Habitat Conservation Plan for Indiana Bat

Buckeye Wind Power Project

Buckeye Wind LLC is planning to develop a wind energy facility spread over about 80,370 acres in Champaign County, Ohio.  Development would include installation of up to 100 wind turbines and associated facilities. Within the 80,370-acre project area, about 500 acres would be disturbed by construction.  Following restoration, the permanent operating footprint will be approximately 100 acres.

 

Construction of the wind energy facility is expected to harm the endangered Indiana bat therefore, Buckeye Wind LLC developed a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and applied for an Incidental Take Permit. Issuance of an Incidental Take Permit by the Service requires review under the National Environmental Policy Act which is accomplished through development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by the Service. 

 

Final Habitat Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Buckeye Wind Power Project

A 30-day comment period is open from April 19 through May 20, 2013 and the public may comment on the permit application, the HCP, the Implementing Agreement, the Final EIS, and the Draft Programmatic Agreement.

 

Federal Register Notice of Availability (April 19, 2013): final environmental impact statement, habitat conservation plan, implementing agreement and draft programmatic agreement PDF

 

Final Buckeye Wind Power Project Habitat Conservation Plan - March 2013 (409-pages; 7.9MB PDF )

 

Implementing Agreement for the Buckeye Wind Power Project Habitat Conservation Plan (19-page PDF )

 

Programmatic Agreement among the USFWS, SHPO and Buckeye (11-page PDF )

 

Final Environmental Impact Statement: Volume I
Download Volume I: 436-pages; 14MB PDF .

 

For downloading convenience, individual chapters of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Volume I are also provided.

 

Cover, Table of Contents and Acronyms and Executive Summary (23 pages )

Chapter 1: Purpose Of and Need for Action (21 pages )

Chapter 2: EIS Scoping, Identification of Alternatives, and Public Consultation (12 pages )

Chapter 3: Proposed Action and Alternatives (25 pages )

Chapter 4: Affected Environment (112 pages )

Chapter 5: Environmental Consequences (200 pages )

Chapter 6: Comparison of Alternatives (24 pages )

Chapter 7: References (27 pages )

Chapter 8: List of Preparers (6 pages )

 

Final Environmental Impact Statement: Volume II (Appendices)

Download Volume II (Appendices): 1,506 pages; 49MB PDF .

 

For downloading convenience, individual Appendices of the EIS are also provided.

Appendix A: Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) Documents (203 pages)

Appendix B: Habitat Conservation Plan (402 pages )

Appendix C: Avian and Bat Protection Plan (ABPP) - (102 pages )

Appendix D: EIS Scoping Comments (11 pages )

Appendix E: Vegetation and Wildlife Data for the Action Area (12 page )

Appendix F: Radar Survey Data at Proposed Wind Projects Throughout the East Between 1998 and 2007 (4 pages )

Appendix G: Seasonal Bird and Bat Survey Reports for the Buckeye Wind Project - Stantect Reports (158 pages )

Appendix H: Visual Impact Assessment for the Buckeye Wind Project (152 pages )

Appendix I: Buckeye Facility Socioeconomic Report for the Buckey Wind Project (110 pages )

Appendix J: Noise Analysis for the Buckeye Wind Project (49 pages )

Appendix K: Public Comments on Draft EIS and HCP and Response (272 pages; 5.6MB )

Appendix L: Draft Programmatic Agreement (12 pages )

 

Buckeye Background Information

Map of Buckeye Wind Project Action Area (PDF)

 

EverPower Buckeye Wind Project website

 

Public Utilities Commission of Ohio - Case Record for Buckeye Wind Project

 

Public Utilities Commission of Ohio - Case Record for Buckeye II Wind Farm

 

June 29, 2012 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for Public Review and Comment

On June 29, 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published in the Federal Register a Notice of Availalbility of a Draft EIS and HCP for the Buckeye Wind Power Project in Ohio. The Notice of Abailability opened a 90-day public comment period. Go here for the documents that were available for public review and comment.

 

May 26, 2010 - Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmantal Impact Statement (EIS)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register on May 26, 2010, to announce our intent to prepare a draft EIS and to open a 30-day comment period. The EIS will evaluate how several alternatives for construction and operation of EverPower's Buckeye Wind Facility may impact Indiana bats, an endangered species. The EIS will be used to compare and evaluate alternative means of operating the facility. That information will provide the basis for issuing an Endangered Species Act - Incidental Take Permit to EverPower for the incidental take of Indiana bats due to operation of the wind turbines.

 

Incidental Take Permits are issued only with concurrent implementation of an HCP that also evaluates alternatives and identifies measures to minimize and mitigate the incidental take of Indiana bats. The HCP includes both minimization and mitigation measures for long-term conservation of Indiana bats to offset the take of Indiana bats that may result from construction and operation of the wind facility. With this NOI we asked the public for data, comments, new information, or suggestions including information about Indiana bat biology, wind power and bat interactions, and other activities in the vicinity of the project that may affect bats.

 

May 26, 2010 Federal Register Notice of Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Habitat Conservation Plan; Request for Comments

 

News Release (June 2, 2010): U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Develop Environmental Impact Statement On Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan Process for Ohio Wind Project

 

January 29, 2010 - Notice of Intent: 30-day Scoping Period for NEPA Decision

The Service published a Notice of Intent and opened a public comment period under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to determine whether an EIS or Environmental Assessment would be the appropriate level of review for this project.  The Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register on January 29, 2010 (75 FR 4840) and opened a 30-day public comment period.  In response to the comments received, the Service determined that an EIS is the appropriate level of review under NEPA. 

 

News Release (Jan. 29, 2010): U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Begins Environmental Review of Proposed Ohio Wind Energy Facility and Habitat Conservation Plan

 

Federal Register Notice of Intent: 30-Day Scoping Period for a National Environmental Policy Act Decision on a Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit (Jan. 29, 2010)

 

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Last updated: April 22, 2013