TNMP’s Avian Protection Plan

Protecting Birds and Reducing Liability

SWEDE ConferenceApril, 2012

Why Bother with an APP?• Recent enforcement actions prompted TNMP

to produce an APP• In 2002-2007, PG&E required $3.5 million a year retrofits • In 2009, PacifiCorp fined $510,000, paid $900,000 in restitution,

and must spend $9.1 million in the next 5 years to retrofit poles in Wyoming (spent $7 mil in 2009 alone)

• FP&L currently under investigation and grand jury subpoena for violations of the MBTA and BGEPA

• All of these utilities have active bird programs and Pacificorp’s program is state of the art

• Investment in bird protection improves reliability and reduces O&M over time

What is the Issue with Birds and Power Lines?

• Birds use utility poles• Hunting, resting, roosting, nesting• Shading from sun or rain/snow• Utility poles can create habitat

• Bird mortalities result from electrocution or collision

• Electrocution generally occurs on distribution, not transmission

• Collisions can occur on either• Weather and the age, size, and

species of bird are all important variables

Electrocution

• Electrocution typically occurs on distribution– Most commonly on

equipment poles– Birds can go phase to

phase or phase to ground

• The good news is that poles can be made avian safe

Avian-Safe Separations• The Avian Power Line

Interaction Committee (APLIC) recommends phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground separations based on skin-to-skin measurements of golden eagles– 60 inch horizontal separation

and – 40 inch vertical separation

• Achieved through insulation or isolation

Collision• Occurs on distribution

and transmission, especially on static wires

• Huge issue within the 200 mile wide whooping crane corridor which passes from Aransas north to Canada

• Last migratory flock on earth with < 300 birds

What does the USFWS expect?• The USFWS expects utilities to implement

serious measures to reduce bird mortality– Identify priorities for limiting mortality– Implement a work plan for achieving priorities– Demonstrate that identified steps are being

implemented• Communicate with the USFWS• Best way to achieve these steps is

– APP with a prioritized work plan– Dedicated budget for its implementation

What is in an APP?• Statement of

Commitment• Training• Permit Compliance• Construction Design

Standards• Injured and Dead Bird

and Nest Management• Avian Reporting System

• Risk Assessment Methodology

• Mortality Reduction Measures

• Avian Enhancements• Quality Control• Public Awareness• Key Resources

TNMP’s New APP• Designed to meet

USFWS expectations• Identified project teams

to examine issues• Organized according to

APLIC/USFWS 12 principles and includes – Preventative– Reactive, and– Proactive measures

Producing APP Takes a Team

Topic Teams Issues StatusAutomate reporting

ISS, North Texas Engineering, Corporate Systems, ESD

Automate import of bird guard and outage interruption data into ArcGIS

Ongoing

Standards review

PNM Standards, North Texas Engineering, South Texas Engineering, ESD

Evaluate current standards for avian safetyDevelop avian safe structures for narrow ROWReview and evaluate cover-up materials

Ongoing

Problem equipment

Standards, ESD GOLB & Capacitors Interim fixes identified, researching avian safe switches and capacitors

Transmission North and South Texas Engineering, ESD,

Use raptor safe construction in HotwingsDevelop raptor safe distribution under build

Complete. Using conductor covers on distribution underbuild

Substations Substations, ESD Ensure new stations constructed with adequate clearances and or cover-upDevelop retrofit options for old stations

Under investigation. Bird guard old stations on case by case basis

Promptly addressing bird guard requests

Regional subpermittees, North Texas Engineering, ESD

Ensure poles, equipment resulting in mortality are promptly bird guarded

Complete. Finalizing ways to track.

Teams and IssuesTopic Teams Issues StatusFeeder level bird guard

Asset management, North Texas Engineering, ESD

Explore bird guard capitalization Complete

Seeking funds for feeder level retrofits

ESD, North Texas Engineering, TNMP President,

Prepare business case and request funds for capital bird guard project

Complete and ongoing.

Problem feeder identification

North Texas Engineering, ESD

Develop methodology and prioritize poor performing feeders by area and bird guard

Complete. Poorly performing feeders targeted in 2011. High risk spans within crane and eagle hotwings are identified in APP.

Developing risk assessment models for whooping crane and bald eagle

ESD, ISS Developed a habitat quality model for whooping cranes and bald eagles to define Hotwings. Migrate bald eagle and whooping crane Hotwings into ArcFM. Integrate into work order and project screening process for TNMP.

Complete and ongoing. Habitat quality models and risk assessment complete. Hotwings to be migrated in ArcFM and integrated into screening process for TNMP projects.

USFWS Reporting

ESD, ISS, North Texas Engineering

Develop and maintain mortality report in a format compatible with USFWS voluntary reporting system

Complete. ESD to begin to track TNMP mortality in USFWS compatible format.

TNMP Statement of Commitment

Management commitment is key to the successful implementation of an APP

Training, Training, Training…• Training in the

importance of bird issues is nothing short of culture change

• Training with live birds is effective

• TNMP training includes

• Handling dead and injured birds

• Bird guarding SOP• Line Marking SOP• Vegetation Management

Distribution Standards Review

• Systematic review of existing standards for avian safety – Use of cover-up materials

to make existing standards avian safe

– Adoption of PNM Chapter 19 for avian safe standards for use by TNMP

Assessing Risk• Each utility has to assess its

highest risk• TNMP service territory falls

within the Aransas Wood Buffalo whooping crane corridor and crane collision is the largest liability

• TNMP has an expanding bald eagle population within its service territory

• Developed whooping crane and bald eagle habitat models to evaluate risk

Whooping Crane Habitat Model• Developed model after discussions with USFWS

crane coordinator and literature review• Line collision during crane stopover has been

identified as a leading source of mortality (38%)• Cranes prefer

• Shallow unconsolidated bottom wetlands close to appropriate forage (such as agricultural fields)

• Flat open terrain with unobstructed visibility• GIS layers used to identify these habitats• Assigned value to layer cells to identify very high,

high, moderate, low, and very low quality habitat

Bald Eagle Habitat Model• Developed model after discussions with Texas Parks

and Wildlife eagle biologist and literature review• Eagles prefer

• Water bodies >35 acres in size or > 10 m in width• Areas at least 500 m away from human

development• High tree height to support nesting and roosting• High ratio of water to land

• Assigned value to layer cells to identify very high, high, moderate, low, and very low quality habitat

Risk Assessment• TNMP electric infrastructure overlain on GIS habitat

models• Cranes at risk of collision whereas eagles at risk of

electrocution• TNMP poles and spans assigned the same risk as

the underlying habitat• Line spans within whooping crane Hotwings ranked in

terms of very high to low risk• Poles, equipment within eagle Hotwings ranked in the

same manner• Very high risk poles and spans identified for bird

guard and marking

Risk Assessment• TNMP electric infrastructure overlain on GIS habitat

models• Cranes at risk of collision whereas eagles at risk of

electrocution• TNMP poles and spans assigned the same risk as

the underlying habitat• Line spans within whooping crane Hotwings ranked in

terms of very high to low risk• Poles, equipment within eagle Hotwings ranked in the

same manner• Very high risk poles and spans identified for bird

guard and marking

Preventative Measures• Encourages designers to avoid eagle and whooping

crane Hotwings• Requires that new construction in whooping crane

Hotwings is built to avian safe standards and lines appropriately marked

• Requires that new construction in bald eagle habitat is built to avian-safe standards

• Bird guard all new equipment as part of routine maintenance

Reactive Measures• Ensure timely response to bird mortality• Poles/equipment resulting in bird mortality bird

guarded within 90 days– Facilitated by new GIS-based reporting system– Tracks mortality and bird guarded poles/equipment in GIS by

automated upload

• Ability to track bird guard request through completion• Reports generated in USFWS compatible format on

an on-going basis

Sample SOP

Proactive Measures• Provide resources and training to improve

employee’s knowledge and awareness• Partner with bird conservation/rehabilitation

organizations– TNMP partners with Bay Area and Rogers Wildlife

Rehabilitation – Through ESD, TNMP sits on the Whooping Crane Habitat

Conservation Plan steering committee with USFWS– Corporate sponsor Rains County Eagle Fest– Community crew projects throughout TNMP service territory

• Through PNM, TNMP participates in APLIC

Proactive Measures cont.

• New Environmental Management System screening form urges designers to check whether project occurs in “Hotwings”

• Establishes SOPs for – Handling dead and injured birds and problem nests– What, when and how to bird guard– Marking lines for collision

• New system for tracking bird mortality and bird and collision retrofits

• Bird guard program identifies priorities and addresses them through a bird guard budget

Proactive Measures cont.

• Cornerstone of proactive measures is bird guard program

• Evaluate “at risk” poles and spans within whooping crane and bald eagle Hotwings

• Evaluate poorly performing feeders

• Dedicated budget to bird guard and mark lines as appropriate

Proactive Measures cont.

• APP crane and bald eagle models used to evaluate spans for bird guard and marking

Whooping Crane Committee• Migration corridor of the last self sustaining whooping

crane population passes through the country’s best wind resource

• USFWS worried about the rapid expansion of wind farms and interconnections on this fragile population

• Has convened wind developers and utilities within the crane corridor to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to support issuance of Incidental Take Permits

• USFWS issued a notice of intent to produce an EIS on wind development HCP in July, 2011

Whooping Crane Committee • USFWS

convened utilities through APLIC in January 2010 to initiate a similar process

• TNMP is participating in the steering committee

Summary• New APP is a robust program aimed at reducing avian

mortality and increasing system reliability • New APP meets USFWS expectations with clearly

articulated work plan– Bird guard lethal structures– Bird guard as part of routine maintenance– Hotwings in ArcFM and T&D EMS screening results in systematic use of

avian-safe construction/marking in Hotwings– Bird guard program addresses areas of highest species risk– Mortality and bird guard tracked in GIS format– Automated GIS process allows emerging issues to be identified and

addressed– Bird guarded 1,728 poles during 2011

• Collectively these steps reduce liability, increase reliability and have the potential to decrease O&M cost over time

Going Forward

• Adopt avian friendly design standards as default• Evaluate of the effectiveness of increased bird guard

in decreasing mortality and increasing reliability• Continue to involve vegetation management in avian

protection• Bird guard and mark spans in eagle and crane

Hotwings• Whether capital or O&M, a dedicated bird guard

budget is critical to limit liability now and in the future

Questions?