Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Addressing the Issuance of Incidental Take Permits for Four Wind Energy Projects in Hawai‘i July 2019 Prepared by U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122 Honolulu, HI 96850 Estimated Lead Agency Total Costs Associated with Developing and Producing this Programmatic EIS $700,000 i COVER SHEET Title of Proposed Action: Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Addressing the Issuance of Incidental Take Permits for Four Wind Energy Projects in Hawaiʻi Subject: Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Lead Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service County/State: Honolulu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Counties/State of Hawaiʻi Abstract: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has received four requests for Incidental Take Permits from wind energy companies in accordance with section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. §1531 et seq.). The Applicants include: Auwahi Wind, LLC (Auwahi Wind); Kawailoa Wind, LLC (Kawailoa Wind), Kaheawa Wind Power II, LLC (KWP II); and Tawhiri Power, LLC (Pakini Nui Wind), collectively referred to as “Applicants.” The Applicants operate existing, land-based wind energy facilities on the Hawaiian Islands of Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi. The Applicants have determined that operation and maintenance of their respective wind energy facility has the potential to result in the incidental take of one or more of the following federally listed species: the Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus); Hawaiian goose (Branta sandvicensis); and the Hawaiian petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) (collectively referred to as Covered Species). This Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement has been prepared by the Service pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)(42 USC 4321 et seq.) to evaluate the effects of the Service’s proposed action to issue ITPs for each Project operation and maintenance activities. The Service will make four separate permit decisions. However, due to project similarities, the Service is combining the NEPA analyses in this programmatic document. Key issues include (1) the impact on the listed species that would likely result from such taking; (2) the steps an applicant would carry out to minimize and mitigate those impacts and the funding that will be available to implement such steps; (3) alternative actions to the requested taking that an applicant considered and the reasons why such alternatives are not being utilized; and (4) other measures the Service may require as being necessary or appropriate for the purposes of carrying out the habitat conservation plans. For Information, Contact: Michelle D. Bogardus Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 3-122 Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96850 ph: (808) 792-9473 [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................... x UNITS OF MEASURE ................................................................................................................ xi GLOSSARY................................................................................................................................. xii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................... ES-1 CHAPTER 1 – PURPOSE AND NEED OF THE PROPOSED ACTION ................................ 1 1.1 NEED .................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 GOALS AND NEEDS OF THE APPLICANTS........................................................................................... 3 1.3 APPLICABLE STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS .................................................... 3 1.4 SUMMARY OF THE SCOPING PERIOD ............................................................................................................. 3 1.5 MAJOR ISSUES IDENTIFIED DURING SCOPING ......................................................................................... 4 1.6 RESOURCE AREAS TO BE ANALYZED ............................................................................................................. 5 1.7 ISSUES OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THIS ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 6 1.8 DECISIONS TO BE MADE.......................................................................................................................................... 7 1.9 ADDITIONAL PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT ............................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER 2 – ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION ...................... 8 2.1 ALTERNATIVE 1 – NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE .......................................................................................... 8 2.1.1 ALTERNATIVE 1A – AUWAHI WIND ........................................................................................................ 9 2.1.2 ALTERNATIVE 1B – KAWAILOA WIND .............................................................................................. 11 2.1.3 ALTERNATIVE 1C – KAHEAWA WIND POWER II .......................................................................... 13 2.1.4 ALTERNATIVE 1D – PAKINI NUI WIND ................................................................................................ 15 2.2 ALTERNATIVE 2 – PROPOSED ACTION ......................................................................................................... 16 2.2.1 ALTERNATIVE 2A – AUWAHI WIND ...................................................................................................... 16 2.2.2 ALTERNATIVE 2B – KAWAILOA WIND ............................................................................................... 22 2.2.3 ALTERNATIVE 2C – KAHEAWA WIND POWER II .......................................................................... 27 2.2.4 ALTERNATIVE 2D – PAKINI NUI WIND FARM ................................................................................. 29 2.3 ALTERNATIVE 3 – INCREASED CURTAILMENT (ACTION ALTERNATIVE) ............................. 33 2.3.1 ALTERNATIVE 3A – AUWAHI WIND ...................................................................................................... 34 2.3.2 ALTERNATIVE 3B – KAWAILOA WIND POWER ............................................................................. 39 2.3.3 ALTERNATIVE 3C – KAHEAWA WIND POWER II .......................................................................... 43 2.3.4 ALTERNATIVE 3D – PAKINI NUI WIND ................................................................................................ 44 2.4 COMMON ELEMENTS OF ALTERNATIVES 2 AND 3 ............................................................................... 47 2.4.1 CHANGED AND UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES ........................................................................ 47 2.4.2 ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT......................................................................................................................... 49 2.4.3 TAKE TIERING .................................................................................................................................................. 49 i FPEIS Addressing Issuance of ITPs for v.07/12/19 Four Wind Energy Projects in Hawaiʻi 2.5 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES .................................................................................................................. 50 2.6 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATED FROM DETAILED STUDY ........................ 51 2.6.1 REDUCED PERMIT TERM ........................................................................................................................... 52 2.6.2 DELAYED PERMIT ISSUANCE .................................................................................................................. 52 2.6.3 ADDITIONAL COVERED SPECIES .......................................................................................................... 52 2.6.4 ALTERNATIVE LOW WIND SPEED CURTAILMENT REGIMES .............................................. 54 2.6.5 VARIATION OF THE NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE ......................................................................... 54 2.6.6 VARIATION OF THE INCREASED CURTAILMENT OPTION .................................................... 54 CHAPTER 3 - AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................ 55 3.1 DATA SOURCES ........................................................................................................................................................... 55 3.2 SCOPE AND SCALE OF ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................... 56 3.3 GEOLOGY AND SOILS ............................................................................................................................................. 57 3.3.1 GEOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................................. 57 3.3.2 SOILS ......................................................................................................................................................................