Re: FPL Port Everglades Energy Center - Responses to GHG Permit 

Application Comments

Audra Livergood to: Flajole, Andy, Andrew Parks 06/06/2012 03:06 PM

Cc:

Gregg Worley, "jessica.dalton@dep.state.fl.us", 

"david.bernhart@noaa.gov", Heather Ceron, 

"jeff.koerner@dep.state.fl.us", "winston_hobgood@fws.gov", "Ken 

History: This message has been replied to.

Dear Mr. Flajole and Mr. Parks,

Re: Information that needs to be included in the Biological Assessment for the FPL Port 

Everglades Power Plant

Good afternoon. By letter dated February 22, 2012, the EPA requested informal Endangered 

Species Act (ESA) Section 7 consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 

for the proposed retirement and replacement of four existing oil-fired units at the FPL Port 

Everglades power plant with one nominal 1,250 MW 3-on-1 combined cycle unit, which would 

primarily rely on natural gas. Based on our review of the information provided, we advised the 

EPA that we do not have sufficient information at this time to determine whether or how the 

proposed action may affect listed species under our purview. Therefore, we asked the EPA to 

prepare a Biological Assessment. 

By e-mail on April 18, 2012, the EPA informed NMFS of their decision to designate FPL as the 

non-federal representative, on behalf of the EPA, for the purposes of ESA Section 7 consultation.

On May 9, 2012, NMFS received a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 

Commission (FWC) that a sea turtle (it is not known what species, based on the information we 

received) was caught in an intake well at the FPL Port Everglades plant. We were told that FPL 

contacted FWC Law Enforcement, reporting that the turtle was in severe distress because it had a 

flipper stuck. FPL requested immediate assistance from FWC. FWC estimates that FPL gets 

about 10 sea turtles per year (perhaps more) in the intake wells at the Port Everglades plant, and 

we do not know if FPL has a plan to address this situation. Moreover, it is unclear whether the 

existing take of sea turtles at the FPL Port Everglades plant has been previously authorized by 

NMFS under a biological opinion. This situation will need to be considered as part of the 

baseline in the current ESA Section 7 consultation with NMFS. 

The Biological Assessment should contain historic and current data on sea turtle takes at the FPL 

Port Everglades power plant. Please describe the species, life stage, approximate length of the 

animal, date of the incident, nature of the injury(ies), cause of the injury(ies), how FPL 

responded to the incident, and what measures were taken to reduce the risk of additional harm to 

the animal. It would be helpful to include this data in a table in the Biological Assessment. 

NMFS recommends that FPL propose a plan, including conservation measures, to avoid or 

reduce the amount of sea turtle take in the future. This may involve operational and/or 

equipment changes. 
The information requested above is a supplement to the information we requested in our March 

29, 2012 Request for Additional Information (RAI). When we sent that RAI, we were not aware 

that current operations at the FPL Port Everglades Plant have involved sea turtle takes.

We look forward to receiving the Biological Assessment. Please contact me if you have any 

questions.

Sincerely,

Audra Livergood

On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 10:00 AM, Flajole, Andy <Andy.Flajole@fpl.com> wrote:

Hi Gregg,

Please find attached an electronic copy of FPL's responses to EPA Region IV's comments on the Port 

Everglades Energy Center greenhouse gas air permit application. FPL looks forward to working with 

you, your staff, and the other agencies involved in this permitting effort.

A hard copy is scheduled for delivery to your attention tomorrow (Monday, May 14th). Everyone on 

the cc list is being copied via this email only.

If anyone has questions please contact me at Andy.Flajole@FPL.com or (561) 691-2766. 

Thank you,

Andy Flajole

Juno Environmental Services

Office (561) 691-2766

-- 

Audra Livergood

Marine Resource Manager

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service

SERO Protected Resources Division

Fort Lauderdale Field Office

299 East Broward Blvd., Suite 328

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Office (954) 356-7100

Fax (954) 356-7108

For if one link in nature's chain might be lost, another might be lost, until the whole of things will 
vanish by piecemeal.    Thomas Jefferson