But federal agencies failed to actually look in caves for imperiled bats while approving permits to build a natural gas pipeline in Kentucky.

That contractor, Cardno, conducted a survey of threatened and endangered species that included the bats, but never conducted a cave survey, according to Cardno’s records. That’s despite the fact that caves and sinkholes are common in Kentucky’s karst environment and are an important winter habitat for all three imperiled bat species.

This issue is that no one ever did a scientifically legitimate search for caves,” said Perrin de Jong, Center for Biological Diversity staff attorney

That report did say that “no caves were observed during field surveys,” according to Cardno’s records. But Kentucky Resources Council Director Ashley WiIlmes says the visual survey was inadequate and the federal government failed to meet legal obligations under the Endangered

https://wfpl.org/federal-agency-approved-pipeline-permits-without-looking-at-imperiled-bat-habitat/

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