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Audubon Saves Habitat Through Careful Energy Development Planning

Information on wildlife-conscious energy development.

Audubon supports properly sited renewable energy, including the transmission lines that carry power to population centers. As the country ramps up its renewable energy portfolio, properly sited tranmission lines to carry (properly sited) renewable energy, often generated in remote locations, to population centers is just as key. How much renewable energy do we need? Climate change and our dependence on fossil fuels is driving the need for this transition to renewables with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas pollution by 80-90% from 1990 levels by 2050 according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Working with industry and local, regional and federal decision-makers, Audubon provides important information on how best to avoid bird and wildlife impacts from renewable installations. Working with developers before the bulldozers move in can avoid lengthy battles and provide better outcomes for birds, wildlife and critical habitat. Our work to promote properly sited transmission corridors helps to ensure that Important Bird Areas and other habitats critical for the survival of bird populations and migratory species are avoided.

For an excellent overview on transmission and renewnewable energy, we recomment National Public Radio's Special Series on America's Power Grid
Power Hungry: Reinventing the U.S. Electric Grid
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Western Transmission Lines
Working with industry and local, regional and federal decision-makers, Audubon provides important information on how best to avoid bird and wildlife impacts from generation and new transmission line development. Working with developers before the bulldozers move in can avoid lengthy battles and provide better outcomes for birds, wildlife and critical habitat. A large number of high voltage transmission lines have been proposed to bring energy to growing population centers, especially to those in the southwest and California. These lines are in addition to an existing web of high voltage transmission lines.

To build America's clean energy economy we must update our transmission grid for the 21st century so that we can efficiently move power from the new energy frontier to the places it is consumed. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar

About High Voltage Transmission Lines

High-voltage transmission lines, such as those featured here, typically require a 250-300 foot right-of-way width within a 2-mile-wide transmission corridor along the entire length of the project. These transmission lines are either direct current or alternating current. They are a range of voltages, generally 345 to 600 kilovolts. Depending on voltages, these lines can carry as much as 3,000 megawatts (1 MW = 1 million watts), which can power as many as 1.8 million homes.

The towers used to support the overhead transmission lines are usually 100-190 feet in height and span 900 to 1,500 feet apart (4-5 structures per mile), depending on structure type, terrain, span and line crossings. In addition, there are substation converters and construction and maintenance access roads approximately 30 feet wide.

source: TransWest Express

NEPA, or the National Environmental Policy Act, was one of the first laws ever written that establishes a broad national framework for protecting our environment. NEPA’s basic policy is to assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that could significantly affect the environment. For transmission lines that involve federal land, which is all of the high voltage lines featured here, companies need to obtain a right-of-way grant from a federal agency (most often the BLM) and they have to go through the NEPA process. Given the size and scope of these proposed transmission projects, Environmental Impact Statements need to be prepared for these proposed transmission projects. This allows the public to review these projects at various stages (scoping, draft EIS, final EIS) and submit comments or concerns.