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Title: Endangered Species Act and energy facility planning: compliance and conflict

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6713017· OSTI ID:6713017

New energy facilities such as coal mines, gasification plants, refineries, and power plants--because of their severe environmental impacts--may, if sited haphazardly, jeopardize endangered species. By law, conflicts between energy-facility siting and endangered species occurrence must be minimized. To assess the likelihood of such conflicts arising, the authors used data from the Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Office, that describe the species' ranges by county. This data set was matched with county-level occurrences of imminent energy developments to find counties of overlap and hence potential conflict. An index was developed to measure the likelihood of actual conflict occurring in such counties. Factors determining the index are: numbers of endangered species inhabiting the county, number of energy-related developments, and to what degree the county remains in a wild or undeveloped state. Maps were prepared showing (1) geographic ranges of endangered species by taxonomic groups (mammals, fish, etc.) and (2) counties of conflict.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-02-0016
OSTI ID:
6713017
Report Number(s):
BNL-50841
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English