I dislike the NIMBY stuff, but there's been alarming info that I believe stands up to scrutiny. I don't think these guys should be permitted to kill and injure eagles with impunity- or bats.

ON the one hand, wind power is better than fracking and fossil fuels, but it does create environmental problems by potentially damaging native animal populations.
Pr4oviding these companies with long term protection against the damage they cause is not one of the solutions (IMO)

... and kill some birds, or fossil fuels and kill...... everything.

There is no free lunch.

There couldn't be an endless sea of options available?
There are only two?!

A recent study by federal and state scientists found that U.S. wind turbines could kill up to 1.4 million birds of all species per year by 2030 as the wind energy industry continues to expand.
An AP investigation in 2013 documented dozens of eagle deaths at wind farms.

Maybe looking at the whole environmental situation instead of throwing out bumper sticker slogans is a better way to handle it.
I would have hoped that concerns raised by the U.S. National Park Service, conservation and wildlife groups might at least cause you to take some pause at the idea of giving these companies 30 year permits to kill or injure without fear of prosecution

"The government estimates that strikes against building windows alone account for anywhere from 97 million to nearly 976 million bird deaths a year."

"Nationally, domestic and feral cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year, according to the government."

"The government estimates that strikes against building windows alone account for anywhere from 97 million to nearly 976 million bird deaths a year. Cars kill another 60 million or so. High-tension transmission and power distribution lines are also deadly obstacles. Extrapolating from European studies, the Fish and Wildlife Service estimates 174 million birds die each year by flying into these wires. None of these numbers take into account the largest killer of birds in America: loss of habitat to development."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/science/18birds.html

But don't pay any attention to those! What you should really worry about are the much smaller fraction killed by wind turbines. Eh...

You cant have any liveable environment at all with out eliminating Fossil fuels.

In the long run, I hope solar saves the day, but right now our options suck.

The 30-year protection is way too much
5 years is enough and they can reapply later
The country keeps getting into this long term contract nonsense with these companies because the companies complain that they need long-term protections -- which has essentially meant anything goes

Nuclear, Oil, Coal?

This is an insane attempt to stop the rise of green energy.

Next thing they will try and tell you is that wind turbines cause hurricanes and tornados.

I actually did overhear some crazy old lady once telling her friends that there was never any windy days until they put those windmills up. This was in NW Iowa where there are hundreds of wind turbines scattered across the region. My only guess was that she watched FOX.

Conservationists, environmentalists and the National Park Service are all weighing in on this and oppose giving these companies a 30-year protection from any liabilities

Only to criticize that which threatens those traditional big energy sources.


"Fatalities of golden eagles at modern wind facilities represent only two percent of all documented sources of human-caused eagle fatalities, while only a few bald eagles have died in collisions in the history of the industry."

Other studies have found that wind farms are responsible for a variety of bird deaths, but ultimately concluded that their avian death toll is negligible when compared to that of other power plants.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/13/wind-farms-eagle-deaths_n_3915629.html

Should we shut down interstate commerce and go back to hauling freight on barges because of the mortality rate of animals?

There is no technology that does not harm something, and wind power is no exception. We must balance benefits against harm, and compare one means of power generation with another. Power lines kill eagles. People with guns kill eagles. Trucks kill eagles. People doing things kill eagles and have other deleterious effects on the environment.

That's the bottom line.