Bats and Changing Tools & Rules Proper wind project planning

摘要

Compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) can affect wind power projects from early planning through operation and de-commissioning. Failure to accurately forecast ESA compliance requirements can present financial and schedule challenges throughout a project's lifetime. Guidelines for assessing risk and conservation approaches for federally listed bats at wind projects have been extremely dynamic in recent years, leading to uncertainty during project planning. Factors that influence selection of the "right approach" to addressing regulatory requirements have shifted - along with a changing understanding of risk of impacts and cumulative threats to populations, regulatory perspectives, and impact assessment technologies. Agency guidance provides alternative solutions to address this changing landscape. Approaches currently being used to address risk of impacts to bats at wind facilities include: Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy documents; Habitat Conservation Plans with incidental take permits (under ESA section 10); and incidental take statements (under ESA section 7).