Final Impact Statement for the Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Endangered American Burying Beetle

Final Environmental Impact Statement For the Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Endangered American Burying Beetle for American Electric Power in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas Volume II: Appendices September 2018 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region Albuquerque, NM Costs to Develop and Produce this EIS: Lead Agency $29,254 Applicant (Contractor) $341,531 Total Costs $370,785 Appendix A Acronyms and Glossary Appendix A Acronyms and Glossary ACRONYMS °F Fahrenheit ABB American burying beetle AEP American Electric Power Company AMM avoidance and minimization measures APE Area of Potential Effects APLIC Avian Power Line Interaction Committee APP Avian Protection Plan Applicant American Electric Power Company ATV all-terrain vehicles BGEPA Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act BMP best management practices CE Common Era CFR Code of Federal Regulations Corps Army Corps of Engineers CPA Conservation Priority Areas CWA Clean Water Act DNL day-night average sound level EIS Environmental Impact Statement EMF electric magnetic fields EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESA Endangered Species Act FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FR Federal Register GHG greenhouse gases HCP American Electric Power Habitat Conservation Plan for American Burying Beetle in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas ITP Incidental Take Permit MDL multi-district litigation NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHD National Hydrography Dataset NOI Notice of Intent NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service NWI National Wetlands Inventory NWR National Wildlife Refuge OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration ROD Record of Decision ROW right-of-way American Electric Power Habitat Conservation Plan September 2018 A-1 Environmental Impact Statement U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acronyms and Glossary Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service SWPPP Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture USGS U.S. Geological Survey UTV utility task vehicle VOCs volatile organic compounds WNS white-nose syndrome American Electric Power Habitat Conservation Plan September 2018 A-2 Environmental Impact Statement U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acronyms and Glossary GLOSSARY Adaptive Management – Adaptive management is a systematic approach for improving resource management by learning from management outcomes. Affected environment – The current environmental conditions and resources that may be affected or impacted by the alternatives evaluated in the EIS. Ambient Noise – Ambient or background noise levels represent the total amount of noise in an area and are used to compare the effects of a new noise source relative to existing conditions. Area of Potential Effects (APE) – The APE is a term specific to Cultural Resources and for this document covers the Plan Area; however, Covered Activities are limited to the operation and maintenance of existing lines and facilities, the corridors where new transmission lines and facilities would be built, and the location of mitigation sites. Avoidance and Minimization Measures (AMMs) – measures designed to reduce direct take of the ABB as Covered Activities are being conducted. Biological opinion – The Service document issued at the conclusion of formal consultation pursuant to section 7(a)(2) of the ESA that generally includes: (1) the opinion of the Fish and Wildlife Service as to whether or not a Federal action is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species, or result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat; (2) a summary of the information on which the opinion is based; and (3) a detailed discussion of the effects of the action on listed species or designated critical habitat (50 CFR §§ 402.02, 402.14(h)). Conservation bank – a parcel of land containing natural resource values that are conserved and managed in perpetuity, through a conservation easement held by an entity responsible for enforcing the terms of the easement, for specified listed species and used to offset impacts occurring elsewhere to the same resource values on non-bank lands. The values of the natural resources are translated into quantified "credits." Typically, the credit price will include funding for the long-term natural resource management and protection of those values. Conservation Priority Area (CPA) - CPAs are areas where conservation of the ABB should be targeted. The ABB CPAs serve as areas where conservation efforts should be focused and where higher ratios of mitigation for impacts on ABBs should occur. The CPAs include areas with recent (within 10 years) documented ABB presence the Service believes are likely to contain important elements for ABB conservation, such as documented presence over multiple years; relatively high-density populations; suitable breeding, feeding, and sheltering habitat; and carrion resources. Cooperating agencies – Federal, state, or local agencies other than a lead agency which have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved in a proposal or reasonable alternative. Cooperating agencies for this EIS include the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southern Plains; Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement; Arkansas Army National Guard – Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center; Texas Army National Guard Environmental Branch; and U.S. Army - McAlester Army Ammunition Plant. American Electric Power Habitat Conservation Plan September 2018 A-3 Environmental Impact Statement U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acronyms and Glossary Covered activities – Covered activities include those activities that would occur under the HCP that would result in ABB take; Covered activities include AEP’s repair, maintenance, and construction activities for electrical lines and support facilities (e.g., substations and switching facilities) within the Plan Area, as well as activities carried out as part of the HCP’s conservation strategy. Covered species – Covered Species include species the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering incidental take authorization for under the action alternatives. Criteria Pollutants – Criteria pollutants are air contaminants commonly emitted from a variety of sources and include CO, Pb, NO2, O3, PM10, PM2.5, and SO2. Critical habitat – Specific geographic areas, whether occupied by a listed species or not, that are essential for its conservation and that have been formally designated by rule published in the Federal Register. Cumulative Impact – Cumulative impacts are impacts that can result from individually minor but collectively noteworthy actions taking place over a period of time. Ecoregion – Ecoregions are areas where the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources— such as vegetation, wildlife, soils, geology, climate, hydrology, land use, and land form—are generally similar. Ecoregions serve as a spatial framework for resource management and are effective for regional state environmental reports, resource inventories, and assessments. Endangered species - “Any species [including subspecies or qualifying distinct population segment] which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range” (section 3(6) of the Endangered Species Act, 16 USC § 1532(6)). Endangered species act (ESA) - 16 USC §§ 1513–1543; Federal legislation that provides means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, and provides a program for the conservation of such endangered and threatened species. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) - A detailed written statement required by section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act containing, among other things, an analyses of environmental impacts of a proposed action and alternatives considered, adverse effects of the project that cannot be avoided, alternative courses of action, short-term uses of the environment versus the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity, and any irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources (40 CFR §§ 1508.11, 1502). Federal register - Daily publication of the United States government containing all proposed regulations, final regulations, and other activities of the Federal government. Federally listed - The Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. Floodplain – Any land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwaters from any source. Global Climate Change – refers to any long-term change in Earth's climate, or in the climate of a region or city. This includes warming, cooling and changes besides temperature. American Electric Power Habitat Conservation Plan September 2018 A-4 Environmental Impact Statement U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acronyms and Glossary Habitat – The location where a particular taxon of plant or animal lives and its surroundings, both living and non-living; the term includes the presence of a group of particular environmental conditions surrounding an organism including air, water, soil, mineral elements, moisture, temperature, and topography. Habitat conservation plan (HCP) - Under section 10(a)(2)(A) of the Endangered Species Act, a planning document that is a mandatory component of an incidental take permit application. Important Farmland – The Farmland Protection Policy Act of 1981 (7 U.S.C. §§ 4201–4209) requires that Federal agencies and programs minimize conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses. This includes prime farmland (most suitable for production of food, as determined

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