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CHAPTERTWO f~gencll Prefeirred fllfematnre • Higher density woodlands and functional nest sites would be avoided to the maximum extent possible when laying out facilities. The BLM would delineate habitats within the mine panel, and no surface disturbance would be allowed in these azeas until specifically approved by the BLM. Unavoidable adverse impacts would be addressed through specialized reclamation techniques designed to accelerate restoration of woodlands. • A survey for raptor nests would be conducted during the first full nesting season prior to commencement of activities in each mine panel. • Areas of no surface occupancy and timing limitations would be established azound each active nest. • Nests surveys would be conducted on portions of the pipeline route not covered by previous surveys. • All electrical lines would be constructed according to standards found in the Raptor Reseazch Foundation's Suggested Practices for Raptor Protection on Power Lines: The State of the Art in 1996 (Avian Power Line Interaction Committee 1996). 2.3.6 Site Protection Plans As described in the Draft EIS (Section 2.2.6, page 2-23), American Soda would continually review regulatory requirements throughout the life of the Yankee Gulch Project. Since the Draft EIS, American Soda has revised the well plugging and abandonment procedures and prepazed a Preliminary Response Plan that compiles the site protection plans presented in the Drafr EIS (Section 2.2.6) and_addresses other regulatory requirements related to spill response and hazardous materials management. 2.3.6.1 Well Plugging and Abandonment Procedures Based on recommendations from the BLM and the EPA, American Soda modified the plugging method to provide a solid cement core in the solution mining wells to prevent potential migration paths from developing in abandoned wells. In the procedures presented in the Draft EIS (Section 2.2.7.1, page 2-25), two cement plugs would have been used to plug and abandon retired solution mining wells, one 25- to 50-foot cement plug immediately above the cast iron bridge plug (CIBP), and one 50-foot plug neaz the surface. Both plugs were to be installed in the intermediate casing after tubing strings had been removed. The modified plan includes a single cement plug in the intermediate casing extending from the CIBP to the surface. This plug would be about 1,500 feet long for wells that have a surface elevation of approximately 6,200 feet. The description of well plugging and abandonment presented in the Draft EIS has been modified as follows. Individual solution mining wells would be plugged and abandoned upon retirement. Plugging and abandonment would take place once it has been determined that there would be no potential further use of a well, either for mining, testing, monitoring, or other purpose. Final specifications for plugging and abandonment would be developed in consultation with the BLM, CDMG, and EPA. The following is a description of the anticipated plugging and abandonment procedure to be used for the commercial solution mining wells. 2-13