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Final New England Clean Power Link Project Environmental Impact

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Final New England Clean Power Link Project Environmental Impact 1 3 2 4 Cover Photo Credits 1. TDI-NE (http://wamc/files/styles/default/public/201410/new-england-clean-power-link- map-ctsy-tdi-new-england.jpg" alt="">) 2. NECPL exit from Lake Champlain (Benson, Vermont) courtesy of TDI-NE 3. Lake Bomoseen, Fair Haven, Vermont courtesy of TDI-NE 4. TDI-NE 2014a New England Clean Power Link Biological Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................... I LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. II LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................................ II 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................ 1 1.2 CONSULTATION HISTORY ......................................................................................................... 2 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION ........................................................................ 2 2.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE SEGMENTS USED IN THE FINAL EIS ANALYSES ............................ 2 2.2 NECPL PROJECT AREA ............................................................................................................ 3 2.3 DESCRIPTION OF CONSTRUCTION METHODS ............................................................................. 3 2.3.1 Aquatic Direct Current Transmission Cable ......................................................................... 3 2.3.2 Horizontal Directional Drilling ............................................................................................ 6 2.3.3 Terrestrial Direct Current Transmission Cable..................................................................... 7 2.3.4 Ludlow HVDC Converter Station ......................................................................................... 9 2.3.5 Coolidge Substation Interconnection .................................................................................. 10 2.4 ADDITIONAL ENGINEERING DETAILS ...................................................................................... 10 2.5 CONSTRUCTION AND SCHEDULE ............................................................................................. 12 2.5.1 Aquatic Cable..................................................................................................................... 12 2.5.2 Terrestrial .......................................................................................................................... 13 2.5.3 Staging Areas ..................................................................................................................... 15 2.5.4 Operations and Maintenance .............................................................................................. 15 2.6 IMPACT MINIMIZATION AND CONSERVATION MEASURES ....................................................... 17 2.6.1 Applicant Proposed Measures and BMPs for Aquatic Species ............................................. 17 2.6.2 Applicant Proposed Measures and BMPs for Terrestrial Species ........................................ 18 3 FEDERALLY LISTED SPECIES AND DESIGNATED CRITICAL HABITAT .................... 19 3.1 AQUATIC SPECIES .................................................................................................................. 19 3.2 TERRESTRIAL SPECIES ............................................................................................................ 19 3.2.1 Indiana Bat ........................................................................................................................ 19 3.2.2 Northern Long-Eared Bat ................................................................................................... 20 4 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE CONDITIONS ..................................................................... 21 4.1 AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................ 21 4.2 TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................. 22 5 POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON FEDERALLY LISTED SPECIES .............................................. 23 5.1 AQUATIC SPECIES .................................................................................................................. 23 5.2 TERRESTRIAL SPECIES ............................................................................................................ 24 5.2.1 Construction Impacts on Indiana Bat and Northern Long-Eared Bat .................................. 24 5.2.2 Operations and Maintenance Impacts on Indiana Bat and Northern Long-Eared Bat.......... 26 6 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ......................................................................................................... 27 7 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................... 27 7.1 EFFECTS DETERMINATION FOR LISTED SPECIES...................................................................... 27 7.2 EFFECTS DETERMINATION FOR CRITICAL HABITAT ................................................................ 27 8 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 28 9 ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................... 29 ATTACHMENT A: INDIANA BAT CONDITIONS ........................................................................ 31 ATTACHMENT B: NORTHERN LONG-EARED BAT DESKTOP AND RECONNAISSANCE HABITAT ASSESSMENTS ................................................................................................................ 34 Department of Energy October 2015 i New England Clean Power Link Biological Assessment LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Example Aquatic HVDC Transmission Cable Cross-Section .................................................... 4 Figure 2 Representative Schematic of Protection Measures for Aquatic Transmission Cables................. 5 Figure 3 Typical Articulated Concrete Mats ........................................................................................... 5 Figure 4 Example HDD Techniques....................................................................................................... 6 Figure 5 Typical HDD Landfall Drill Rig Operation .............................................................................. 7 Figure 6 Example Terrestrial HVDC Transmission Cable Cross-Section ................................................ 8 Figure 7 Cross-section of Underground System ..................................................................................... 8 Figure 8 A Typical Staging Area for Construction Equipment in A Roadway ROW ............................... 9 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Summary of Project Route ....................................................................................................... 3 Table 2 Magnetic Field Magnitude Deviation (mG) from 530.77 mG Geomagnetic Field, 1 Meter Above Ground and for Offsets from Centerline of Bipolar DC Circuit .................................... 11 Table 3 Federal and State Protected Terrestrial Wildlife Species that May Occur within the Lake Champlain Segment ROI ....................................................................................................... 19 Table 4 Summary of Impacts on Federally Listed Species by Resource Area ...................................... 23 Table 5 Determination of Effect under the ESA for Federally Listed Terrestrial Species in the Proposed NECPL Project Area .............................................................................................................. 24 Department of Energy October 2015 ii New England Clean Power Link Biological Assessment 1 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this Biological Assessment (BA) is to evaluate the potential impacts of the proposed New England Clean Power Link (NECPL) Project on federally listed threatened or endangered species, and to comply with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 (16 United States Code [U.S.C.] 1531–1534). The proposed federal action by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is the issuance of a Presidential permit that would authorize Transmission Developers, Inc. - New England (TDI-NE) to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed NECPL Project crossing of the United States/Canada border. The DOE prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed NECPL Project (DOE 2015) to comply with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 1 and also prepared this BA as the lead Federal Action Agency for the proposed NECPL Project. The Final EIS contains additional details about the Project and potential effects on the natural and human environment, and is incorporated into this BA by reference. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is pursuing a federal action related to the implementation of the proposed NECPL Project regarding issuance of a Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 permit and a Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act permit for the Project. TDI-NE proposes to develop the NECPL Project
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