Environmental Assessment for Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit

DRAFT Environmental Assessment for Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit Blue Creek Wind Farm, LLC Van Wert and Paulding Counties, Ohio December 2019 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ohio Ecological Services Office 4625 Morse Road, Suite 104 Columbus, Ohio 43230 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR PROPOSED HCP AND INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT BLUE CREEK WIND FARM, LLC Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Project Background ............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Blue Creek Wind Farm Project .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1.2 Habitat Conservation Plan Permit Area ............................................................................................ 2 1.2 Regulatory and Policy Background ............................................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 National Environmental Policy Act ..................................................................................................... 2 1.2.2 Endangered Species Act ........................................................................................................................... 4 1.2.3 Ohio Department of Natural Resources ............................................................................................ 5 1.3 Action Agency Purpose and Need.................................................................................................................. 5 1.3.1 The Role of the Environmental Assessment .................................................................................... 5 1.3.2 Proposed Federal Action ......................................................................................................................... 5 1.3.3 Purpose and Need of Proposed Federal Action ............................................................................. 5 Alternatives ................................................................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Development of Alternatives ........................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Alternatives Retained for Detailed Analysis ............................................................................................. 7 2.2.1 Alternative 1: No-Action .......................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.2 Alternative 2: Applicant’s Proposed Project ................................................................................... 9 2.2.3 Alternative 3: More Restrictive Operations ................................................................................... 14 2.2.4 Alternative 4: Less Restrictive Operations .................................................................................... 16 2.3 Summary of the Alternatives Analysis ...................................................................................................... 17 2.4 Alternatives Eliminated from Detailed Analysis ................................................................................... 18 Affected Environment ........................................................................................................................................... 19 3.1 Overview of the Permit Area ......................................................................................................................... 19 3.2 Overview of the Plan Area (Mitigation Habitat Options) ................................................................... 20 3.3 Resources Evaluated and Dismissed from Further Analysis ........................................................... 21 3.4 Resources Evaluated and Brought Forward for Detailed Analysis ............................................... 22 3.4.1 General Wildlife Resources .................................................................................................................. 22 3.4.2 Avian Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 23 3.4.3 Bat Resources ............................................................................................................................................. 26 3.4.4 Climate Change .......................................................................................................................................... 39 Environmental Consequences ........................................................................................................................... 40 December 2019 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service i DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR PROPOSED HCP AND INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT BLUE CREEK WIND FARM, LLC 4.1 Overview of the Effects Analysis .................................................................................................................. 40 4.2 Biological Environment ................................................................................................................................... 40 4.2.1 General Wildlife Resources .................................................................................................................. 40 4.2.2 Avian Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 42 4.2.3 Bat Resources ............................................................................................................................................. 48 4.2.4 Climate Change .......................................................................................................................................... 60 4.3 Cumulative Effects ............................................................................................................................................. 61 4.3.1 Other Wind Energy Development ...................................................................................................... 61 4.3.2 Avian Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 63 4.3.3 Bat Resources ............................................................................................................................................. 68 Consultation and Coordination ......................................................................................................................... 74 5.1 Agency and Tribal Coordination .................................................................................................................. 74 5.2 Distribution of the Draft EA ........................................................................................................................... 75 List of Preparers ...................................................................................................................................................... 75 List of Tables Table 2-1. Alternative 2 Operational Minimization Plan ...................................................................................... 10 Table 2-2. Results from Publicly Available Curtailment Effectiveness Studies ........................................... 11 Table 2-3. Comparison of Alternatives Considered for Detailed Analysis ..................................................... 17 Table 3-1. Post-Construction Monitoring 2012, 2013, and 2015 – Bird Fatalities .................................... 25 Table 3-2. Potential Bat Presence by Season ............................................................................................................. 27 Table 3-3. Indiana Bat Population Estimates for the Midwest Recovery Unit ............................................. 30 Table 3-4. Post-Construction Monitoring 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016 – Bat Fatalities .......................... 37 Table 4-1. Comparison of Direct Effects to Bats for Each Alternative ............................................................. 54 Table 4-2. Comparison of Estimates of Indiana Bat, Northern Long-Eared Bat, and Unlisted Bat Species Mortality Across Alternatives .......................................................................................................... 59 Table 4-3. Installed and Projected Wind Energy Capacity in former Service Region 3, MRU, and BCR 23 ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Table 4-4. Cumulative Avian Mortality Estimates and Wind Power Capacity in BCR 23 ........................ 65 December 2019 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ii DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR PROPOSED HCP AND INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT BLUE CREEK WIND FARM, LLC Table 4-5. Cumulative Effects to Indiana Bats, Northern Long-Eared Bats, and Unlisted Bat Species from the Project and Projected Installed Wind Power Capacity in the Midwest Recovery Unit and former Service Region 3 ............................................................................................................................. 70 List of Figures Figure

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