TNMP’s Avian Protection
Plan
Protecting Birds and Reducing Liability
SWEDE Conference
April, 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 skinto-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
Status
Automate
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
safety
Develop avian safe structures for
narrow ROW
Review 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
Hotwings
Develop 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-up
Develop 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 Issues
Topic
Teams
Issues
Status
Feeder 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?