Warning: This Post Contains Pictures the American Wind Energy Association and Some Environmental and Wildlife Protection Organizations like the Sierra Club Do Not Want You to See.
Photo credits: Thank you to those organizations and people around the world who provide photographic evidence of this environmental tragedy. Among them are sekano.net, Lygeium, the Center for Biological Diversity, Mark Duchamp, Alan Gilbertson, Darryl Mueller and other dedicated organizations and people.
Do you know where your money and representation goes when you support a wildlife, environmental or nature organization? If you think it is going to save and protect wildlife you might want to take a second look. (*A list of some of the National wildlife protection groups can be found below)
While the Sierra Club asks its members for support to save The Endangered Species Act, it is lobbying on the side of the American Wind Energy Association to defeat legislation that would protect endangered birds and bats. Even though thousands of birds, bats, eagles and other endangered species die every year from deadly collisions with wind turbines.
According to the Sierra Club's website:
"The Endangered Species Act is one of America's most effective tools for safeguarding our fish and wildlife heritage."
"Thanks to this landmark law, wild salmon still spawn in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest, wolves have returned to Yellowstone, and the bald eagle soars from coast to coast. The ESA has been successful in keeping over 99 percent of all the fish and wildlife under its care from going extinct, but the Bush administration is rushing to gut the law by changing regulations to make it easier for developers to pave and pollute the nation's wildlands and our special places."
But, while Sierra Club accuses the Bush administration of rushing to gut the law, it is backing an industry that wants to ignore the laws by essentially sparing itself from oversight, compliance and responsibility with US Fish and Wildlife requested standards and regulations, the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Bald and Golden Eagle Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Chairman of House Resources, Nick J. Rahall II D-W. VA proposed a section to a larger energy bill, now being debated in Congress, that would direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to publish standards for siting, construction and monitoring of wind projects to mitigate and control further illegal harm to protected birds, bats and endangered species.
Of course, the wind energy developers, represented by the American Wind Energy Association, who has gotten a free ride on regulations thus far, went into a tail-spin of public relations hysteria claiming Rahall's legislation is anti-wind and would "essentially outlaw" the generation of new wind power plants and wind turbines in the US and criminalize this rapidly developing industry.
The American Wind Energy Association claims Subtitle D would burden wind power with 'sweeping new requirements that have never applied to other energy sectors'. But proponents of the provision say no other energy sector has been responsible for the direct and irrefutable carnage of thousands of dead birds, bats, eagles and other endangered species in alarming and growing numbers right on the front steps of their industrial plants and facilities.
AWEA also claims the US Fish and Wildlife Service and its scientists are by and large incompetent and ill-equipped to review existing and planned wind projects while omitting the fact that this review would be on behalf of the birds and endangered species the US Fish and Wildlife Service is mandated to protect. Not only is USFWS charged with the responsibility of protecting birds, threatened and endangered species and enforcing the laws but ironically it is credited by the Sierra Club as "successful in keeping over 99 percent of all the fish and wildlife under its care from going extinct".
Additionally, the wind industry claims birds do not fly into wind turbines, 
they simply fly around them and point to one industry study done in Denmark, who is one of the largest producers and exporters of wind turbines in the world.
But, the empirical evidence from all over the world shows eagles, birds and bats are being killed in record numbers by wind turbines that have been placed in migratory flyways, important nesting and foraging areas and endangered species habitats.
However AWEA also claims to be working with environmental groups and scientists to address the issue of the deaths to birds and bats at wind farms. "So which is it?" some ask "Are birds and bats being killed or are they not? If they are not, why is this industry claiming to be working to reduce a non-existent impact?"
But Rahall, who supports wind power as a renewable energy resource, believes that while wind power should be a part of the Nation's energy portfolio it needs to grow responsibly "I suspect" he said recently "wind projects are on a regular basis in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act, yet no enforcement action is being taken".
"A lawsuit filed against the county in October by the Golden Gate Audubon Society, Californians for Renewable Energy and four other local Audubon chapters challenged the county's decision to renew permits for Altamont Pass wind turbines. A subsequent settlement forces the wind industry to commit to a 50 percent reduction in raptor deaths by November 2009, and remove the deadliest turbines and continuing winter shutdowns of the wind machines."
Over twenty-years there have been 17,000 to 25,000 illegal raptor (eagles, hawks, falcons and owls) deaths at the Altamont Pass Wind Farm and to date the laws have not been enforced, no fines have been paid nor has any meaningful mitigation taken place to prevent more deaths to raptors and endangered species there in the future. Additionally, new studies in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ontarioand New York, to name a few, are showing that thousands of migratory bats and birds are being slaughtered by wind turbine blades.
According to Donald Michael Fry, PhD, the Director of the Pesticides and Birds Program at the American Bird Conservancy, testimony to the House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans Oversight Hearing on: "Gone with the Wind: Impacts of Wind Turbines on Birds and Bats":
"The mortality at wind farms is significant, because many of the species most impacted are already in decline and all sources of mortality contribute to the continuing decline."
"The wind energy industry has been constructing and operating wind projects for almost 25 years with little state and federal oversight. They have rejected as either too costly or unproven techniques recommended by NWCC" (and other avian experts) "to reduce bird deaths.
The wind industry ignores the expertise of state energy staff and the knowledgeable advice of Fish and Wildlife Service employees on ways to reduce or avoid bird and wildlife impacts."
Below is one of the Federal Laws Rahall's proposal wants to see carried out and enforced by the US Fish and Wildlife Service that is being fought tooth and nail by the wind industry with the backing of the Sierra Club so they will not have to be in compliance with federal law or even take them into consideration when siting wind turbines:
The Bald and Golden Eagle Act
Subdivision (a) makes it a criminal offense to "knowingly, or with wanton disregard for the consequences of his act take . . . in any manner . . . any golden eagle . . . ." 16 U.S.C. § 668(a).
‘[T]ake' includes also . . . kill, . . . molest or disturb." 16 U.S.C. § 668c.
Penalties: up to $500,000 fine and two years imprisonment for each eagle killed.
One would think this industry which presents itself as 'environmentally friendly' would welcome standards, guidelines and oversight from the US Fish and Wildlife Service if for no other reason than 'an ounce of prevention would be worth, literally, a pound of cure". Especially since this growing industry presents itself as struggling and is now public lands and waters on which to build their projects at little cost to them.
But, who are these 'struggling' wind industry owners and developers at, for instance, AltamontPass?
FPL Group-Florida-$11 billion revenues (2003)
Altamont Power, Green Ridge Power
Vestas-Denmark-$3.4 billion revenues (2004 proj.)
Altamont Power, Green Ridge Power
AES-Virginia-$8.4 billion revenues (2003)
SeaWest
Electricité de France-France(French government-owned electric
utility)-$59 billion revenues (2003)
Enxco
Powerworks-Idaho-privately held
Altamont Winds, Pacific Winds
A choice between birds and global warming?
While it is understandable that environmental organizations like the Sierra Club may support wind power as a source of alternative energy to fossil fuel burning power plants; is it at all understandable that they would want and allow irresponsible development and circumvention of the laws that protect our wildlife from harm on behalf of an industry that has already proven itself to be deadly to migratory birds, bats, eagles and other endangered species when built in wrong locations?
The American Wind Energy Association, backed by the Sierra Club, would have us believe that the sacrifice of eagles, birds and bats is a small price to pay in the face of global warming. But many people do not consider the sacrifice of endangered birds and bats a small price to pay for a source of alternative energy that would be made less deadly through responsible siting, planning, adherence to the laws and oversight from the authorities charged with protecting them.
As wind turbine numbers grow so do the dangers to birds and bats
Wind power is the fastest growing alternative energy source and along with it one of the fastest growing sources of death to birds and bats. It must be regulated and overseen by the authorities whose job it is to protect our endangered birds and wildlife.
Is your charitable contribution going to an environmental organization that supports irresponsible development and the circumvention of the laws over wildlife protection and using your name to essentially sign a death warrant for migratory birds, bats, eagles and endangered species?
If so, ask yourself if they are worthy of your support.
THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION
AMERICAN ZOO AND AQUARIUM ASSOCIATION
BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL
BIRD BANDING LABORATORY, THE NORTH AMERICAN BIRD BANDING PROGRAM, USGS
CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
ENDANGERED SPECIES INTERNATIONAL
THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES
IUCN - THE WORLD CONSERVATION UNION
INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE REHABILITATION COUNCIL
NATIONAL FISH & WILDLIFE FOUNDATION
NATIVE AMERICAN FISH & WILDLIFE SOCIETY
SEAWORLD & BUSCH GARDENSCONSERVATION FUND -
WORLD SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANIMALS
Click on this SITE for a list of Animal Rights and Animal Protection Organizations in every state and countries from around the world that might help us fight for the birds, endangered species and wildlife.
A list of your Senators, Congressmen, Governor amd State Legislators with their email-addresses can be found HERE
Please urge them to support Subtitle D of H.R. 2337 Title II Energy Bill as it was originally proposed by Congressman Rahall. This bill would direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to publish standards for siting, construction and monitoring of wind projects to mitigate the needless deaths of thousands of birds, bats, eagles and other endangered species by upholding and enforcing the laws that protect them.
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Comments: 34
thats a bit of a stretch(exxon valdez)
the wind industry and regulators should figure out a solution thats works for the industry and the birds
Joseph, I agree that the regulators and the wind industry should figure out a solution that works for the industry and the birds. I believe Senator Rahall's provision would have if the wind industry hadn't had such a knee-jerk response to it.
Its not the oil companies Devin,its the COAL companies! Hello! West Virginia! Theres only one way to make money in WV,coal.
"[T]he National Academy of Sciences recently concluded: "Clearly, bird deaths caused by wind turbines are a minute fraction of the total anthropogenic bird deaths - less than 0.003% in 2003 based on the estimates of Erickson et. al. (2005)." House cats kill more than 1000 times as many birds each year as wind turbines."
thats a group i do trust
"The mortality at wind farms is significant, because many of the species most impacted are already in decline and all sources of mortality contribute to the continuing decline."
"The wind energy industry has been constructing and operating wind projects for almost 25 years with little state and federal oversight. They have rejected as either too costly or unproven techniques recommended by NWCC" (and other avian experts) "to reduce bird deaths. The wind industry ignores the expertise of state energy staff and the knowledgeable advice of Fish and Wildlife Service employees on ways to reduce or avoid bird and wildlife impacts."
http://www.batcon.org/batsmag/viewArticle.asp?id=152&file=BATSFall05b.pdf&mid=19
btw, the coal industry would grind up and snort bats too if they thought it was to their advantage
This post isn't about the coal industry or any other for that matter. It is about the wind industry and the damage they are causing to endangered birds and bats and the fact that they do not want to be accountable with organizations like Sierra Club backing them up.
Its not, its an unfortunate side effect of the industry. I agree that it should be mitigated,just not with the coal industries hand in the process.
But back to your problem with photographic evidence.... If you are, for instance writing an article of the dangers of cars to young children crossing a highway and want to provide photographic evidence, do you believe you would find pictures of one child laying in the highway with others in sight? Such nonsense!
" less than 0.003% in 2003 based on the estimates of Erickson et. al. (2005)." House cats kill more than 1000 times as many birds each year as wind turbines."