Preliminary Scoping Statement North Ridge Wind Farm St. Lawrence County, New York Prepared For: Atlantic Wind LLC 2 Radnor Corp. Ctr., Ste. 200 100 Matsonford Road Radnor, PA 19087 Contact: Jenny L. Briot P. (315)-399-0486 [email protected] Prepared by: Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Environmental Services, D.P.C. 217 Montgomery Street, Suite 1000 Syracuse, New York 13202 P. 315.471.0688 May 2017 PRELIMINARY SCOPING STATEMENT North Ridge Wind Farm St. Lawrence County, New York Prepared For: Atlantic Wind LLC 2 Radnor Corp. Ctr., Ste. 200 100 Matsonford Road Radnor, PA 19087 Contact: Jenny L. Briot Phone: (315)-399-0486 [email protected] Prepared By: Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Environmental Services, D.P.C. 217 Montgomery Street, Suite 1000 Syracuse, New York 13202 Contact: Ben Brazell Phone: (315) 471-0688 May 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 FACILITY DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 FACILITY BENEFITS ................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 SUMMARY OF PRE-APPLICATION ACTIVITIES........................................................................................ 4 1.4 POTENTIAL IMPACTS ................................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 IMPACT AVOIDANCE MEASURES ............................................................................................................. 8 1.6 ORGANIZATION OF THE PSS .................................................................................................................. 10 2.0 CONTENT OF APPLICATION ........................................................................................................................ 11 2.1 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS..................................................................................................................... 11 2.2 OVERVIEW AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY ............................................................................ 12 2.3 LOCATION OF FACILITIES ....................................................................................................................... 16 2.4 LAND USE .................................................................................................................................................. 19 2.5 ELECTRIC SYSTEM EFFECTS ................................................................................................................. 25 2.6 WIND POWER FACILITIES ....................................................................................................................... 35 2.7 NATURAL GAS POWER FACILITIES ........................................................................................................ 39 2.8 ELECTRIC SYSTEM PRODUCTION MODELING ..................................................................................... 39 2.9 ALTERNATIVES ......................................................................................................................................... 42 2.10 CONSISTENCY WITH ENERGY PLANNING OBJECTIVES ..................................................................... 53 2.11 PRELIMINARY DESIGN DRAWINGS ........................................................................................................ 57 2.12 CONSTRUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 60 2.13 REAL PROPERTY ..................................................................................................................................... 63 2.14 COST OF FACILITIES ............................................................................................................................... 64 2.15 PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY ................................................................................................................ 65 2.16 POLLUTION CONTROL FACILITIES ......................................................................................................... 75 2.17 AIR EMISSIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 75 2.18 SAFETY AND SECURITY .......................................................................................................................... 77 North Ridge Wind Farm Preliminary Scoping Statement i 2.19 NOISE AND VIBRATION ........................................................................................................................... 83 2.20 CULTURAL RESOURCES ......................................................................................................................... 91 2.21 GEOLOGY, SEISMOLOGY, AND SOILS ................................................................................................. 101 2.22 TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY AND WETLANDS ......................................................................................... 109 2.23 WATER RESOURCES AND AQUATIC ECOLOGY ................................................................................. 125 2.24 VISUAL IMPACTS .................................................................................................................................... 133 2.25 EFFECT ON TRANSPORTATION ........................................................................................................... 148 2.26 EFFECT ON COMMUNICATIONS ........................................................................................................... 155 2.27 SOCIOECONOMIC EFFECTS ................................................................................................................. 161 2.28 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ................................................................................................................... 166 2.29 SITE RESTORATION AND DECOMMISSIONING .................................................................................. 167 2.30 NUCLEAR FACILITIES ............................................................................................................................ 169 2.31 LOCAL LAWS AND ORDINANCES ......................................................................................................... 169 2.32 STATE LAWS AND REGULATIONS ........................................................................................................ 175 2.33 OTHER APPLICATIONS AND FILINGS .................................................................................................. 178 2.34 ELECTRIC INTERCONNECTION ............................................................................................................ 178 2.35 ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS ...................................................................................................... 181 2.36 GAS INTERCONNECTION ...................................................................................................................... 183 2.37 BACK-UP FUEL ....................................................................................................................................... 184 2.38 WATER INTERCONNECTION ................................................................................................................. 184 2.39 WASTEWATER INTERCONNECTION .................................................................................................... 184 2.40 TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERCONNECTION ................................................................................... 184 2.41 APPLICATIONS TO MODIFY OR BUILD ADJACENT ............................................................................. 185 3.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................ 186 4.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 195 North Ridge Wind Farm Preliminary Scoping Statement ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Sources of Data Used to Prepare Mapping of Specially Designated Areas .................................................. 21 Table 2. Sources of Data Used to Prepare Mapping of Recreational and Sensitive Areas ......................................... 21 Table 3. Turbine Setback Requirements for the Towns of Hopkinton and Parishville ................................................. 37 Table 4. Soil series and their characteristics within the Facility Area. ....................................................................... 107 Table 5. Land Cover Classes Found within the Facility Area .................................................................................... 110 Table 6. Impact Assumptions. .................................................................................................................................. 113 Table 7. NYSDEC-Mapped Wetlands ....................................................................................................................... 120 Table 8. Socioeconomic Data for Host Municipalities ...............................................................................................