DOE/EA-1584: Final Environmental Assessment for Sand Point
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Final Environmental Assessment Sand Point Wind Installation Project Sand Point, Alaska DOE/EA -1584 U.S. Department of Energy Golden Field Office 1617 Cole Boulevard Golden, Colorado 80401-3305 September 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT AND RELATED PROCEDURES....................................................................................................... 1 1.2 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................... 1 1.3 PURPOSE AND NEED.......................................................................................... 2 1.4 PUBLIC SCOPING AND CONSULTATION....................................................... 3 1.5 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ............................................................................. 4 1.6 CONSIDERATIONS NOT CARRIED FORWARD FOR ANALYSIS................ 4 2.0 ALTERNATIVES............................................................................................................... 7 2.1 PROPOSED ACTION............................................................................................ 7 2.1.1 Project Location.......................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Existing TDX Sand Point Generating Operations .................................... 11 2.1.3 Integration of Wind Power with Existing Diesel Power........................... 11 2.1.4 Construction and Installation .................................................................... 12 2.1.5 Wind Turbine Operation........................................................................... 14 2.2 PERMITS AND AUTHORIZATIONS................................................................ 14 2.2.1 Air Safety Determination.......................................................................... 14 2.3 No Action Alternative........................................................................................... 15 2.4 Applicant Committed Measures ........................................................................... 15 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES .......... 17 3.1 LAND USE........................................................................................................... 17 3.1.1 Affected Environment............................................................................... 17 3.1.2 Environmental Consequences................................................................... 17 3.2 COASTAL ZONE RESOURCES ........................................................................ 18 3.2.1 Affected Environment............................................................................... 18 3.2.2 Environmental Consequences................................................................... 18 3.3 VEGETATION AND SOILS ............................................................................... 19 3.3.1 Affected Environment............................................................................... 19 3.3.2 Environmental Consequences................................................................... 19 3.4 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES.............................................. 20 3.4.1 Affected Environment............................................................................... 20 3.4.2 Environmental Consequences................................................................... 21 3.5 BIRDS................................................................................................................... 21 3.5.1 Affected Environment............................................................................... 21 3.5.2 Environmental Consequences................................................................... 22 3.6 CULTURAL RESOURCES................................................................................. 25 3.6.1 Affected Environment............................................................................... 25 3.6.2 Environmental Consequences................................................................... 26 3.7 NOISE................................................................................................................... 26 3.7.1 Affected Environment............................................................................... 26 3.7.2 Environmental Consequences................................................................... 27 3.8 VISUAL ENVIRONMENT.................................................................................. 29 3.8.1 Affected Environment............................................................................... 29 3.8.2 Environmental Consequences................................................................... 30 Sand Point Wind Installation Project Final Environmental Assessment i TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page 3.9 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOCAL SHORT-TERM USES OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENT OF LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVITY ........................................................................ 33 3.10 IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENTS OF RESOURCES ....................................................................................................... 33 3.11 UNAVOIDABLE ADVERSE IMPACTS............................................................ 33 4.0 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS.............................................................................................. 35 5.0 REFERENCES CITED..................................................................................................... 37 6.0 LIST OF PREPARERS..................................................................................................... 39 TABLES Table 1-1. Required agency permits and approval types. Table 3-1. Summary of bird observations from the proposed wind turbine site by season FIGURES Figure 2-1. Location of proposed wind turbines in Sand Point, Alaska Figure 2-2. Proposed project location map and wind turbine locations Figure 2-3. Proposed locations for Turbines 1 and 2. Figure 2-4. TDX electrical integration schematic Figure 3-1. Locations of the proposed turbines (1 and 2), the representative receptor sites, and projected sound levels under typical operating conditions Figure 3-2. Locations of the proposed wind turbines and the viewpoints used in the visual impacts study Figure 3-3. Photo simulation from the southwest corner of the school Figure 3-4. Photo simulation from the south side of the pump house pond Figure 3-5. Photo simulation from power pole #43 Figure 3-6. Photo simulation from the SDP Fisheries building Figure 3-7. Photo simulation from residential area southwest of the turbine site LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A – Sand Point wind data Appendix B – Agency contact list Appendix C – Public comments Appendix D– Agency scoping comments and consultation Appendix E – Avian and bat monitoring studies and mitigation Appendix F – Visual and sound report Appendix G – Photo simulations and sound impact analysis for Sand Point Wind Power Project, Global Energy Concepts. Sand Point Wind Installation Project Final Environmental Assessment ii ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACMA Alaska Coastal Management Act ACMP Alaska Coastal Management Program AEA Alaska Energy Authority AEB Aleutians East Borough AEBCMP Aleutians East Borough Coastal Management Plan agl above ground level ANCSA Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act APIA Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association AWE Aleutian Wind Energy BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs BLM Bureau of Land Management BMP Best Management Practices CCDP Comprehensive Community Development Plan CEC/CDFG California Energy Commission and California Department of Fish and Game CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CFR Code of Federal Regulations CO2 carbon dioxide CZMA Coastal Zone Management Act dB decibel dBA A-weighted decibel scale DEC Department of Environmental Conservation DOD Department of Defense DOE Department of Energy EA Environmental Assessment EERE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESA Endangered Species Act FAA Federal Aviation Administration ft feet ft2 square feet ft/s feet per second GEC Global Energy Concepts GPS global positioning system kW (h) Kilowatt (hour) lbs pounds LED light emitting kiode m meter m2 square meter MET meteorologic station m/s meters per second mph miles per hour Sand Point Wind Installation Project Final Environmental Assessment iii ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS (Continued) MW Megawatt MWh Megawatt hour NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory NRHP National Register of Historic Places NWI National Wetlands Inventory PCE Power Cost Equalization Program RFFA reasonably foreseeable future action RSA rotor sweep area SHPO State Historic Preservation Officer SWPPP Stormwater Pollution Protection Plan TDX Tanadgusix Corporation TSPG TDX Sand Point Generating U.S. United States U.S.C. United States Code USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service W/ft2 watt per square feet Sand Point Wind Installation Project Final Environmental Assessment iv 1.0 INTRODUCTION Based on an action by the U.S Congress, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has funding available to support the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA)’s Alaska Wind Energy Program. AEA is dedicated to support design and construction