California Flats Solar Project Eagle Permits NEPA Documents

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California Flats Solar Project Eagle Permits NEPA Documents

California Flats Solar Project is a 282.5-megawatt alternating current photovoltaic solar power facility on approximately 3,000 acres in unincorporated southeastern Monterey County, California, with road access to the Project through the northeastern corner of San Luis Obispo County. The project is owned by California Flats Solar, LLC, an affiliate of Capital Dynamics, Inc. The project was constructed from 2016 to 2019, and as of March 2019 is fully operational.

As project construction and development has progressed, California Flats Solar LLC requested, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued, multiple incidental eagle take permits, pursuant to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. During construction of the project, California Flats Solar LLC applied for, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued, two single-season disturbance permits, one in 2017 and one in 2018, for disturbance to eagle pairs nesting in the vicinity of construction activities. California Flats Solar LLC also applied for, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued, a long-term 30-year permit for the reoccurring loss of breeding productivity at two golden eagle territories due to disturbance from operational and maintenance activities at the facility and loss of habitat from land development by the project. This long-term permit is effective February 3, 2020 to February 3, 2050.  California Flats Solar LLC submitted another application on July 10, 2020 for an incidental eagle take permit for take by disturbance of breeding golden eagles during the 2021 eagle breeding season from construction of a battery energy storage system modification to the existing project.  As none of their prior permits analyzed or covered effects to eagles from this modification of the project, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a single-season permit for disturbance to eagle pairs nesting in the vicinity of project modification activities.

For each of the permit applications California Flats Solar LLC submitted, we prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA), pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, to assess impacts of the proposed action (i.e. issuance of an eagle take permit to the applicant), as well as alternatives to the proposed action. In all cases, the proposed action of issuing a permit required implementation of measures to avoid and minimize adverse effects to eagles to the maximum extent practicable and compensatory mitigation to fully offset eagle take. Details of the minimizations measures and compensatory mitigation for each instance of take permitted can be found in the EA documents. The analyses detailed in the EAs for each of California Flats Solar LLC’s permit applications resulted in a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in each case. The FONSI and final EA documents for all permits are provided below.

Program
A large bird with brown feathers, white head, and yellow beak flies against a pale blue sky
The Migratory Bird Program works with partners to protect, restore and conserve bird populations and their habitats for the benefit of future generations by: ensuring long-term ecological sustainability of all migratory bird populations, increasing socioeconomic benefits derived from birds,...
Bald eagle and golden eagle
Forty years ago, our national symbol, the bald eagle, was in danger of extinction throughout most of its range. Habitat destruction and degradation, illegal shooting, and the contamination of its food source, largely as a consequence of DDT, decimated the eagle population. Habitat protection...
Species
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