Wires and Wildlife: Transmission Development and Western Migratory Species Report

Across the western U.S., many wildlife species rely on seasonal habitats and the ability to migrate between these habitats, to reproduce, survive, and thrive. This includes ungulates (hooved mammals) such as elk and mule deer and species like the greater sage-grouse in sagebrush habitat. National Wildlife Federation advocates for migratory species while simultaneously advocating for responsible transmission development.

These species are also critical to Western economies and the cultures of Tribal Nations, Indigenous Peoples, rural communities, and the sporting community. In Montana, 12.5 million non-residents visited the state in 2021 and spent an estimated $5.22 billion. According to a 2016 Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks survey, big game hunting in Montana produced 3,300 jobs and $324 million in expenditures annually.

Simultaneously, transmission development is critical to ensuring people in the Western U.S. have access to clean, renewable, and low-cost energy. With increasing heat waves, droughts, and other severe weather events, the power grid needs to be a reliable resource for everyone. A recent study from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found as much as 15 percent of fossil fuel generation can be replaced with solar, wind, and transmission transporting energy from solar and wind resources.

Wildlife habitat is increasingly under threat from human development and climate change, as fragmentation, degradation, and climate impacts can interfere with migration cues and routes. To counter the effects of climate change, and account for an increasing human population, we must expand renewable energy generation and transmission. Understanding the potential impacts of this expansion on wildlife is crucial to ensure our future energy grid does not undermine conservation goals.

Pronghorn in New Mexico find limited shade under the shadow of a transmission pole. Credit: Wildlands Network

National Wildlife Federation's latest report, Wires and Wildlife: Transmission Development and Western Migratory Species, provides an overview of impacts to ungulates and greater sage-
grouse from human development and climate change, to understand the potential implications of transmission buildout in the Intermountain West.

The report identifies several ways these species, and their habitat and migration routes, may be impacted by transmission development. It also provides a range of recommendations and an adaptive management approach to guide industry and decision makers on the path to responsible transmission development.

One of the most critical recommendations from the report is the creation and use of a dynamic decision-support tool (DST) that can help industry, state agencies, Tribal Nations, communities, and others to avoid and minimize unintended impacts on multiple species and their habitats and identify optimal areas for conservation and development.

The success of such a tool will require bringing together agencies and industry to use the best available data. The report also provides examples of case studies showing how proactively planned and responsibly sited transmission developments are possible-and how they can help conserve crucial habitat while building a connected Western transmission grid.

The U.S. can meet our climate goals, prioritize wildlife and people, and meet the needs of the energy grid.

Read the full report here, and learn more about NWF's transmission advocacy here.

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