Pryor Mountain Wind Energy Project

Project Description

PacifiCorp (Applicant) is the developer and operator of the existing Pryor Mountain Wind Energy Project (Project) located in Carbon County, Montana. The Project consists of 104 wind turbine generators. The Project has been operational since April 2021 and has an expected life of at least 30 years. The Applicant submitted an Incidental Eagle Take Permit (IETP) application and Eagle Conservation Plan (ECP) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) requesting the maximum 30-year permit under the 2016 Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (Eagle Act).

Potential Eagle Impacts

Monitoring conducted since 2021 has documented 12 golden eagle fatalities. Take, including killing of eagles, is prohibited by the 2016 Eagle Act regulations. However, the Service has been delegated the authority to issue IETPs, where the take is determined to be compatible with the preservation of eagles. The Service will issue permits for such take only after an applicant has committed to undertake all practical measures to avoid and minimize such take and mitigate anticipated take to the maximum extent achievable. The has been working with the Service to reduce impacts on eagles through avoidance and minimization measures.

The Applicant has developed and provided an ECP that summarizes project design, construction and operational measures taken to avoid and minimize impacts to eagles, and results of pre- and post-construction monitoring efforts.

The Service has completed a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the potential issuance of the permit under the 2016 Eagle Act regulations. The draft EA assesses the potential effects of issuing an IETP and a no action alternative (i.e., do not issue a permit) on the human and natural environment. The Service’s Collision Risk Model (CRM) predicts that up to 1.54 bald eagles and 2.61 golden eagles could be killed incidentally on an annual basis as a result of the operation of the Project. To estimate bald and golden eagle fatalities for this Project, we used the pre-construction eagle-use survey data to update the exposure priors in the CRM.

Project Review

The Service has an independent statutory responsibility under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to evaluate its own actions related to the Project, namely the possible issuance of an IETP. A draft EA evaluating the impact of issuing (and not issuing) an IETP for the existing Project is being made available for a 30-day comment period. All comments received by the Service as related to this draft EA will be evaluated and no decision regarding issuing the permit will be made until after the NEPA process is completed.

News and Updates

The Service is making available for public comment a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) that analyzes the risk of bald and golden eagle incidental take associated with operation of the existing and operating Project. The Applicant is requesting a 30-year IETP for the take of bald and golden eagles, pursuant to the 2016 Eagle Act regulations. As part of their application, the Applicant prepared an ECP included for public reference only.

Public comments will be accepted for the draft EA for 30 days (from May 23, 2024, through June 22, 2024). You can submit comments electronically by emailing tomas_kamienski@fws.gov. Please include “Pryor Mountain Wind Energy Project” in the subject line. Comments can also be submitted via U.S. postal mail:

Denver Federal Center
USFWS Division of Migratory Birds, MSC 60154
Attn: Rob Doster
P.O. Box 25486
Denver, Colorado 80225

Documents

Relevant documents, linked below, include the draft Environmental Assessment, the Eagle Conservation Plan, and the Intra-service Section-7 Biological Evaluation Form.