Lake Erie Connector Project Environmental Assessment Draft
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Lake Erie Connector Project Draft Environmental Assessment Volume 1 – Main Document U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Washington DC June 2016 Cover Photo Credits http://www.itclakeerieconnector.com/ DRAFT LAKE ERIE CONNECTOR PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Volume 1—Main Document DOE/EA-2019 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF ELECTRICITY DELIVERY AND ENERGY RELIABILITY COOPERATING AGENCY U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS This Page Intentionally Left Blank Lake Erie Connector Project Draft Environmental Assessment COVER SHEET RESPONSIBLE FEDERAL AGENCY U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability COOPERATING AGENCIES U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Pittsburgh District TITLE ITC Lake Erie Connector Project LOCATION Erie County, Pennsylvania CONTACTS For additional information on this Draft EA contact: Mr. Brian Mills National Environmental Policy Act Document Manager Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, OE-20 U.S. Department of Energy Washington, DC 20585 Telephone: (202) 586-8267 [email protected] ABSTRACT: ITC Lake Erie Connector, LLC (ITC Lake Erie) applied to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a Presidential permit to construct, operate and maintain an approximate 72-mile long, 1,000-megawatt (MW), +/-320-kilovolt (kV), high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission system that originates in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada and terminates in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The United States’ portion of the proposed ITC Lake Erie (LEC) Project is approximately 42.8 miles in length. This Environmental Assessment (EA) addresses the potential environmental impacts of the proposed transmission line (Preferred Alternative) and the No Action Alternative. The proposed transmission cable would include both aquatic (underwater) and terrestrial (primarily underground) segments in Pennsylvania. The underwater portions of the proposed transmission cable would be buried in the bed of Lake Erie, and the terrestrial portions would be buried, principally in roadway right-of-way (ROW). The proposed LEC Project would cross the United States- Canadian border in Lake Erie as a submerged cable (approximately 35 miles underwater in Lake Erie within the United States) and would emerge onshore on private property, west of Erie Bluffs State Park. The proposed LEC Project would then track approximately 7 miles underground to a proposed +/- 320- kV new direct current (DC) to 345-kV alternating current (AC) HVDC converter station (new Erie Converter Station) in Conneaut Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania. Approximately 2,153 feet of 345-kV AC underground transmission cables would run between the new proposed Erie Converter Station and the nearby Penelec Erie West Substation. The proposed LEC Project would terminate at the existing Penelec Erie West Substation and interconnect with the transmission system operated by PJM Interconnection, LLC, (PJM), a Regional Transmission Operator (RTO). PUBLIC COMMENTS: Comments on this Draft EA are accepted through July 5, 2016. U.S. Department of Energy June 2016 i Lake Erie Connector Project Draft Environmental Assessment This Page Intentionally Left Blank U.S. Department of Energy June 2016 ii Lake Erie Connector Project Draft Environmental Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS COVER SHEET................................................................................................................................. i ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................. iii LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................................................... v TABLE OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... vi TABLE OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... vi 1 PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR THE ACTION ............................................................... 1-1 1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 DOE’s Purpose of and Need for Agency Action ................................................................. 1-2 1.3 DOE’s Proposed Action ..................................................................................................... 1-2 1.4 ITC Lake Erie’s Objectives ................................................................................................ 1-2 1.5 Public Participation and Interagency Coordination ............................................................. 1-3 1.6 Interagency Coordination ................................................................................................... 1-4 1.7 Organization of this Draft EA ............................................................................................ 1-5 2 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ................................................................ 2-1 2.1 Proposed Action ................................................................................................................ 2-1 2.2 No Action Alternative ........................................................................................................ 2-1 2.3 Proposed Lake Erie Connector Project Overview ............................................................... 2-1 2.4 Proposed Project Location, Design, and Construction Methods .......................................... 2-3 2.4.1 Description of Proposed Route Segments ................................................................ 2-3 2.4.2 Aquatic Direct Current Transmission Cable ............................................................. 2-4 2.4.3 Terrestrial Transmission Cable ................................................................................ 2-7 2.4.4 Proposed New Erie Converter Station Description ................................................. 2-10 2.4.5 Construction and Schedule .................................................................................... 2-15 2.5 Decommissioning ............................................................................................................ 2-20 2.6 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated From Further Detailed Analysis .......................... 2-21 3 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT.......................................................................................... 3-1 3.1 Lake Erie Segment............................................................................................................. 3-2 3.1.1 Land Use ................................................................................................................. 3-2 3.1.2 Transportation and Traffic ....................................................................................... 3-2 3.1.3 Water Resources and Quality................................................................................... 3-3 3.1.4 Aquatic Habitats and Species................................................................................... 3-7 3.1.5 Protected and Sensitive Aquatic Species ................................................................ 3-11 3.1.6 Terrestrial Habitats and Species ............................................................................. 3-12 3.1.7 Terrestrial Protected and Sensitive Species ............................................................ 3-13 3.1.8 Terrestrial Wetlands .............................................................................................. 3-15 3.1.9 Geology and Soils ................................................................................................. 3-16 3.1.10 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................ 3-17 3.1.11 Infrastructure ......................................................................................................... 3-19 3.1.12 Recreation ............................................................................................................. 3-20 3.1.13 Visual Resources ................................................................................................... 3-21 3.1.14 Public Health and Safety ....................................................................................... 3-22 3.1.15 Noise .................................................................................................................... 3-23 3.1.16 Hazardous Materials and Wastes ........................................................................... 3-24 3.1.17 Air Quality ............................................................................................................ 3-25 3.1.18 Socioeconomics .................................................................................................... 3-30 U.S. Department of Energy June 2016 iii Lake Erie Connector Project Draft Environmental Assessment 3.1.19 Environmental Justice............................................................................................ 3-34 3.2 Overland Segment............................................................................................................ 3-35 3.2.1 Land Use ..............................................................................................................