Vantage to Pomona FEIS Index 34 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Vantage to Pomona Heights Executive Summary 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS October 2016 PAGE ES-vii Cultural Resources and Native American Concerns Total ground disturbance and, therefore, potential for disturbance of cultural sites would be least for the Agency Preferred Alternative (204 acres) and most for Alternative F (349.9 acres). The Agency Preferred Alternative corresponds to the highest total number of previously identified cultural resources including: traditional cultural properties; archaeological sites; isolated finds; architectural resources; and ineligible (or assumed ineligible), recommended, unevaluated or determined eligible National Register Sites within 75 feet of the proposed Project centerline. Comprehensive surveys along all Project Action Alternatives have not been completed and, therefore, the total number of cultural resources could change if future surveys are conducted. However, the majority of the NNR Alternative has been previously surveyed for cultural resources and portions of some route segments have been surveyed recently by the Yakama Nation Cultural Resource Program for this Project. It has been assumed that visually sensitive cultural resources include those with burials, rock features (cairns, alignments), talus pits, rock art (pictographs and petroglyphs), and rockshelters. The numbers of visually sensitive cultural resources are similar for the Agency Preferred Alternative and other NNR Alternative options (24). Alternatives B and C have the highest number of resources that may be potentially visually sensitive (32) closely followed by Alternatives E and G (31). Alternatives F and H have the least number or resources (6) that may be potentially visually sensitive. Wildland Fire The Agency Preferred Alternative and NNR Alternative – Underground Design Option have the lowest number of miles with moderate impacts (5.3 miles each) and the lowest number of miles identified as no identifiable impacts (2.0 each). Alternative H has the highest number of miles with moderate impacts (21.8 miles), which is attributed to locations with higher firefighting complexity due to the presence of multiple transmission lines. Alternative A has the highest number of miles with low impacts (39.5) and Alternative G has the lowest number of miles with low impacts (26.2). Alternative G has the highest number of miles identified as no identifiable impacts (21.9). High impact levels are not anticipated for any of the Action Alternatives. Climate and Air Quality Implementation of any of the Action Alternatives would have similar emissions and impacts on air quality. The same or similar construction equipment would be used and construction would occur over approximately the same time frame. Potential differences could occur in the amount of fugitive dust generated from earth-moving operations associated with the Action Alternatives and design options because these options would have varying amounts of surface disturbance and differences in terrain. Underground construction activities would disturb more land than overhead construction activities due to total vegetation removal and trenching of the ROW for installation of the underground cable duct bank. Impacts to air quality are expected to be short-term, localized and low. Impacts to global climate change associated with implementation of the proposed Project cannot be determined because established mechanisms to accurately predict the effect of resource management- level decisions do not exist. However, as the proposed Project would result in minimal long-term emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily associated with maintenance activities, the long-term climate impacts would not be considered adverse. Water Resources No long-term disturbance to water resources would occur with the construction, operation, and maintenance of any of the Action Alternatives. Differences in impact levels are very similar for all Action Alternatives with the majority of the impacts categorized as no identifiable. The NNR Alternative – MR