Draft Environmental Assessment for the Cliffrose Solar Interconnection Project DOE/EA-1989 PREPARED BY DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WESTERN AREA POWER ADMINISTRATION DESERT SOUTHWEST REGION May 2015 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT for the CLIFFROSE SOLAR INTERCONNECTION PROJECT DOE/EA-1989 Prepared by Department of Energy Western Area Power Administration Desert Southwest Region May 2015 This page intentionally left blank. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary .........................................................................................................................1 Project Location ................................................................................................................1 Project Participants ...........................................................................................................1 Purpose and Need .............................................................................................................1 Proposed Action and Alternatives ....................................................................................1 Summary of Environmental Consequences ......................................................................2 Chapter 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1-1 1.2. Purpose and Need ............................................................................................... 1-1 1.2.1. Western’s Purpose and Need ............................................................... 1-1 1.2.2. Longview’s Underlying Purpose and Need ......................................... 1-3 1.3. Public Scoping and Tribal Consultation ............................................................. 1-3 1.3.1. Public Scoping ..................................................................................... 1-3 1.3.2. Tribal Consultation .............................................................................. 1-3 1.4. Decisions Needed ............................................................................................... 1-4 1.4.1. Western’s Decision .............................................................................. 1-4 1.4.2. Other Decisions Needed ...................................................................... 1-4 Chapter 2. Proposed Action and Alternatives ....................................................................... 2-1 2.1. Western’s Proposed Action ................................................................................ 2-1 2.1.1. Overview ............................................................................................. 2-1 2.1.2. Proposed Facilities .............................................................................. 2-3 2.1.3. Construction ........................................................................................ 2-4 2.1.4. Operation and Maintenance ................................................................. 2-6 2.1.5. Decommissioning ................................................................................ 2-6 2.1.6. Western’s Resource Protection Measures ........................................... 2-6 2.2. Longview’s Proposed Action ............................................................................. 2-7 2.2.1. Overview ............................................................................................. 2-7 2.2.2. Proposed Facilities .............................................................................. 2-7 2.2.3. Construction ...................................................................................... 2-12 2.2.4. Operation and Maintenance ............................................................... 2-14 2.2.5. Decommissioning .............................................................................. 2-15 Cliffrose Solar Interconnection Project DOE/EA-1989 Draft Environmental Assessment i May 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2.2.6. Longview’s Resource Protection Measures ...................................... 2-16 2.3. No Action Alternative ...................................................................................... 2-16 2.4. Alternatives Considered but Eliminated ........................................................... 2-16 2.4.1. Interconnection Alternatives ............................................................. 2-16 2.5. Solar Facility Siting .......................................................................................... 2-17 Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences .................................. 3-1 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 3-1 3.2. Resources Not Evaluated .................................................................................... 3-2 3.3. Cumulative Impact Methodology ....................................................................... 3-2 3.3.1. Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions ................ 3-3 3.4. Air Quality/Climate Change ............................................................................... 3-4 3.4.1. Affected Environment ......................................................................... 3-4 3.4.2. Environmental Impacts ........................................................................ 3-6 3.5. Cultural and Paleontological Resources ............................................................. 3-7 3.5.1. Affected Environment ......................................................................... 3-8 3.5.2. Environmental Impacts ........................................................................ 3-9 3.6. Intentional Destructive Acts ............................................................................. 3-10 3.6.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-10 3.6.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-10 3.7. Land Use ........................................................................................................... 3-11 3.7.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-11 3.7.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-14 3.8. Public Health and Safety .................................................................................. 3-16 3.8.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-16 3.8.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-18 3.9. Socioeconomics ................................................................................................ 3-20 3.9.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-20 3.9.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-21 3.10. Soils ........................................................................................................... 3-22 3.10.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-22 3.10.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-23 Cliffrose Solar Interconnection Project DOE/EA-1989 Draft Environmental Assessment ii May 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3.11. Travel Management/Transportation ................................................................. 3-24 3.11.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-24 3.11.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-24 3.12. Vegetation ........................................................................................................ 3-25 3.12.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-26 3.12.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-26 3.13. Visual Resources .............................................................................................. 3-27 3.13.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-28 3.13.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-31 3.14. Water Resources ............................................................................................... 3-34 3.14.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-35 3.14.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-36 3.15. Wildlife ........................................................................................................... 3-37 3.15.1. Affected Environment ....................................................................... 3-38 3.15.2. Environmental Impacts ...................................................................... 3-40 Chapter 4. List of Preparers ................................................................................................... 4-1 Chapter 5. References ............................................................................................................ 5-1 Appendix A Scoping Meeting Materials ................................................................................