Alternative Energy Draft EA - NASA Visitor Center at Wallops Flight ...

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 3.2.5 Fish................................................................................................ 75 3.3 Social and Economic Environment............................................................75 3.3.1 Population ..................................................................................... 75 3.3.2 Employment and Income .............................................................. 76 3.3.3 Environmental Justice................................................................... 78 3.3.4 Aviation Safety Requirements ...................................................... 79 3.3.5 Cultural Resources........................................................................ 79 3.3.6 Transportation............................................................................... 85 3.3.7 Aesthetics...................................................................................... 85 SECTION FOUR: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES......................................................................... 91 4.1 Introduction................................................................................................91 4.2 Physical Environment ................................................................................91 4.2.1 Land Resources............................................................................. 91 4.2.2 Water Resources ........................................................................... 95 4.2.3 Air Quality and Climate Change................................................. 101 4.2.4 Radar........................................................................................... 105 4.2.5 Noise ........................................................................................... 106 4.2.6 Hazardous Materials and Hazardous Waste ............................... 107 4.3 Biological Environment...........................................................................109 4.3.1 Vegetation................................................................................... 109 4.3.2 Terrestrial Wildlife...................................................................... 110 4.3.3 Avifauna – Birds......................................................................... 111 4.3.4 Avifauna – Bats........................................................................... 118 4.3.5 Threatened and Endangered Species .......................................... 122 4.3.6 Essential Fish Habitat ................................................................. 127 4.4 Social and Economic Environment..........................................................127 4.4.1 Population, Employment, and Income........................................ 127 4.4.2 Environmental Justice................................................................. 129 4.4.3 Cultural Resources...................................................................... 130 4.4.4 Transportation............................................................................. 135 4.4.5 Aesthetics.................................................................................... 136 4.5 Cumulative Effects...................................................................................141 4.5.1 Wallops Research Park ............................................................... 141 4.5.2 North Unmanned Aerial System Airstrip ................................... 141 4.5.3 Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection Program.... 141 4.5.4 Expansion of the Wallops Flight Facility Launch Range ........... 142 4.5.5 WFF Launch Range Activities.................................................... 142 4.5.6 Potential Cumulative Effects by Resource ................................. 142 4.6 Permits, Licenses, and Approvals............................................................148 SECTION FIVE: MITIGATION AND MONITORING.................................................................................. 149 5.1 Mitigation.................................................................................................149 5.1.1 Wetlands ..................................................................................... 149 5.1.2 Birds and Bats............................................................................. 149 5.2 Monitoring ...............................................................................................149 xii
TABLE OF CONTENTS 5.2.1 Post-Construction Utility-Scale Wind Turbine Avian Fatality Monitoring .................................................................................. 150 5.2.2 Facility Threatened and Endangered Species Monitoring.......... 152 5.3 Adaptive Management.............................................................................152 SECTION SIX: LIST OF PREPARERS..................................................................................................... 155 SECTION SEVEN: AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND PERSONS CONSULTED.............................. 157 7.1 Introduction..............................................................................................157 7.2 Scoping Process .......................................................................................157 7.3 Draft EA...................................................................................................157 SECTION EIGHT: REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 161 APPENDIX A WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY ALTERNATIVE ENERGY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT WIND ENERGY AVIAN STUDY REPORT APPENDIX B SUMMER – FALL 2008 PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING BAT SURVEY REPORT APPENDIX C FEDERAL CONSISTENCY DETERMINATION APPENDIX D BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT APPENDIX E ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT CHECKLIST APPENDIX F AESTHETICS STUDY PHOTO LOG APPENDIX G SCOPING AND COORDINATION LETTERS Photographs Photograph 1: Viewshed from a vantage point west of WFF located approximately 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) southwest of the bridge that links Wallops Mainland to Wallops Island looking northeast toward the bridge.................................................... 86 Photograph 2: Viewshed from a vantage point at the Main Base looking north toward the cafeteria building.......................................................................................................... 87 Photograph 3: Aerial overview of the Main Base looking east. .................................................. 87 Photograph 4: Viewshed from launch pad 2 on South Wallops Island looking north................. 88 Photograph 5: Jersey Atlantic Wind, LLC/Atlantic County Utilities Authority Wind Farm ........................................................................................................................... 114 Photograph 6: Viewshed from a vantage point located approximately 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) southwest of the bridge that links Wallops Mainland to Wallops Island looking northeast toward the bridge........................................................................... 139 xiii
Page 1 and 2: DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WALL
Page 3 and 4: DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ALTE
Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTION Executive Summary This
Page 7 and 8: Executive Summary increase the over
Page 9 and 10: Executive Summary Resource Proposed
Page 15: TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Page 19 and 20: TABLE OF CONTENTS Figure 4: Potenti
Page 21 and 22: ACHP Advisory Council on Historic P
Page 23 and 24: NPS National Park Service NRHP Nati
Page 25 and 26: Mission, Purpose and Need, Backgrou
Page 28 and 29: Mission, Purpose and Need, Backgrou
Page 30 and 31: 1.4.2 Need Proposed Action and Alte
Page 32 and 33: Proposed Action and Alternatives Fi
Page 34: Proposed Action and Alternatives 2.
Page 37 and 38: Residential-Scale Turbines Proposed
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Page 42: Proposed Action and Alternatives mo
Page 45 and 46: 2.3 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVE
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Page 51 and 52: Decommissioning Proposed Action and
Page 53 and 54: turbines because these costs would
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Page 60: Affected Environment The Virginia S
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3.1.4 Climate Change Table 8: Calen
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Wind Affected Environment For Wallo
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Affected Environment The Accomack C
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Affected Environment On the souther
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Affected Environment phoeniceus), B
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Affected Environment The Saxis Wil
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Affected Environment For the once-p
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Affected Environment less common, w
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Affected Environment were also obse
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Affected Environment Over the entir
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3.2.4.1 Birds Henslow’s Sparrow A
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Affected Environment Monitoring was
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Loggerhead Shrike Affected Environm
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Affected Environment known or recor
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Table 17: Occupational Distribution
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Affected Environment Chincoteague I
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3.3.6 Transportation Affected Envir
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Affected Environment Photograph 2:
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Proposed Action Environmental Conse
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Environmental Consequences The inst
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Alternative Two Environmental Conse
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Environmental Consequences The func
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Environmental Consequences Based on
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Environmental Consequences Table 22
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Environmental Consequences Based on
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Alternative One Environmental Conse
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Environmental Consequences conceiva
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Environmental Consequences wetland
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Environmental Consequences of magni
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Environmental Consequences is the a
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Environmental Consequences (TREC).
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Environmental Consequences why bats
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Environmental Consequences determin
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Environmental Consequences While a
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Gull-Billed Tern Environmental Cons
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Environmental Consequences In addit
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Environmental Consequences staff. T
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Proposed Action Aboveground Resourc
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Alternative One Aboveground Resourc
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4.4.4 Transportation No Action Alte
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Environmental Consequences site tha
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Environmental Consequences 2) Placi
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Environmental Consequences projects
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Environmental Consequences Although
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4.6 PERMITS, LICENSES, AND APPROVAL
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Mitigation and Monitoring 5.2.1 Pos
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Mitigation and Monitoring would be
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Agencies, Organizations, and Person
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NASA WFF Technical Library Building
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Name Organization Other Organizatio
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References Cohen, J.B., S. Karpanty
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References Kunz, T.H., E.B. Arnett,
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References Richardson, D.L. 1992. H
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References USFWS. 2009c. Northeaste
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