Site of the Heritage Sustainable Energy's (HSE) Garden Peninsula Wind Energy Project , a controversial wind turbine farm located directly on the migratory bird flyway between Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula and Michigan’s Garden Peninsula on Northern Lake Michigan
use + sign to zoom in on individual wind turbines, or the — sign to view the whole flyway with the Door Peninsula included
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a notice concerning their Draft Environmental Impact Statement addressing current and future wind energy development taking place in the Midwestern United States in Friday’s Federal Register (April 15, 2016).
The Draft EIS addresses the problem of adverse effects of wind turbines on birds and bats that are threatened or endangered species or that have special federal protections, like bald eagles, Indiana Bat, Norther Long-eared Bats, Piping Plovers, Kirtlands Warblers and others.
The Draft EIS and Habitat Plans will address USFWS plans that will play out over the next several decades on wind energy adverse effects.
The Draft EIS deals with Incidental Take Permits under the Endangered Species Act and Habitat Conservation Plans to address the adverse effects of wind energy development in the Midwest on such bird and bat species.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please submit your comments on or before July 14, 2016. The Service will host two online webinars during the public comment period. The webinar dates have not been determined at this time. Information on how to participate in the webinars will be provided on the Internet at www.midwestwindenergyhcpeis.org
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), announce the availability of the Midwest Wind Energy Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP). Planning partners include the State conservation agencies from the States of Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), who is representing a consortium of wind energy companies called WEBAT (Wind Energy Bat Action Team), and The Conservation Fund. The Plan Area encompasses all lands within the States of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The covered species include six federally listed bat and bird species, one bat species that may be listed in the future, and the bald eagle. The activities covered under the MSHCP (``covered activities'') include the construction, operation, maintenance, decommissioning and repowering of wind energy facilities, as well as monitoring activities. Up to 18,004 megawatts (MW) of existing facilities and 33,000 MW of new wind development are proposed to be covered under the MSHCP. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, the Service is also announcing the availability of the MSHCP draft environmental impact statement (DEIS).
The draft MSHCP contains a discussion of the following: (1) Introduction; (2) Covered Activities; (3) Affected Environment and Biological Resources; (4) Take Assessment and Impact of Take; (5) Conservation Plan; (6) Alternatives to Take; (7) Monitoring, Adaptive Management, and Reporting; (8) Funding Assurances, Unforeseen and Changed Circumstances and Amendments; and (9) Plan Implementation.
The entire Federal Register Notice can be viewed here:
Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Draft Midwest Wind Energy Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan Availability, 22299-22302 PDF:
www.gpo.gov/...
HTM:
www.gpo.gov/...
Saturday, Apr 16, 2016 · 8:03:15 PM +00:00 · LakeSuperior
Wind farm development has also been controversial in Michigan’s Huron County, at the tip of Michigan’s “Thumb,” where a majority of all wind development in Michigan has taken place and where county officials and township officials are at odds over expanded developments.
In Huron County, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service advised against locating wind farms within 3 miles of the Lake Huron shoreline because of flyway considerations:
www.michigansthumb.com/…
Saturday, Apr 16, 2016 · 9:43:53 PM +00:00
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LakeSuperior
The Federal Register notice says the plan area includes Ohio, but the resource protection agency of Ohio is not listed as a planning partner. I wonder if that is an oversight in the notice or if Ohio is not listed as a planning partner for John Kasich-related reasons?