Blackwell Solar Park Project (Project); California Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit (ITP) No. 2081-2015-054-04, Major Amendment (No. 2)

Blackwell Solar Park Project (Project); California Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit (ITP) No. 2081-2015-054-04, Major Amendment (No. 2)

This project includes the development of a 20 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic power-generating facility and its associated infrastructure. Major Amendment No. 2 authorizes six changes to the ITP: 1) allows for Covered Species avoidance buffers and for the project-related activities allowed within these buffers to be modified with prior written approval from CDFW; 2) extends the requirement for the replacement of each destroyed (excavated) San Joaquin kit fox den from within 10 days to within 30 days of fully excavating a den; 3) reduces temporary impacts of construction staging from 30 acres to 2.12 acres; 4) extends the construction period from January 2017 to September 2018; 5) extends the deadline for completing the permanent protection and funding for perpetual management of the 281 acres of compensatory habitat by an additional 18 months to a total of 36 months or until Dec. 31, 2018; and 6) substitutes Attachment 1 of Amendment No. 2 for ITP Figures 2, 3, 7 and 9. Project will result in impacts to 160 acres of habitat for San Joaquin kit fox (vulpes macrotis mutica) and San Joaquin antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni) (Covered Species), including temporary impacts to 2.12 acres. The project is expected to result in incidental take of San Joaquin kit fox and San Joaquin antelope squirrel, which are designated as threatened species under CESA.

Kern