 3.2.1 Reptiles and Amphibians ............................................................................................... 45 3.2.2 Small Mammals ............................................................................................................. 45 3.2.3 Big-Game Species ......................................................................................................... 46 3.2.4 Waterfowl and Shorebirds ............................................................................................. 46 3.2.5 Songbirds ....................................................................................................................... 48 i Spring Valley Wind Environmental Assessment 3.2.6 Birds of Prey and Vultures ............................................................................................ 50 3.2.7 Regulatory Framework for Protection of Birds ............................................................. 52 3.2.8 Bats ................................................................................................................................ 52 3.3 SPECIAL-STATUS SPECIES ................................................................................................... 54 3.3.1 Small Mammals ............................................................................................................. 54 3.3.2 Waterfowl and Shorebirds ............................................................................................. 56 3.3.3 Songbirds ....................................................................................................................... 57 3.3.4 Gallinaceous Birds ......................................................................................................... 58 3.3.5 Birds of Prey and Vultures ............................................................................................ 59 3.3.6 Bats ................................................................................................................................ 61 3.3.7 Vegetation ...................................................................................................................... 63 3.4 GRAZING .................................................................................................................................. 63 3.5 WATER RESOURCES .............................................................................................................. 64 3.5.1 Surface Water ................................................................................................................ 64 3.5.2 Groundwater .................................................................................................................. 64 3.6 CULTURAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................................... 64 3.6.1 Regulatory Framework .................................................................................................. 65 3.6.1.1 Law or Order Name and Intent of Law or Order........................................... 65 3.6.2 NRHP Criteria for Evaluation ....................................................................................... 66 3.6.3 Overview of the Prehistory and History of the Area ..................................................... 66 3.6.4 Identification of Cultural Resources .............................................................................. 67 3.7 NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS CONCERNS ................................................................... 67 3.7.1 Overview of Ethnographic History of the Area ............................................................. 68 3.7.2 Analysis and Methodology ............................................................................................ 68 3.8 VISUAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................................. 68 3.8.1 Landscape Character ...................................................................................................... 69 3.8.2 Nighttime Lighting and Extent of Skyglow ................................................................... 71 3.9 NOISE ........................................................................................................................................ 74 3.9.1 Fundamentals of Acoustics ............................................................................................ 74 3.9.2 Characterization of Background Noise Levels .............................................................. 75 3.9.3 Noise Standards
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