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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 4 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Environmental Consequences PAGE 4-118 Section 4.3.3.1. Impact levels to bighorn sheep are anticipated to be moderate for the 0.7 mile of the route segment that overlap designated winter range. All habitat disturbance associated with Route Segment MR-1 would be located within the Regularly Occupied Habitat MU for Sage-Grouse. Construction activities would disturb less than one percent of Regularly Occupied Habitat (Table 4.3-7). Anticipated ground disturbance includes 29.3 acres of suitable Sage-Grouse habitat, 31.4 acres of marginal habitat, and 18.5 acres of unsuitable habitat (Table 4.3-8). With the implementation of RDFs (Sections 4.3.3.1 and 4.3.3.2), habitat impact levels would be low for 7.5 miles and moderate for 4.4 miles. Existing perching, roosting, and nesting sites for avian predators are available along Route Segment MR- 1 from buildings, trees, and fences associated with developed areas and existing distribution and 230 kV H-frame transmission lines. Construction of Route Segment MR-1 would require an estimated 90 new structures; approximately 85 (94 percent) would be located greater than 0.25 mile from an existing transmission line (Table 4.3-5). The estimated Sage-Grouse population range does not overlap the Route Segment MR-1 ROW (Figure 3.3-4). No active leks are known to occur within four miles of Route Segment MR-1 (Table 4.3-6). With the implementation of RDFs (Sections 4.3.3.1 and 4.3.3.2), impacts to lekking Sage-Grouse associated with the construction of Route Segment MR-1 are anticipated to be low for the entire length of the route segment (11.9 miles). Route Segment MR-1 would cross Reclamation’s proposed Wymer Dam and Reservoir Project for approximately 0.05 mile. For the proposed Wymer Dam and Reservoir Project, mitigation land acquisition and habitat enhancement components are intended to result in a net improvement in conditions for Sage-Grouse. Approximately 3.2 miles of Route Segment MR-1 crosses private land targeted for mitigation acquisition to offset impacts from the proposed Wymer Dam and Reservoir Project. 4.3.5 Mitigation Measures And Residual Impacts The RDFs and environmental protection measures described in Section 2.3 - RDFs Common to Action Alternatives, have been incorporated into the Project design and would be implemented during construction and operation of the proposed Project. These measures are designed to avoid or minimize environmental impacts from Project construction, operation, and maintenance activities and are items that Pacific Power has committed to implement as part of the Project development. Agency objectives for Sage-Grouse conservation and mitigation are described in Appendix B-5—Sage- Grouse Analysis and Mitigation Report and Appendix B-7 - Compliance with Applicable Greater Sage- Grouse Policies, Plans, and Procedures. Residual impacts to Sage-Grouse and compensatory mitigation will be analyzed and quantified using methodology described in the Framework for Development of a Sage-Grouse Compensatory Mitigation Plan, which was created by the Sage-Grouse Subgroup comprised of representatives from BLM, JBLM YTC, USFWS, and WDFW (Appendix B-6). Pacific Power will work with stakeholding agencies to create and implement a Sage-Grouse Compensatory Mitigation Plan (CMP). The CMP mitigation will achieve a net conservation gain for the species, with compensatory mitigation designed to enhance and improve habitat. It is important to note that mitigation developed for this Project is project-specific and not intended for application to existing and ongoing military training. Compensatory mitigation implemented to help Sage-Grouse, such as habitat acquisition, habitat restoration, and fire prevention, will also benefit other sagebrush-steppe and grassland species. At this time, for species other than Sage-Grouse no additional compensatory mitigation would be required. If