DRAFT Environmental Assessment for the Renewable (Wind and Solar) Energy, Power Line, and Communication Tower Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken LPC Conservation LLC Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas December 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arlington Ecological Services Field Office 2005 Northeast Green Oaks Boulevard, Suite 140 Arlington, Texas 76006 Estimated Total Costs Associated with Developing and Producing this EA: $64,683.00 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY, POWER LINE, AND COMMUNICATION TOWER PROPOSED HCP AND ITP FOR LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 PROJECT OVERVIEW AND BACKGROUND ...............................................................1 1.1 Introduction and Background ..................................................................................1 1.1.1 Permit Structure ...........................................................................................3 1.1.2 Plan Area and Permit Area ..........................................................................3 1.2 Regulatory Background ...........................................................................................3 1.2.1 Endangered Species Act ..............................................................................3 1.2.2 National Environmental Policy Act .............................................................4 2 PURPOSE AND NEED .......................................................................................................5 2.1 Purpose of the Environmental Assessment ..............................................................5 2.2 Proposed Action – Issuance of an Incidental Take Permit ......................................5 2.3 Need for Proposed Action ........................................................................................5 2.4 Decision to be Made ................................................................................................6 3 ALTERNATIVES................................................................................................................6 3.1 Alternative 1 (Proposed Action): Issue an Incidental Take Permit for the Applicant’s Habitat Conservation Plan ....................................................................7 3.1.1 Covered Activities .......................................................................................7 3.1.2 Avoidance and Minimization Measures ......................................................8 3.1.3 Mitigation .....................................................................................................8 3.1.4 Enrollment, Monitoring, and Reporting Processes ....................................10 Enrollment ..................................................................................10 Monitoring and Reporting ..........................................................10 3.1.5 Adaptive Management ...............................................................................11 3.2 Alternative 2: Issue an Enhancement of Survival Permit for a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances ............................................................11 3.3 Alternative 3: No-Action Alternative ....................................................................12 4 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT .........................................................................................13 4.1 Biological Environment .........................................................................................14 4.1.1 Vegetation ..................................................................................................14 4.1.2 Wildlife ......................................................................................................18 General Wildlife .........................................................................18 Eagles .........................................................................................19 4.1.3 Listed, Proposed, and Candidate Species ..................................................19 4.2 Physical Environment ............................................................................................22 4.2.1 Land Use ....................................................................................................22 4.2.2 Noise ..........................................................................................................24 4.2.3 Visual Resources ........................................................................................24 4.3 Cultural Resources .................................................................................................25 December 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service i DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY, POWER LINE, AND COMMUNICATION TOWER PROPOSED HCP AND ITP FOR LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN 5 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ........................................................................25 5.1 Biological Environment .........................................................................................26 5.1.1 Vegetation ..................................................................................................26 Alternatives 1 and 2 ....................................................................26 Alternative 3 (No-Action) ..........................................................28 5.1.2 Wildlife ......................................................................................................29 Alternatives 1 and 2 ....................................................................29 Alternative 3 (No-Action) ..........................................................31 5.1.3 Listed, Proposed, and Candidate Species ..................................................32 Alternatives 1 and 2 ....................................................................33 Alternative 3 (No-Action) ..........................................................35 5.2 Physical Environment ............................................................................................36 5.2.1 Land Use ....................................................................................................36 Alternatives 1 and 2 ....................................................................36 Alternative 3 (No-Action) ..........................................................38 5.2.2 Noise ..........................................................................................................38 Alternatives 1 and 2 ....................................................................39 Alternative 3 (No-Action) ..........................................................40 5.2.3 Visual Resources ........................................................................................40 Alternatives 1 and 2 ....................................................................40 Alternative 3 (No-Action) ..........................................................41 5.3 Cultural Resources .................................................................................................41 5.3.1 Alternatives 1 and 2 ...................................................................................41 5.3.2 Alternative 3 (No-Action) ..........................................................................42 5.4 Cumulative Effects .................................................................................................42 5.4.1 Vegetation ..................................................................................................43 5.4.2 Wildlife ......................................................................................................43 General Wildlife .........................................................................43 Eagles .........................................................................................47 5.4.3 Listed, Proposed, and Candidate Species ..................................................48 5.4.4 Land Use ....................................................................................................48 5.4.5 Noise ..........................................................................................................49 5.4.6 Visual Resources ........................................................................................49 5.4.7 Cultural Resources .....................................................................................50 6 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION ...................................................................50 6.1 Agency Coordination .............................................................................................50 6.2 Distribution of the Draft Environmental Assessment ............................................50 December 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ii DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY, POWER LINE, AND COMMUNICATION TOWER PROPOSED HCP AND ITP FOR LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN LIST OF TABLES Table 4-1. Resources Considered and Rationale for Exclusion or Inclusion in Detailed Analysis....................................................................................................................... 15 Table 4-2. Federally listed Species1 with the Potential to Occur within the Plan Area for the Renewable (Wind and Solar) Energy, Power Line, and Communication Tower Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit for the Lesser Prairie Chicken. ...................................................................................................................... 20 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1. Plan Area and estimated occupied range