Wind farms get pass on eagle deaths

[markomalley]

From the APWind farms in this corner of Wyoming have killed more than four dozen golden eagles since 2009, one of the deadliest places in the country of its kind.

But so far, the companies operating industrial-sized turbines here and elsewhere that are killing eagles and other protected birds have yet to be fined or prosecuted - even though every death is a criminal violation.

The Obama administration has charged oil companies for drowning birds in their waste pits, and power companies for electrocuting birds on power lines.

But the administration has never fined or prosecuted a wind-energy company, even those that flout the law repeatedly.
Bear in mind that this is a news article, **it is not an op-ed by some right-wing commentator!

**I wonder if the revelation of the DOJ intercepting AP phone records is going to have a lasting impact on their reporting?

Well, I can only hope…

 

[Holly3278]

This really isn’t surprising. Nothing that the Obama administration does could surprise me anymore.

But anyway, I just wonder about this. Is the fact that Golden Eagles are being killed by these wind farms really that big of an issue? Is this having a big effect on their population in that region? If so, what can be done to make the wind farms safer? I did look up Golden Eagles, which appears to be the species in question on Wikipedia and it would appear that their conservation status is “Least Concern” so they are not endangered, at least not in general anyway. Whether or not they are endangered in this region I have no idea. And so I am going to have more information on this before I can really judge whether or not this is a serious issue.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Eagle

 

[markomalley]

This really isn’t surprising. Nothing that the Obama administration does could surprise me anymore.

But anyway, I just wonder about this. Is the fact that Golden Eagles are being killed by these wind farms really that big of an issue? Is this having a big effect on their population in that region? If so, what can be done to make the wind farms safer? I did look up Golden Eagles, which appears to be the species in question on Wikipedia and it would appear that their conservation status is “Least Concern” so they are not endangered, at least not in general anyway. Whether or not they are endangered in this region I have no idea. And so I am going to have more information on this before I can really judge whether or not this is a serious issue.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Eagle

The issue is not so much whether Golden Eagles are endangered or whether this would endanger them further.

The issue is the crony capitalism … favoritism … granted. Just another example of the corruption that is endemic to this Administration.

(BTW, yes, wind farms are really hard on bird populations…particularly wind farms located along migratory paths)

 

[SuperLuigi]

From the APWind farms in this corner of Wyoming have killed more than four dozen golden eagles since 2009, one of the deadliest places in the country of its kind.

But so far, the companies operating industrial-sized turbines here and elsewhere that are killing eagles and other protected birds have yet to be fined or prosecuted - even though every death is a criminal violation.

The Obama administration has charged oil companies for drowning birds in their waste pits, and power companies for electrocuting birds on power lines.

But the administration has never fined or prosecuted a wind-energy company, even those that flout the law repeatedly.
Bear in mind that this is a news article, **it is not **an op-ed by some right-wing commentator!

I wonder if the revelation of the DOJ intercepting AP phone records is going to have a lasting impact on their reporting?

Well, I can only hope…

I’m an environmental scientist, and I’m annoyed whenever wind or solar are pitched as the end-all, be-all, environmentally-friendly no matter what energy source.

Solar installations have had an effect on desert ecosystems and wind farms have harmed both birds and humans.

That humming noise you hear and the flashing red lights (which can be seen from certain highways in Iowa) have been linked to human health issues.

Wind and solar should NOT be given a free pass, but like anything else, it probably does because it’s a subsidy for someone, somewhere.

 

[SuperLuigi]

The issue is not so much whether Golden Eagles are endangered or whether this would endanger them further.

The issue is the crony capitalism … favoritism … granted. Just another example of the corruption that is endemic to this Administration.

(BTW, yes, wind farms are really hard on bird populations…particularly wind farms located along migratory paths)

Wind and solar should be subject to the free market. The reason they are subsidized is because they wouldn’t last a day against coal or even nuclear.

 

[Holly3278]

The issue is not so much whether Golden Eagles are endangered or whether this would endanger them further.

The issue is the crony capitalism … favoritism … granted. Just another example of the corruption that is endemic to this Administration.

(BTW, yes, wind farms are really hard on bird populations…particularly wind farms located along migratory paths)

I completely agree with you that the favoritism needs to stop. Thank you for explaining this to me Mark. I really appreciate it.

I’m an environmental scientist, and I’m annoyed whenever wind or solar are pitched as the end-all, be-all, environmentally-friendly no matter what energy source.

Solar installations have had an effect on desert ecosystems and wind farms have harmed both birds and humans.

That humming noise you hear and the flashing red lights (which can be seen from certain highways in Iowa) have been linked to human health issues.

Wind and solar should NOT be given a free pass, but like anything else, it probably does because it’s a subsidy for someone, somewhere.

What kinds of effects do solar installations have on desert ecosystems? Also, how have wind farms harmed humans? Have wind farms harmed birds in ways other than seriously injuring or killing them as in the article? Is there a potential that they could lead to catastrophic and/or severe drops in the populations of these birds? Also, would you say that wind farms and solar installations are better for the planet as a whole than sources such as oil, coal, and natural gas? These are all serious questions by the way.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

So I guess that pseudo-“green” crony capitalism is even more politically correct than eagles!