TY - RPRT
TI - Joint NEPA/SEPA Final Environmental Impact Statement Washington Windplant No. 1
AU - Klickitat County Planning Department
AB - KENETECH Windpower, Inc., proposes to construct and operate the 115-megawatt (MW) Washington Windplant No. 1 (proposed Project) in the Columbia Hills area, southeast of Goldendale, in Klickitat County, Washington. The Project would be constructed on private land under easement to KENETECH Windpower, Inc. (the Applicant).The proposed Project will require a Conditional Use Permit from Klickitat County, Washington, - and a Transmission Services Agreement between the Bonneville Power Administration (BP A) and the utilities that will purchase the Project's output from the Applicant. An Environmental - Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Project is required under both National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A) and State Environmental Policy Act (SEP A) guidelines.In February 1995, a joint NEPA/SEPA draft EIS for the proposed Project was issued by Klickitat County and the Bonneville Power Administration, which are the lead agencies under SEP A and NEP A, respectively, for the EIS. A public hearing on the draft EIS was held in Goldendale on April 5, 1995. Oral and written comment was accepted. The close of comment period for the draft EIS was April 17, 1995.This document and the Draft Joint NEPA/SEP A Environmental Impact Statement, Washington Windplant #1 together constitute the Final Joint NEPA/SEPA EIS for the Washington Windplant #1. The Final EIS is issued under Section 102 (2)(C) of NEPA at U.S.C. 4321 et seq and under SEPA as provided by RCW 43.21C.030 (2)(c). The final EIS is being issued on May 30, 1995, under SEPA, and will be issued under NEPA upon the notice date in the Federal Register.In addition to the Fact Sheet, this document includes the following major discussions:Revised Summary. The Revised Summary replaces the Summary in the draft EIS and incorporates revisions to the Proposed Action, the addition of the Preferred Alternative, and other changes made in response to comments on the draft EIS.Revisions to the Proposed Action. The Applicant is proposing two revisions to its proposal. These revisions are related to the design of the turbine tower and the location of the Project substation.Preferred Alternative. The draft EIS evaluated the Proposed Action and four alternatives (Alternative Powerline Route, Restricted Areas Alternative, Subarea Development Alternative, and No Action) but did not identify a Preferred Alternative. Based on the analysis of alternatives in the draft piS and on comments received regarding impacts and mitigation measures, Klickitat County and the Bonneville Power Administration have identified a Preferred Alternative in the final EIS. The Preferred Alternative incorporates certain aspects of the Alternative Powerline Route, Restricted Areas Alternative, and Subarea Development Alternative. The Preferred Alternative also incorporates certain mitigation measures identified in the draft EIS and from a review of comments on the draft EIS.Corrections and Modificntions to the draft EIS. These corrections and modifications are based on input received through comments on the draft EIS and also incorporate language changes that reflect revisions to the Proposed Action.Comments and Responses to Comments. This section includes written comments on the draft EIS and a transcript of the Public Hearing on the draft EIS. Responses to comments are also included.Key environmental issues identified in this EIS include: erosion and sedimentation during · Project construction; disturbance of certain high-quality native plant communities and priority habitats; impacts to western gray squirrel and potential disturbance during nesting; incidental collision of birds, including special-status bird species, with wind turbines; construction disturbance to certain nesting raptors; disturbance of archaeological sites potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historical Places; impacts to the potentially-eligible traditional cultural property of Juniper Point; aesthetic impacts; potential exceedances of nighttime noise standards at some residential locations; potential schedule conflicts with repairs planned for Hoctor Road in the summer of 1995; and the potential for obstruction of certain line-of-sight microwave transmission signals across certain turbine strings. The EIS concludes that these impacts can largely be avoided, minimized, and/ or otherwise mitigated. However, some impact to high-quality Douglas' Buckwheat/Sandberg's bluegrass plant communities, disturbance of the potentially-eligible archaeological sites along turbine strings J and EE, some incidental avian mortality, changes to aesthetics, and impacts to the potentially-eligible traditional cultural property of Juniper Point would be unavoidable.Beneficial impacts from the Proposed Action would include off-setting fossil-fuel power generation with a renewable generation resource that does not emit greenhouse gases or other air pollutants during operation. In addition, the Proposed Action would provide an additional source of income to landowners in the Columbia Hills and would provide construction and operations jobs in the local community.The Final EIS will be used prior to the decision making process to determine if the Proposed Action or any of the alternatives should be given the permits and approvals required for construction and operation of the proposed Project. 
DA - 1995/05//
PY - 1995
SP - 510
PB - Klickitat County Planning Department
SN - DOE/EIS-0205
UR - https://www.energy.gov/nepa/downloads/eis-0205-final-environmental-impact-statement
LA - English
KW - Wind Energy
KW - Land-Based Wind
KW - Human Dimensions
KW - Environmental Impact Assessment
ER -