Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee

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Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• January 2008
• David J. Stout
• Chief, Division of Habitat and Resource
  Conservation
• Committee Chairman and Designated Federal Officer

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Wind Energy A National Perspective
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• 2006 US 3rd highest cumulative wind capacity
  globally (13,078 MW)
• Texas has the most installed wind capacity,
  followed by California, and Iowa
• Wind development in the US is expected to
  increase by 25-30 in 2007

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Wind Energy A National Perspective
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service
Source An Assessment of the Available Windy Land
Area and Wind Energy Potential in the Contiguous
United States, Pacific Northwest Laboratory,
August 1991. PNL-7789
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Wind Energy DOI Perspective
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• 80 of US installed wind capacity is on Federal
  lands
• 46 BLM-managed land has commercial wind energy
  potential
• MMS has authority in the Energy Policy Act of
  2005 to permit offshore wind, wave and other
  alternative energy facilities
• FWS developed voluntary, interim guidelines to
  minimize and avoid the potential impacts of
  land-based wind turbines on wildlife.

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Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee
Background
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• 2003 Service published Interim Guidelines to
  Avoid and Minimize Wildlife Impacts from Wind
  Turbines
• 2005 Service threatened with litigation because
  of efforts to update interim guidelines outside
  of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)
  process

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Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee
Background
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• 2007 Formation of a Wind Turbine Guidelines
  Advisory Committee, and call for nominations
• Service recommended 22 individuals after
  evaluating nominees using criteria published in
  the Federal Register
• Secretary appointed 22 Committee members and
  signed the Charter on October 26, 2007

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Committee Members
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• Dr. Taber Allison, Massachusetts Audubon Society
• Mr. Michael Azeka, AES Wind Generation
• Ms. Kathy Boydston, Texas Parks and Wildlife
  Department
• Mr. Mike Daulton, National Audubon Society
• Ms. Aimee Delach, Defenders of Wildlife
• Mr. Greg Hueckel, Washington Department of Fish
  and Wildlife
• Ms. Jeri Lawrence, Blackfeet Nation
• Mr. Steve Lindenberg, Department of Energy
• Mr. Andrew O. Linehan, PPM Energy
• Mr. Robert Manes, The Nature Conservancy, Kansas
• Dr. James Russell Mason, Nevada Department of
  Wildlife
• Ms. Winifred Perkins, Florida Power and Light
  Company
• Mr. Steven Quarles, Crowell Moring LLP
• Mr. Rich Rayhill, Ridgeline Energy, LLC
• Dr. Robert Robel, Kansas State University
• Mr. Keith Sexson, Kansas Department of Wildlife
  and Parks
• Mr. Mark Sinclair, Clean Energy States
  Alliance/Clean Energy Group
• Mr. David J. Stout, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
  Service
• Mr. Patrick D. Traylor, Hogan Hartson, LLP

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Committee Structure
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• David J. Stout Chairman and Designated Federal
  Officer
• Abby Arnold Facilitator
• Technical Subcommittee
• Interagency Caucus

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Committee Scope and Objective
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• The Committee will provide advice and
  recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior
  on developing effective measures to avoid or
  minimize impacts to wildlife and their habitats
  related to land-based wind energy facilities

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U.S. Fish Wildlife Service
Issues Raised

• Facilitator Abby Arnold conducted interviews in
  spring and fall of 2007
• Susan Goodwin, DOI, conducted interviews with
  other Federal agencies
• Issues raised fell into several categories
• Process
• Policy
• Technical

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U.S. Fish Wildlife Service
Process Issues

• What would the Service consider success?

• Federal standard vs. voluntary guidance
• Service commitment to use of Committee
  recommendations?
• Start with current draft voluntary guidelines?

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Policy Issues
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• Federal role in reviewing wind permits
• Coordination with State policy consistency with
  State guidelines
• Wind development on Tribal lands
• Leadership opportunities to develop
  recommendations that address Federal framework
  (beyond FWS)
• Wind in context with other current issues
• Models for framework HCPs, Oil Gas recovery
  plans, Avian Protection Plans
• What kind of framework will incentivize industry
  to minimize impacts?
• Precedent for green technologies

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Technical Issues
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• Research questions
• Risk-based determinations/Context of risk
• What is the state of the science what are the
  best methods to assess impact minimize impact?
• Study sites representative of different regional
  characteristics for a more comprehensive analysis
  of impacts
• Focus on populations, not individuals
• Scoring or ranking sites used in interim
  guidelines unfeasible due to lack of hard science
• Methodology for pre- and post-assessment

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U.S. Fish Wildlife Service
Other Issues Raised by Federal Agencies

• Interest in regular interagency communication
• Will FWS guidelines be applied to public lands?
• Need consistency with other federal guidelines
  and in application
• Opportunity to identify and fill research gaps
  and distribute information
• What will be the intersection of NEPA, ESA, and
  MBTA?

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Service Responsibilities
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• Committee reports to the Secretary through the
  Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Committee Chairman and Designated Federal Officer
  responsibilities
• FWS Technical Advisory Team

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Service Program Participation
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• Outreach to Regional and Field Staff
• Regular e-mail updates and conference calls
• FWS Technical Advisory Group
• Attendance at Committee meetings (limited)
• Other suggestions?

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Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee DOI
Participation
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• How can DOI bureaus
• Keep informed?
• http//www.fws.gov/habitatconservation/windpower/
  windturbine_advisory_committee.html
• Provide comment?
• There will be opportunity to comment at all
  Committee meetings
• Be involved?
• Participate in the Federal caucus

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Draft Road Map
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service
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FWS Contacts
U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

• Dave Stout Committee Chairman and DFO
• Chief, Division of Habitat and Resource
  Conservation
• 703-358-2161
• Dave_Stout_at_fws.gov
• George Allen
• Chief, Branch of Policies, Permits Regulations
• 703-358-1825
• George_T_Allen_at_fws.gov
• Rachel London
• Fish and Wildlife Biologist
• 703-358-2161
• Rachel_London_at_fws.gov