Renewable energy must be the goal. No right-thinking person can deny that.
But wind energy comes with a cost: The deaths of thousands of birds and bats each year.
And the Obama administration is "not prosecuting wind energy companies for killing eagles and other protected birds," according to the Associated Press.
Duck under the orange windmill with me.
The Obama administration is refusing to turn over documents related to enforcement of environmental laws at wind farms where dozens of eagles and other protected birds have been killed, House Republicans charged Wednesday.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director, Dan Ashe, said at the hearing that the agency was not "stonewalling" but that his staff made "super-human efforts" to comply with the House Committee's request for information.
He said a subpoena issued by the committee on March 11 required him to provide thousands of pages of documents within two weeks — a request he said was "physically impossible" to meet. A total of 125 agency employees — including 50 law enforcement agents — spent more than 2,600 work-hours trying to comply with the committee's request, he said, calling it a counterproductive and wasteful use of their time.
According to the AP, "Only one wind energy company has been prosecuted for killing eagles and other birds in violation of federal law. Duke Energy pleaded guilty in November to killing eagles and other birds at two Wyoming wind farms and will pay $1 million."
This Wikipedia article notes that:
Wind facilities have attracted the most attention for impacts on iconic raptor species, including golden eagles. The Pine Tree Wind energy project near Tehachapi, California has one of the highest raptor mortality rates in the country; by 2012 at least eight golden eagles had been killed according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Biologists have noted that it is more important to avoid losses of large birds as they have lower breeding rates and can be more severely impacted by wind turbines in certain areas.
Of utmost concern are deaths to
Golden Eagles, which are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
Golden Gate Audubon Society, based in Berkely, CA, has fought for protection of the eagles from the almost 6,000 wind turbines located in the Altamont Pass.
However, according to Golden Gate Audubon:
Reducing the kill entirely may not be possible, as long as the wind turbines continue to operate at Altamont. But we believe that significant progress can be made. The [California Energy Commission] estimates that wind operators could reduce bird deaths by as much as 50 percent within three years–the goal stated in our settlement agreement–and by up to 85 percent within six years–all without reducing energy output significantly at APWRA. These reductions could be achieved by removing turbines that are the most deadly to birds and shutting down the turbines during four winter months when winds are the least productive for wind energy, combined with some additional measures.
Though the AP story says that 85 Golden Eagles are estimated to be killed per year, presumably nationwide, that number is less than the California Energy Commission estimates of 75-110 in Altamont Pass alone, according to Golden Gate Audubon. And of course, many birds other than Golden Eagles end up mangled and dead from wind turbines:
According to a 2004 California Energy Commission (CEC) report, as many as 380 Burrowing Owls (also a state-designated species of special concern), 300 Red-tailed Hawks, and 333 American Kestrels are killed every year. In all, as many as 4,700 birds die annually as a result of the wind turbines.
New designs for the Altamont Pass wind turbines are slated to come on line by late next year, according to the
SFGate.
The 2010 agreement:
Requires NextEra Energy Resources to place the modern turbines away from ridge tops and valleys, where many of the eagles, kestrels, falcons and owls ride updrafts or hunt for prey. That provision represents a key victory for wildlife groups that say little thought was given to where the original turbines were erected.
"This is the first chance across the nation to take what was learned about turbines over the last 30 years and put it into use," said Mark Welther, executive director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. "We support wind energy, but we need to make sure we don't sacrifice birds and wildlife to have renewable power."
So, it looks like progress is being made on some fronts.
But for every step forward to bird protection, there are other steps backward. Mother Jones has details:
Even though the Obama administration has sued Duke Energy for killing eagles, "two weeks later the administration announced a controversial new rule that will allow energy companies to get 30-year permits for non-intentional eagle deaths at wind farms. The feds emphasize that the new rule requires additional conservation measures, but it still angered many conservationists."
AP:
The rule, announced in December, provides legal protection for the lifespan of wind farms and other projects if energy companies obtain permits and make efforts to avoid killing protected birds. The permits would be reviewed every five years, and companies would have to submit reports of how many eagles they killed. Until now, such reporting has been voluntary, and the Interior Department has refused to release the information.
The Mother Jones story offers numerous ideas that scientists are working on to help reduce bird and bat deaths:
1) Smarter siting. Placing wind turbines in locations not as heavily used by the birds.
2) Radar. This can help detect when birds are approaching turbines.
3) GPS tracking. If rare birds, such as California Condors, are tagged and come too close, the turbines could be turned off.
4) Ultrasonic acoustics. This could help bats by "jamming" bat echolocation close to turbines.
5) Leaving turbines off when wind speeds are low.
6) Painting turbines different colors.
7) Designing new turbine shapes.
8) Strike detection to turn off turbines after they have been hit by birds.
I hope that scientists can come up with ways to successfully reduce bird and bat mortality at wind farms. Wind farms can be a valuable part of the nation's energy supplies, but I cringe when I hear of some of the wind farms going up, because those in high-migration routes are simply too deadly to wildlife to be allowed.