PdV Wind Energy: Kern County, California

SERVICES USED ON THIS PROJECT INCLUDE:
	Environmental Compliance		Resource Management		Planning

Sapphos Environmental, Inc. provided a feasibility analysis that determined the current infrastructure and needed infrastructure for the project. The analysis included the regulatory framework and the identification of areas of physical constraints in the project area during the initial planning phase of the project. This information provided input to the development of the Initial Study pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The Biological Resources Technical Report addressed eight primary areas of concern, which included (1) mature oak trees destruction; (2) National Inventory Wetlands avoidance and minimization; (3) Streambed Alteration Agreement; (4) conservation plan for federally listed or state-listed rare, threatened, or endangered species; (5) two state-listed species (Swainson’s hawk and American peregrine falcon); (6) nineteen sensitive species of resident wildlife; (7) eleven sensitive species of migratory bats and birds; and (8) three state-designated sensitive habitats.

The Cultural Resources Technical Report addressed five primary areas of concern, which included (1) an analysis of 86 percent of the approximately 6,440-acre proposed project study area that had a moderate to high potential to yield unique paleontological resources, (2) unique archaeological resources, (3) significant historic resources, (4) Native American sacred sites, and (5) cemeteries.

The project extensively used geographic information system (GIS) software to perform the biological and cultural resources impact analysis. The project required close coordination with the Kern County Planning Department, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Game, California Native Plant Society, Audubon Society, Southern San Joaquin Valley Information Center, Native American Cultural Heritage Center, and Bureau of Land Management.