The CLC recently submitted comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Beech Ridge Energy’s Draft Habitat Conservation Plan and the Service’s associated Draft Environmental Impact Statement. BRE’s 66-turbine wind facility in West Virginia currently operates under a court-ordered restricted schedule. BRE has applied for an Incidental Take Permit for two federally listed species — the Indiana bat and the Virginia big-eared bat. If granted an ITP, a new operations plan will be implemented and an additional 33 turbines may be added to the facility. CLC’s comments focused on the inadequacies of BRE’s proposed operational plan to avoid and minimize take of these bat species to the maximum extent practicable. The comments also highlighted important deficiencies under NEPA standards in the Service’s analysis of the proposed action.
