Senior Cultural Resources Specialist Burns & McDonnell Austin, Texas
Presentation Description: Burns & McDonnell and EDP Renewables would like to submit this abstract for consideration regarding the unanticipated discovery that occurred during the construction of the Cattlemen Solar Project in central Texas. The presentation will serve as a case study in the importance of development and proper implementation of an Unanticipated Discovery Plan prior to construction.
Although not required, EDP Renewables sponsored cultural resources investigations as part of environmental due diligence for the project. As the cultural resources service contractor, Burns & McDonnell conducted a background review and surveys in September 2019 that revealed no evidence of a cemetery at the project site. On March 8, 2023, human skeletal remains and coffin hardware were discovered during construction and EDP Renewables immediately halted construction and implemented their Unanticipated Discovery Plan. This presentation summarizes the recovery efforts, archival research, and analysis of skeletal remains and artifacts conducted by Burns & McDonnell cultural resources specialists, as well as the coordination conducted with the Texas Historical Commission, local law enforcement, and county officials.
This case study demonstrates best practices in due diligence, project management, and agency cooperation in renewable energy development. It also tells the story of the forgotten Mexican and Mexican American tenant farmer community who lived and worked on the land in the early twentieth century and ultimately, how EDP Renewables preserved their memory.
