USFWS Wind Tower Siting Guidelines

1
USFWS Wind Tower Siting Guidelines
Perspectives
Mike Green Landbird Program Coordinator Migrator
y Birds, USFWS, Pacific Region
Portland, OR
2
USFWS Guidelines Perspectiveshttp//www.fws.gov
/habitatconservation/wind.pdf
Laws History Contents What now FWS Perspective
s
Kronner
3
Laws

• MBTA Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1917)
• Protects all 830 native species of birds
• No incidental take
• BGEPA Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
• Extra protection of eagles
• ESA Endangered Species Act
• Take negotiable through act beforehand

4
History of the FWS Guidelines

• 2001 Presidents Energy bill
• May 2002 DOIs Renewable Energy on Public Lands
  Initiative FWS asked to develop siting
  guidelines
  
• July 2002 FWS working group wrote draft in 4
  days
  
• 2002/2003 finalized, reviewed internally
• 2003 July 2005 FWS distributes for comment
• Next Steps
• 25 letters received FWS revising, final form
  uncertain.
  
• More regional workshops likely.

5
Guidelines Basics

• An endorsement of wind energy, but
• Wind turbines kill birds and bats
• Developments can fragment habitat
• Bird deaths violate Federal laws
• Cumulative mortality is a concern
• Guidelines are voluntary interim
• Recommendations for development, design,
  operation
  
• plus 8 appendices
• Site ranking protocol
• Recommendations for pre-and post-construction
  surveys
  
• Recommended research
• More

6
Recommendations for Site Development

• Avoid
• E T species
• migration pathways or concentration areas, e.g.
  wetlands, leks, etc.
  
• flyways between roosting and feeding areas
• areas with frequent fog, low visibility weather
• bat hibernacula, breeding or maternity colonies,
  migratory corridors
  
• landscapes that attract raptors
• prairie grouse leks
• Array turbines clumped or parallel to bird
  movements
  
• Dont fragment habitat
• Be sensitive to area- structure-sensitive
  species (prairie grouse)
  
• Build in degraded rather than healthy or native
  habitat
  
• Minimize roads/infrastructure
• Habitat restoration plan
• Reduce carrion remove carcasses

7
and for Design and Operation

• Tubular towers no guy wires for met. towers
• Lighting recommendations
• Adjust tower height
• Underground powerlines
• Monitor for 3 yrs. minimum
• Upgrade, retrofit, and relocate older turbines

8
Appendix 1 Evaluating Sites

• The Potential Impact Index (PII) rank sites the
  Montana way
  
• Form an evaluation team
• Select reference sites (highest impact) in WRAs
• Evaluate potential development sites score land
  features and wildlife resources
  
• Sum, normalize, and rank against reference sites

9
PII score sheets

• Physical Attributes

Species Occurrence and Status
Ecological Attractiveness
10
Sum, Normalize, Rank, and Compare to Reference
Sites
Ranks are guide to developers High rank doesnt p
reclude development Low rank doesnt preclude pre
-construction surveys
11
followed by Pre-construction Surveys
Focus on species or regions identified in PII
analysis

• Verify/investigate
• Species occurrence and status
• Influence of physical features
• Other site-specific questions, e.g. weather

USFWS
12
and Post-construction Surveys

• Relate to pre-construction survey,
  Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study design
  
• Testing new designs to minimize collisions is
  encouraged

13
7 more Appendices

• Definitions
• Applicable wildlife laws
• Research needs
• Consultation and spp. Evaluation under ESA
• Siting on FWS easements in Region 6
• Impacts of Wind Turbines on Wildlife
• References

14
Major Concerns

• Where birds aggregate -- hotspots
• Raptor migration/concentration areas
• Grouse leks
• Coastal Gulf, East, and West
• Off-shore?

15
Sooty Shearwater
16
Additional Papers

• GAO Report
• WIND POWER Impacts on Wildlife and Government
  Responsibilities for Regulating Development and
  Protecting Wildlife -- September 2005
  
• http//www.gao.gov/new.items/d05906.pdf

National Academy of Sciences Due December 2006
Environmental impacts of wind-energy projects --
focusing on Mid-Atlantic Highlands
Develop a framework for evaluating effects
Identify major areas of research and development
17
Additional Publications

• Methods and Metrics for Determining or Monitoring
  Potential Impacts on Birds NWCC 1999
  
• Methods and Metrics document for night-flying
  migrants is being produced NWCC

18
Bottom Line -- avoid potential conflicts

• Engage USFWS and State agencies early
• For ET information
• For migratory bird information
• For other potential wildlife impacts

19
Sources of Bird Mortality per year Estimates

• Buildings -- millions
• Cats -- millions
• Cars hundreds of thousands to millions
• Collisions with wires lots and lots
• Seabird by-catch tens of thousands?
• Electrocutions -- lots
• Communication Towers hundreds of thousands
• Wind ca. 2 birds/turbine (30,000/yr)
• Altamont Pass 100 GOEA, 200 BUOW, 100s of
  other raptors

20
Comments thus farhttp//www.nationalwind.org/upda
te/040318-wildlife.pdf

• Siting Guidelines Developed solely by Feds
• Do FWS Field Offices know that they are
  voluntary?
  
• Site comparison protocol impractical
• What is a reference site?
• Time required for assessment
• Site ranking means sharing site information
• Number of comparison sites not specified
• Team of agency/academic biologists FOIA-able
  info.
  
• Project size not weighted in risk
• Time to gather information could be too long
• Eco-regional planning ecosystem context of
  site
  
• 3 year pre-construction survey impractical
• Pre-construction survey techniques over-the-top

21
More Comments

• Comments made on nearly every aspect of
  recommendations
  
• Endangered species
• Bats
• Raptors
• Prairie grouse
• Turbine configuration
• Guy wires
• Lighting
• Tower height
• Etc.