CLC Comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Buckeye Wind LLC's application for an Incidental Take Permit
The CLC submitted comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Buckeye Wind LLC's application for an Incidental Take Permit for the federally endangered Indiana Bat. Buckeye Wind proposes to build a 100-turbine wind facility in Champaign County, OH, in an area that overlaps with the migration path of Indiana bats and their habitat. CLC commented on both Buckeye Wind's proposed Habitat Conservation Plan and the FWS's Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The CLC's comments identified significant deficiencies in these documents and recommended improvements for the final drafts, focusing mostly on the mitigation and cumulative impacts assessments. Specifically, the applicant's and the agency's analyses of siting and operational alternatives are insufficient by the standards imposed under ESA and NEPA regulations.