5.5 Energy Production and Mining
higher predation rates (Fargione et al. 2009) . From a wildlife perspective, having multiple har- vest times throughout the year can provide a mosaic of habitat conditions that support a wider range of species (Fargione et al. 2009) . Wood product companies have expanded production in North Carolina in recent years and, along with wood chipping facilities and a deepwater berth at the Morehead City Port, the export of wood chip products from the state is likely to increase because of high demand from international markets for wood pellet exports from the United States (Fox 2012; Wood Resources International 2014) . Te harvest and chipping of forest vegetation infested by exotic insects (i.e., Emerald Ash Borer, Redbay Ambrosia Beetle) carries the risk of trans- porting pests that survive the chipping process (Spence et al. 2013) both locally (during trans- port and storage) and elsewhere (to domestic and international markets). Impacts can be mitigated by using biomass sources that do not require additional land, and thus do not increase the footprint of agriculture, such as agricultural residues, cover crops, and, potentially, algae (Fargione et al. 2009) . Te second approach is to produce biomass with land-use practices that are compatible with wildlife, including the use of perennial bio- mass crops and native plants, adjusting the timing and frequency of harvest, and leaving suitable stubble height (Fargione et al. 2009) . Harvest schedules should consider priority species, whether those species are migratory or resident, and the timing of the life-cycle events that have the greatest impact on populations (nesting, brood rearing, winter migrating, etc.) (Fargione et al. 2009) . 5.5.2 Coal Energy—Anticipated Impacts Coal mined from other states is used for energy production in North Carolina. Coal is burned to heat water into steam that turns turbine generators, which produce electricity. Coal-fred power plants need large amounts of water; therefore, power plants in North Carolina are typically located on large rivers or on impoundments. Burning coal produces carbon dioxide and other air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and methylmercury. Air pollution concerns have led to improved technologies to capture air pollutants. Coal fy ash remains after coal combustion and must be properly disposed of if it is not used to manu- facture other materials. Surface impoundment of coal fy ash residues is widely practiced, despite inherent environ- mental hazards from leachate that can pollute groundwater and spill into surface waters in the disposal facilities fail. Tese facilities are also harmfully attractive to amphibians and birds for foraging or reproduction (Lemly and Skorupa 2012) . Coal fy ash contains numer- ous elements that vary in concentration based on the source of the coal, the method of combustion, and the air pollution-control equipment installed (Patra et al. 2012; Souza et al. 2013) . Coal ash is composed of oxides of silicon, aluminum, iron, and calcium and, in lower
689
2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online