Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultation Final Programmatic Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion on the United States Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act Title V Regulatory Program U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services Program Division of Environmental Review Falls Church, Virginia October 16, 2020 Table of Contents 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................3 2 Consultation History .........................................................................................................4 3 Background .......................................................................................................................5 4 Description of the Action ...................................................................................................7 The Mining Process .............................................................................................................. 8 4.1.1 Exploration ........................................................................................................................ 8 4.1.2 Erosion and Sedimentation Controls .................................................................................. 9 4.1.3 Clearing and Grubbing ....................................................................................................... 9 4.1.4 Excavation of Overburden and Coal ................................................................................. 10 4.1.5 Underground Mining ....................................................................................................... 10 4.1.6 Surface Mining ................................................................................................................. 11 4.1.7 Mining Through Streams .................................................................................................. 12 4.1.8 Backfilling, Grading, Excess Spoil, and Coal Mine Waste .................................................. 12 4.1.9 Steep-Slope Approximate Original Contour Variances ..................................................... 13 4.1.10 Soils and Revegetation ..................................................................................................... 14 4.1.11 Coal Haulage .................................................................................................................... 15 4.1.12 Coal Processing ................................................................................................................ 15 4.1.13 Coal Combustion Residue Placement ............................................................................... 15 4.1.14 Bond Release ................................................................................................................... 16 Permitting ........................................................................................................................... 16 4.2.1 Permit Requirements ....................................................................................................... 16 4.2.2 Permit Application Process and Service Coordination...................................................... 19 4.2.3 Permit Enforcement under State Regulatory Programs ................................................... 23 4.2.4 Monitoring During Mining and Reclamation .................................................................... 25 Action Area ......................................................................................................................... 25 5 Approach to the Assessment ........................................................................................... 26 Jeopardy Determination ............................................................................................................. 27 Adverse Modification Determination ......................................................................................... 28 6 Status of the Species and Critical Habitat ...................................................................... 28 7 Environmental Baseline .................................................................................................. 51 Climate Change .................................................................................................................. 51 Habitat Destruction and Modification ............................................................................... 53 Invasive Species .................................................................................................................. 55 Pollution .............................................................................................................................. 55 Harvest ................................................................................................................................ 56 Mining ................................................................................................................................. 56 8 Effects of the Action ........................................................................................................ 60 Programmatic Approach .................................................................................................... 60 i Key Assumptions for the Effects Analysis.......................................................................... 60 Evaluation of the Programmatic Consultation Criteria .................................................... 62 8.3.1 Understanding the Scope ................................................................................................. 62 8.3.2 Stressors .......................................................................................................................... 63 8.3.3 Minimizing Adverse Effects .............................................................................................. 67 8.3.4 Identifying and Screening Applicants ............................................................................... 69 8.3.5 Monitoring Effects ........................................................................................................... 70 8.3.6 Monitoring and Enforcing Compliance ............................................................................. 72 8.3.7 Modify the Action ............................................................................................................ 74 Other Considerations.......................................................................................................... 75 8.4.1 Monitoring Requirements ................................................................................................ 75 8.4.2 Vegetative Buffers ........................................................................................................... 76 8.4.3 Fill Placement in Streams ................................................................................................. 76 8.4.4 Groundwater Quality ....................................................................................................... 77 8.4.5 Revegetation .................................................................................................................... 77 8.4.6 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 78 Exposure and Response Analyses ....................................................................................... 78 Cumulative Effects .............................................................................................................. 79 9 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 79 10 Incidental Take Statement .............................................................................................. 82 Amount or Extent of Take Anticipated .............................................................................. 82 Reasonable and Prudent Measures .................................................................................... 83 Terms and Conditions ........................................................................................................ 83 11 Reinitiation Notice ........................................................................................................... 85 12 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................... 86 ii SMCRA Biological Opinion - 10/16/2020 1 INTRODUCTION The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended, requires Federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to ensure their actions are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of an endangered or threatened species or destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitat. The ESA also requires Federal agencies to confer with the Service on any agency action that is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of proposed species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of proposed critical habitat. Congress enacted the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to establish a nationwide program to protect society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface coal mining and reclamation operations1. SMCRA was also designed to: assure that surface coal mining operations are not conducted where reclamation as required is not