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I • 4.18 PROTECTION OF FISH, WILDLIFE, AND RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL <br />VALUES <br />As described in Section 2.04.11, no threatened or endangered species have been identified in <br />the permit azea. Also, no critical habitat for any species is known to exist. Golden Eagle <br />nesting complexes, which are located within the permit azea but outside the area to be mined, <br />are described in Section 2.04.11. <br />Electric power lines and other transmission facilities in the permit area will be constructed in <br />accordance with the guidelines set forth in the environmental criteria for Electric <br />Transmission System by the United States Department of Interior (USDn and the United <br />States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1970. Distribution power lines are to be <br />constmcted by guidelines set forth in the Rural Electrification Administration (i. e., Rural <br />Utilities Service) 1979 Bulletin 61-10 and will suffice for Rural Utilities Service's current <br />construction guidelines for raptor-safe power line structures. Colowyo's design criteria has <br />been developed in association with the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee's {APLIC) <br />Suggested Practices for Raptor Protection on Power Lines: "The State of the Art in 1996" <br />(APLIC 1996). Please refer to the schedule titled "Raptor Protection Retrofitting of Existing <br />Power Poles" on the following pages: 4.18-3 and 4.18-4. For structure configurations and <br />retrofitting locations, please refer to: pages 4.18-5 through 4.18-9, and Maps 22A and 22B. <br />The following schedule will be used to update existing power poles with adequate raptor <br />protection in accordance to the guidelines. <br />• As part of Colowyo's Avian Protection Plan effort, EDM examined the distribution stmctures <br />in July 2002 to identify pole configurattons that present a risk to perching raptors and other <br />lazge birds. EDM also conducted a reconnaissance of the 69kV power lines to record the <br />overall stmcture configurations and determine if any of these configurations present an <br />electrocution risk to area raptors. Additional transmission and distribution power lines <br />located in and adjacent to the Colowyo Coal Mine are owned and operated by White River <br />Rural Electric Association, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, and Western Area Power <br />Administration. The operation of these lines fall under the jurisdiction of each of these <br />respective utilities and agencies. <br />Distribution lines (less than 69 kilovolts {kV}) are of lower voltages than transmission lines <br />and, therefore, have reduced hardware and equipment cleazances. Depending on the pole <br />configuration, perching on distribution line poles (particularly by juvenile birds) increases the <br />potential of a bird connecting phase-to-phase or phase-to-ground, which typically results in <br />bird mortalities and often leads to increased power outages. Although most of the 69kV <br />structures examined during the July 2002 field survey were of sufficient clearance for eagles <br />and other raptors, thereby minimizing any electrocution risk, a few 69kV structure <br />configurations were identified that could represent an increased hazazd. Two such <br />configurations recorded included Gang Operated Air Brake Switches (GOABS) where the <br />center phase switch was located less than 60 inches from the pole-top ground wire. The <br />second 69kV configuration of concern included structures where the center phase jumper was <br />placed on a crossarm insulator in close proximity to the pole-top ground wire. <br />• Colowyo is responsible for several miles of additional distribution lines on the mine that were <br />not surveyed as part of the July 2002 study. However, these lines are currently de-energized, <br />and the stmctures are scheduled for long-term removal as the mining operation expands and <br />4.18-1 Revision Date: 2/11/05 <br />Revision No.: MR-70 <br />