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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06052007 - C.100 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: DENNIS M. BARRY, AICP Costa COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR County .rrq:cuuri DATE: JUNE 5, 2007 SUBJECT: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BUENA VISTA WIND FARM TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (TAC) AS REQUIRED BY THE MITIGATION MONITORING PROGRAM AND CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL FOR COUNTY FILE #LP022005 (BUENA VISTA WIND FARM REPOWERING PROJECT). (DISTRICT 111) SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION I. RECOMMENDATION A. APPROVE the proposed process for formation and membership selection of the Buena Vista Wind Farm Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) as described in the attached report, and ADOPT the same; B. DIRECT the Community Development .Department to implement the Board's direction. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE .,---RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR ,RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE ✓APPROVE OTHER .r SIGNATURE (S): ACTIONOF BOA DON APPROVED AS.RECOMMENDED )!;�_OTHER_ VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND UNANIMOUS(ABSENT CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND A ES:. NOES: Y ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF ABSENT: ABSTAIN: SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN Contact: Ruben Hernandez(925)335-1339 ATTESTED�o� JOHN CULLEN�OF THE BOARD OF BOARD OF Orig: Community Development Department SUPERVIS ND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY DEPUTY June 5, 2007 Board of Supervisors Establishment of Technical Advisory Committee for Buena Vista Wind Farm Page 2 II. FISCAL IMPACT None. The developer of the Buena Vista Wind Farm project is responsible for all costs related to implementation of the Technical Advisory Committee. III. BACKGROUND / REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS The East County Regional Planning Commission approved the land use permit application and certified an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the repowering of the Buena Vista Wind Farm on April 18, 2005 (County File #LP022005). The repowering project involved the removal of 179 older wind turbines, replacing them with 38, larger and more efficient turbines. The turbines are located on 2,400 acres of agricultural land in the Byron area. One of the significant environmental impacts identified in the EIR was the potential for avian mortality due to collisions with the new turbines. To address this issue, a number of mitigation measures were identified in the EIR, including requiring the preparation and implementation of an avian monitoring program and establishment of a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The function of the TAC would be to review the monitoring program and recommend additional mitigation based on the results of the monitoring. The County has chosen Western Eco Systems Technology to prepare the monitoring program. An initial draft of the monitoring program has been prepared, and one of the first tasks of the TAC will be to review the proposed monitoring program. A. Avian Monitoring and Wind Farms in California Currently there are four major wind resource areas in the State of California, Altamont Pass in Alameda and Contra Costa County, San Gorgonio in Riverside and San Bernardino County, Tehachapi in Kern and Los Angeles County and Montezuma Hills in Solano County. Throughout the State, the issue of avian mortality and monitoring has become an important issue when dealing with repowering or the development of wind farms. The California Energy Commission in conjunction with the Department of Fish and Game has recently released a draft of Statewide Guidelines for Reducing Impacts to Birds and Bats from Wind Energy Developments. The document offers methods to assess bird and bat activity at wind energy sites, guidance for design of monitoring plans, . and information to help develop and implement impact avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures. The State guidelines were prepared with input from numerous experts in the field of avian behavior and mortality. Western Eco Systems June 5, 2007 Board of Supervisors Establishment of Technical Advisory Committee for Buena Vista Wind Farm Page 3 Technology, Inc., the consulting firm who is preparing the Buena Vista Monitoring Program for the County, has contributed to establishment of the State Guidelines. B. Technical Advisor Committee for Buena Vista Wind Farm The adopted mitigation monitoring program and approved conditions of approval for the Buena Vista Wind Farm require that an avian and bat monitoring program be prepared and implemented, and that a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) be established to review and evaluate the results of the program. The TAC would recommend, as necessary, additional adaptive management strategies or measures depending on the results of the monitoring program. The monitoring program will provide monitoring and data collection methods to be utilized at Buena Vista which will be used to determine avian behavior patterns and mortality rates attributed to the repowered wind farm. The monitoring data will be used to determine if the repowering of the Buena Vista Wind Farm has resulted in a decreased number of avian fatalities as suggested in the EIR. The TAC would then . utilize the findings of the monitoring program and advise the Community Development Department regarding additional monitoring or remedial action to reduce avian mortalities. The mitigation monitoring language for Buena Vista requires the monitoring program and the TAC to be implemented for a minimum of three years following the initial operation of the turbines. Membership on the Buena Vista TAC requires expert knowledge in the field of. avian behavior with specific knowledge relating to wind farms. Staff has consulted with numerous governmental agencies, including the California Energy Commission, the California Department of Fish and Game and the East Bay Regional Park District as well as with other jurisdictions with active wind farms. The information provided by these agencies was used in determining the. best approach for the establishment of the technical advisory committee for the Buena Vista Wind Farm. The Department recommends that the committee be made up of four members. • One staff representative from the California Department of Fish and Game as selected by the California Department of Fish and Game with wind farm experience related to avian mortality. • One staff representative from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) as selected by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services with wind farm experience related to avian mortality. June 5, 2007 Board of Supervisors Establishment of Technical Advisory Committee for Buena Vista Wind Farm Page 4 • One staff representative from the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) selected by the East Bay Regional Park District with wind farm experience related to avian mortality. • One member of the Community Development Department as selected by the Director. The committee will be supported by a statistician with expertise in the field of avian monitoring. Utilizing a combination of Federal and State agencies with responsibilities for resource management, along with a representative from the East Bay Regional Park District and staff from the Community Development Department, with support from a statistician specializing in avian mortality, will ensure a comprehensive Technical Advisory Committee for the Buena Vista Wind Farm. G:\Current Planning\curr-plan\Board\Board Orders\Buena Vista TAC BO (final).doc