Potential Impacts of Energy Transmission ProjectsPotential environmental impacts associated with energy transmission projects vary by development phase, and include direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts. The potential impacts associated with typical energy transmission projects are discussed in this section in general terms. The impacts of a specific project will depend on specific factors such as the length of the transmission line or pipeline, the amount of land disturbed by construction activities, the amount of land occupied long term by facilities, the location of the right-of-way (ROW) with respect to other resources (e.g., wildlife use of the site, distance to surface water bodies), and so forth. Impacts would vary by phase of development. The types of resources that could be affected by energy transmission projects depend on the specific location of the proposed project and its environmental setting. Measures to avoid or mitigate impacts are identified in the Mitigation Measures section. Guidance on conducting impact assessments and identifying appropriate mitigation measures for specific projects is provided in the Project-Specific Impact Assessments section. Tribes may choose to designate corridors across tribal lands specifically to accommodate energy transmission facilities. The designated corridor ideally would be located to avoid lands where sensitive resources occur. One objective of designating transmission corridors would be to avoid or minimize some of the potential impacts of transmission projects installed within the corridor. The U.S. Department of the Interior published the Energy Transport Corridor Siting for Tribal Planners Guidance Manual in January 2010 recommending a step-wise process for the siting of energy transmission corridors across tribal lands. Follow the links below to learn more about potential general impacts by phase of development: |
