DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE Copenhagen Wind Farm Town of Denmark, Lewis County and Towns of Rutland, Champion and Watertown, Jefferson County, New York Lead Agency: Town of Denmark Planning Board 3707 Roberts Road Carthage, New York 13619 Project Sponsor: Copenhagen Wind Farm, LLC c/o OwnEnergy 45 Main Street, Suite 538 Brooklyn, New York 11201 Contact: James Damon Phone: (646) 898-3690 Prepared By: edr Companies 217 Montgomery Street, Suite 1000 Syracuse, New York 13202 Contact: Brian Schwabenbauer Phone: (315) 471-0688 Date Submitted to Lead Agency: May 7, 2013 Date Accepted by Lead Agency: June 4, 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS COMMONLY USED ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS....................................................................................... viii FIRMS INVOLVED IN PREPARATION OF THE DEIS ................................................................................................. x 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION .......................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1.1 Project Sponsor .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 Project Components.............................................................................................................................. 9 2.1.3 Project Lease Easements ................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Project Purpose, Need, and Benefit............................................................................................................... 10 2.2.1 Project Purpose .................................................................................................................................. 10 2.2.2 New York State Policy......................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.3 Federal Policy ..................................................................................................................................... 14 2.2.4 Project Benefits ................................................................................................................................... 15 2.3 Project Cost and Funding .............................................................................................................................. 17 2.4 General Project Location ............................................................................................................................... 18 2.5 Project Layout and Components ................................................................................................................... 19 2.5.1 Project Siting Criteria .......................................................................................................................... 19 2.5.2 Wind Turbines ..................................................................................................................................... 21 2.5.3 Electrical System ................................................................................................................................ 22 2.5.4 Access Roads ..................................................................................................................................... 24 2.5.5 Wind Measurement Tower .................................................................................................................. 24 2.5.6 Staging Area ....................................................................................................................................... 24 2.5.7 Operations and Maintenance Facility .................................................................................................. 25 2.6 Project Construction ...................................................................................................................................... 25 2.6.1 Pre-construction Activities ................................................................................................................... 26 2.6.2 Staging Area Construction .................................................................................................................. 27 2.6.3 Site Preparation for Construction ........................................................................................................ 27 2.6.4 Public Road Improvements ................................................................................................................. 27 2.6.5 Access Road Construction .................................................................................................................. 28 2.6.6 Foundation Construction ..................................................................................................................... 29 2.6.7 Electrical Collector System Installation ............................................................................................... 30 2.6.8 Wind Turbine Assembly, Erection and Commissioning ....................................................................... 31 2.6.9 Point of Interconnection Station and Transmission Line ..................................................................... 32 2.6.10 Operations and Maintenance Facility Construction ............................................................................. 33 2.6.11 Project Construction Summary ........................................................................................................... 33 2.7 Operations and Maintenance ......................................................................................................................... 34 2.8 Decommissioning and Closure Plans ............................................................................................................ 37 2.9 Required Approvals and Applicable Regulatory Programs ............................................................................ 39 2.9.1 Public and Agency Outreach ............................................................................................................... 40 2.9.2 SEQRA Process ................................................................................................................................. 42 3.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS, POTENTIAL IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION MEASURES ...................................... 46 3.1 GEOLOGY, SOILS, AND TOPOGRAPHY .................................................................................................... 47 3.1.1 Existing Conditions.............................................................................................................................. 47 3.1.2 Potential Impacts ................................................................................................................................ 51 3.1.3 Proposed Mitigation ............................................................................................................................ 54 3.2 WATER RESOURCES .................................................................................................................................. 56 3.2.1 Existing Conditions.............................................................................................................................. 56 3.2.2 Potential Impacts ................................................................................................................................ 63 Draft Environmental Impact Statement ii Copenhagen Wind Farm 3.2.3 Proposed Mitigation ............................................................................................................................ 70 3.3 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ......................................................................................................................... 74 3.3.1 Existing Conditions.............................................................................................................................. 74 3.3.2 Potential Impacts ................................................................................................................................ 94 3.3.3 Proposed Mitigation .......................................................................................................................... 112 3.4 CLIMATE AND AIR QUALITY ..................................................................................................................... 116 3.4.1 Existing Conditions............................................................................................................................ 116 3.4.2 Potential Impacts .............................................................................................................................. 118 3.4.3 Proposed Mitigation .......................................................................................................................... 119 3.5 VISUAL AND AESTHETIC RESOURCES ................................................................................................... 120 3.5.1 Existing Conditions............................................................................................................................ 120 3.5.2 Potential