Engineering consulting services. The Consultant will write a programmatic agreement by utilizing data gathering and coordination to establish a streamlined process for handling routine environmental requirements regarding Threatened and Endangered Freshwater Mussels for commonly encountered project types in West Virginia. The PA will be produced in accordance with the Section 7 Endangered Species Act and will focus on repetitive actions at the state level. To develop the PA, the Consultant will: • Identify the general locations of future projects and the schedules for completion of the projects • Identify areas where the Threatened and Endangered Freshwater Mussels and Freshwater Mussel critical habitat are likely to be impacted by these future projects • Identify recovery plans, biological studies, and biological opinions conducted within the geographic area of these projects in addition to data that the USFWS/WVDNR/WVDEP already have • Identify relevant regional guidance that has undergone Section 7 consultation • In coordination with state and federal agencies including the USFWS, jointly develop general strategies for addressing species conservation needs • Develop avoidance and minimization procedures, such as seasonal restrictions or erosion-control measures, to remove or reduce the risk of direct impacts to listed and proposed listed species and their critical habitat • Group future projects and associated actions according to the appropriate effects categories (eg, “no effect," “not likely to adversely affect," etc.) • Develop methods to offset impacts to listed species and their critical habitat
