Wind Farm Seeks Permit to KILL GOLDEN EAGLES

[jon_berzerk]

They do move air, as the air propels the turbines, they change the airflow around them. That is why the are set so far apart. There is a lot of turbulence, you might try going to a wind farm and get educated.

They do move air, as the air propels the turbines, they change the airflow around them.

certainly

Buildings do, in fact, alter wind flow, and present much larger obstacles for birds than windfarms (which is why so many birds are killed by them), so what, exactly, is your point here?

well well arnt you the rocket scientist

how vastly outnumbered the count of "buildings" is as compared to "windmills"

your number is useless

and does not alter the fact that windmills are wiping out a large number of birds

mostly the soaring birds such as eagles condors and vultures

which as video demonstrates use the lift to stay afloat and continue to soar

in pursuit of food

the birds benefit as well as a liability they (windmills) pose to the birds

 

[orogenicman]

They do move air, as the air propels the turbines, they change the airflow around them.

certainly

Buildings do, in fact, alter wind flow, and present much larger obstacles for birds than windfarms (which is why so many birds are killed by them), so what, exactly, is your point here?

well well arnt you the rocket scientist

how vastly outnumbered the count of "buildings" is as compared to "windmills"

your number is useless

and does not alter the fact that windmills are wiping out a large number of birds

mostly the soaring birds such as eagles condors and vultures

which as video demonstrates use the lift to stay afloat and continue to soar

in pursuit of food

the birds benefit as well as a liability they (windmills) pose to the birds

You really should go back in the thread and watch the NBC news report on those large bird kills, and what is being done about it. Yes, there are vastly more buildings than windmills, and ALWAYS WILL BE. And so they will ALWAYS kill many more birds than windmills. By the way, the number of condors being killed by windmills? None.

In fact,

Feds won't prosecute wind farm if turbine blades kill a condor - Los Angeles Times

The Fish and Wildlife Service believes that the likelihood of a condor being killed at the 153-megawatt project, a subsidiary of Terra-Gen Power, is low because site is outside the bird’s historic range and on the leeward slopes all but devoid of thermal updrafts the majestic scavengers with 10-foot wingspans need to gain altitude and soar.

Also, Terra-Gen plans to install a detection system designed to switch off its 456-foot-tall turbines when condors are spotted nearby. Terra-Gen voluntarily reduced the size of the project from 106 turbines to 51 spread across 4 square miles of mostly BLM land to minimize effects on wildlife, including golden eagles.

The detector is to include a telemetry system to track signals from radio transmitters attached to condors flying within 16 miles of the facility, radar to detect untagged birds and on-site biologists to report condor sightings. If a condor ventures within 2 miles, the speed of rotating turbine blades will be reduced from 150 mph to 15 mph within two minutes, and down to 3 mph a few minutes after that, Terra-Gen officials said.

“This project is leading the way in condor-avoidance systems,” said Randy Hoyle, head of wind and solar development for Terra-Gen. “But if there were a strike, there would be serious repercussions for us including an immediate halt to daytime operations and required development of additional measures to avoid further threats."

**************
So, unlike other parts of the energy sector, the windfarms are being proactive instead of ignoring the problem or waiting until there is one.

 

[Mr. H.]

In an ideal world, there would be no risk at all to producing energy. Unfortunately, we don't live in that world. But the risks associated with most alternative energy sources are demonstrably less than those associated with traditional energy sources. Let's give a clue here - that is one of the reasons why they are the alternatives, one of the reasons why we are gravitating towards those sources and away from traditional sources.

Ahhh... ok. So when a hydrocarbon-producing facility is deemed culpable for the death of a bird, they are fined tens of thousands of dollars.

Yet, wind turbine operations merely need apply for a permit to kill the same-said birds.

Gosh that's peachy.

You'll have to show me evidence that petroleum facilities are getting fined far and wide for bird deaths because I conducted environmental assessments and investigations of such facilities throughout the 1990s and 2000s and never saw bird kills as a serious compliance issue at any except at certain facilities such as oil and wastewater pits. Moreover, even if bird deaths was the only issue with energy production, the traditional sources are still the greater risk. But bird deaths are a small fraction of the overall environmental risk associated with energy production. Windfarms do not pollute the surface or the subsurface, and do not emit air pollutants. In contrast, petroleum facilities are among the most polluting facilities on the planet. Coal is the worst offender of them all, because at every stage from mining/production to energy conversion at the power plant, to ash disposal, the environmental costs are enormous and long lasting. The mining scars are a permanent blight on the landscape as well as local and regional ecosystems despite efforts at mitigation.

Which do you see as more destructive?

This?

Or this?

Here's a tar-sands operation after remediation:

Here's another "after" picture:

 

[PMZ]

The two biggest causes of bird deaths are cats and buildings. I don't hear a single whiner worried about either cause. That makes the whining here disingenuous. Conservatives are completely committed to putting of the consequences of their energy glutinous lives on others. Other countries, other generations, other times. Because that is completely irrational, they are left with denying science and disingenuous whining as their only rationale.

 

[orogenicman]

Ahhh... ok. So when a hydrocarbon-producing facility is deemed culpable for the death of a bird, they are fined tens of thousands of dollars.

Yet, wind turbine operations merely need apply for a permit to kill the same-said birds.

Gosh that's peachy.

You'll have to show me evidence that petroleum facilities are getting fined far and wide for bird deaths because I conducted environmental assessments and investigations of such facilities throughout the 1990s and 2000s and never saw bird kills as a serious compliance issue at any except at certain facilities such as oil and wastewater pits. Moreover, even if bird deaths was the only issue with energy production, the traditional sources are still the greater risk. But bird deaths are a small fraction of the overall environmental risk associated with energy production. Windfarms do not pollute the surface or the subsurface, and do not emit air pollutants. In contrast, petroleum facilities are among the most polluting facilities on the planet. Coal is the worst offender of them all, because at every stage from mining/production to energy conversion at the power plant, to ash disposal, the environmental costs are enormous and long lasting. The mining scars are a permanent blight on the landscape as well as local and regional ecosystems despite efforts at mitigation.

Which do you see as more destructive?

This?

Or this?

Here's a tar-sands operation after remediation:

Here's another "after" picture:

Ahem, what environmental damage, exactly, was caused by a frying generator? As for your "remediated oil sands operation":

Does the Technology Exist to Clean Up Oil Sands Tailing Ponds? | IMT Green & Clean Journal

Such tailings comprise a major component of what Dembicki says are “176 square kilometers of liquid toxic waste stored in ponds across Northern Alberta.”

So what is in these "tailings"?

large volumes of contaminated water, sands, clays, residual hydrocarbons - mostly carcenogenic PAHs, heavy metals, naphtha diluents, and naphthenic acids

I added the underlined parts.

Finally, I note that you didn't actually address the issue I raised:

"You'll have to show me evidence that petroleum facilities are getting fined far and wide for bird deaths"

 

[westwall]

Saigon is right. Wind farms are not and never have been a significant cause of death among avian species. The small number of birds killed by wind farms is not a show stopper. Sorry deniers, but these are the facts.

\




Bullshit, of all MANMADE sources they are probably the number one killer. You make the claim that buildings kill more than windmills but there is little eveidence for that. However, if it were true, then the fact that there are at least 10,000,000 buildings for every windmill might have some bearing on the subject.

You propagandists are expert at ignoring significant facts like that after all.

So, in other words windmills kill far more birds and bats ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, than any other man made structure.

I never made such a claim, so perhaps you should check who you are responding to before you post such unsubstantiated drivel.

But lets check the facts. shall we?

Wind farms are a threat to bird populations ? and their harmful effect on bird populations is only getting worse as more wind farms are built. | Energy Fact Check

◾In 2007, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that wind energy is responsible for less than 0.003% of (3 of every 100,000) bird deaths caused by human (and feline) activities. (Source: National Academy of Sciences, http://bit.ly/NuJjHx)

◾Non-renewable energy sources “pose higher risks to wildlife” than renewable sources. Coal – which wind directly replaces – “is by far the largest contributor” to wildlife risks, according to researchers (Source: New York State Research and Development Authority, http://bit.ly/MLUtb7)

◾ According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wind energy is not even close to being a leading cause of mortality with respect to birds. In fact, 2 million birds are killed annually in oil and wastewater pits, at least 60 million are killed every year by vehicles and up to 900 million birds are killed each year by building window strikes. (Source: U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service, http://1.usa.gov/bZFrr)

◾The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has also said that the 440,000 bird deaths often attributed to the division are not considered official agency statistics, and the actual number is likely much lower. (Source: PolitiFact, PolitiFact | Lamar Alexander's wind claim: Is it for the birds?)

◾Repowering of old turbines in Altamont Canyon, California, site of the most conflicts between wind turbines and birds (golden eagles in particular), has reduced collisions by around 80 percent. (Source: NBC Nightly News, [ame=http://youtu.be/RpGxrcvf_0I]NBC NEWS Wind Turbines Kill American Eagles - YouTube[/ame])

◾The wind industry has a long history of proactively collaborating with the environmental community to address impacts and protect wildlife via groups like the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, the American Wind Wildlife Institute and the National Audubon Society. (Source: Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative (BWEC))

Long is debatable, effective they clearly are NOT.

"Research by raptor experts for the California Energy Commission indicates that the facility’s turbines kill more than 1,000 birds of prey from 40 different species each year, violating federal and state wildlife protection laws such as the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and several California Fish and Game Code provisions. According to wind-industry reports, the fiasco at Altamont Pass has also hampered wind power development as unresolved concerns about impacts on birds cause other wind facilities’ construction to be delayed or operations to be discontinued."

"In December 2010, the California Attorney General’s Office announced a settlement agreement with the largest energy company at Altamont Pass, involving about 2,400 of the 5,400 turbines and requiring “repowering” or replacing old turbines with fewer and more efficient turbines by 2015. The new turbines will cover less geographic area and will be sited in less risky areas for birds, according to guidelines established by scientists. Scientists caution that because of the location of the wind farm, bird kills will likely continue even at repowered turbines, so the company will make mitigation payments to local land-protection agencies to protect nearby raptor habitat and will implement a monitoring and adaptive-management plan to modify future operations in problem areas. The repowering under the agreement is a positive step and a fairly good model for what should happen throughout the wind farm, and the involvement of the attorney general is a welcome development. But the settlement covers fewer than half the turbines that need to be replaced. The Center will keep a close watch on the energy companies and the county to ensure that agreements are kept, and we’ll continue to advocate for the best bird protection possible."
Protecting birds of prey at Altamont Pass


"A January 2007 settlement agreement intended to reduce the number of bird deaths from wind turbines at Altamont Pass, California is failing, scientists report. As a result, environmental groups are calling for additional restrictions on wind power generation at the nation's largest wind farm. ...Many of the affected bird species are protected by state and federal laws. Some of the birds killed are protected by federal laws so stringent they do not allow the taking or killing of even a single member of the species. Wind farm critics say the failure to enforce federal wildlife protection laws in the Altamont wind farm case is a result of environmentalists' pressure for wind power."

WindAction | Altamont Pass Settlement Fails to Reduce Bird Kills


Wind turbine-caused raptor mortality was greater at the APWRA than at any other wind farm in the world, based on published reports. We estimated bird mortality caused by wind turbine collisions at the APWRA to be…about 22,000 to 44,000 birds over the past 20 years of wind turbine operations.”

“Twenty-nine Golden Eagle incidents over an approximately three year period, in an area of about 50 square miles, should be considered an unacceptable level of accidental mortality. This is particularly significant with a species, like the Golden Eagle, which breeds in very low densities, has a low reproductive rate, has suffered population declines throughout its range in California and elsewhere, and is considered uncommon and a species of special concern in California.”

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org...irds_of_prey_at_altamont_pass/pdfs/quotes.pdf


Wind Turbines Continue To Kill Birds

Wind Turbines Continue To Kill Birds. Category: Public Comment from The Berkeley Daily Planet


And on and on... They simply have not done what they promised to do.

 

[jon_berzerk]

Buildings do, in fact, alter wind flow, and present much larger obstacles for birds than windfarms (which is why so many birds are killed by them), so what, exactly, is your point here?

well well arnt you the rocket scientist

how vastly outnumbered the count of "buildings" is as compared to "windmills"

your number is useless

and does not alter the fact that windmills are wiping out a large number of birds

mostly the soaring birds such as eagles condors and vultures

which as video demonstrates use the lift to stay afloat and continue to soar

in pursuit of food

the birds benefit as well as a liability they (windmills) pose to the birds

You really should go back in the thread and watch the NBC news report on those large bird kills, and what is being done about it. Yes, there are vastly more buildings than windmills, and ALWAYS WILL BE. And so they will ALWAYS kill many more birds than windmills. By the way, the number of condors being killed by windmills? None.

In fact,

Feds won't prosecute wind farm if turbine blades kill a condor - Los Angeles Times

The Fish and Wildlife Service believes that the likelihood of a condor being killed at the 153-megawatt project, a subsidiary of Terra-Gen Power, is low because site is outside the bird’s historic range and on the leeward slopes all but devoid of thermal updrafts the majestic scavengers with 10-foot wingspans need to gain altitude and soar.

Also, Terra-Gen plans to install a detection system designed to switch off its 456-foot-tall turbines when condors are spotted nearby. Terra-Gen voluntarily reduced the size of the project from 106 turbines to 51 spread across 4 square miles of mostly BLM land to minimize effects on wildlife, including golden eagles.

The detector is to include a telemetry system to track signals from radio transmitters attached to condors flying within 16 miles of the facility, radar to detect untagged birds and on-site biologists to report condor sightings. If a condor ventures within 2 miles, the speed of rotating turbine blades will be reduced from 150 mph to 15 mph within two minutes, and down to 3 mph a few minutes after that, Terra-Gen officials said.

“This project is leading the way in condor-avoidance systems,” said Randy Hoyle, head of wind and solar development for Terra-Gen. “But if there were a strike, there would be serious repercussions for us including an immediate halt to daytime operations and required development of additional measures to avoid further threats."

**************
So, unlike other parts of the energy sector, the windfarms are being proactive instead of ignoring the problem or waiting until there is one.

Wildlife Service believes that the likelihood of a condor being killed at the 153-megawatt project, a subsidiary of Terra-Gen Power, is low

your article says low not non existent

if it is non exitent why would they have to seek a permit to not get sued if they did kill one

one other thing according to your article

the company sees it like i do

that the more windmills there are the higher number of birds including eagles

will be killed by the windmills

so they cut the number of sites in 1/2

one other interesting tidbit in the article

is that when condors get close (but that cant happen right --LOL)

the company will turn off the turbines

 

[PMZ]

Do you suppose that the conservative concern for killing birds will result in Tea Party Congress members proposing outlawing Thanksgiving?

 

[jon_berzerk]

Do you suppose that the conservative concern for killing birds will result in Tea Party Congress members proposing outlawing Thanksgiving?

why would they

 

[orogenicman]

\




Bullshit, of all MANMADE sources they are probably the number one killer. You make the claim that buildings kill more than windmills but there is little eveidence for that. However, if it were true, then the fact that there are at least 10,000,000 buildings for every windmill might have some bearing on the subject.

You propagandists are expert at ignoring significant facts like that after all.

So, in other words windmills kill far more birds and bats ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, than any other man made structure.

I never made such a claim, so perhaps you should check who you are responding to before you post such unsubstantiated drivel.

But lets check the facts. shall we?

Wind farms are a threat to bird populations ? and their harmful effect on bird populations is only getting worse as more wind farms are built. | Energy Fact Check

◾In 2007, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that wind energy is responsible for less than 0.003% of (3 of every 100,000) bird deaths caused by human (and feline) activities. (Source: National Academy of Sciences, http://bit.ly/NuJjHx)

◾Non-renewable energy sources “pose higher risks to wildlife” than renewable sources. Coal – which wind directly replaces – “is by far the largest contributor” to wildlife risks, according to researchers (Source: New York State Research and Development Authority, http://bit.ly/MLUtb7)

◾ According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wind energy is not even close to being a leading cause of mortality with respect to birds. In fact, 2 million birds are killed annually in oil and wastewater pits, at least 60 million are killed every year by vehicles and up to 900 million birds are killed each year by building window strikes. (Source: U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service, http://1.usa.gov/bZFrr)

◾The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has also said that the 440,000 bird deaths often attributed to the division are not considered official agency statistics, and the actual number is likely much lower. (Source: PolitiFact, PolitiFact | Lamar Alexander's wind claim: Is it for the birds?)

◾Repowering of old turbines in Altamont Canyon, California, site of the most conflicts between wind turbines and birds (golden eagles in particular), has reduced collisions by around 80 percent. (Source: NBC Nightly News, [ame=http://youtu.be/RpGxrcvf_0I]NBC NEWS Wind Turbines Kill American Eagles - YouTube[/ame])

◾The wind industry has a long history of proactively collaborating with the environmental community to address impacts and protect wildlife via groups like the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, the American Wind Wildlife Institute and the National Audubon Society. (Source: Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative (BWEC))

Long is debatable, effective they clearly are NOT.

"Research by raptor experts for the California Energy Commission indicates that the facility’s turbines kill more than 1,000 birds of prey from 40 different species each year, violating federal and state wildlife protection laws such as the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and several California Fish and Game Code provisions. According to wind-industry reports, the fiasco at Altamont Pass has also hampered wind power development as unresolved concerns about impacts on birds cause other wind facilities’ construction to be delayed or operations to be discontinued."

"In December 2010, the California Attorney General’s Office announced a settlement agreement with the largest energy company at Altamont Pass, involving about 2,400 of the 5,400 turbines and requiring “repowering” or replacing old turbines with fewer and more efficient turbines by 2015. The new turbines will cover less geographic area and will be sited in less risky areas for birds, according to guidelines established by scientists. Scientists caution that because of the location of the wind farm, bird kills will likely continue even at repowered turbines, so the company will make mitigation payments to local land-protection agencies to protect nearby raptor habitat and will implement a monitoring and adaptive-management plan to modify future operations in problem areas. The repowering under the agreement is a positive step and a fairly good model for what should happen throughout the wind farm, and the involvement of the attorney general is a welcome development. But the settlement covers fewer than half the turbines that need to be replaced. The Center will keep a close watch on the energy companies and the county to ensure that agreements are kept, and we’ll continue to advocate for the best bird protection possible."
Protecting birds of prey at Altamont Pass


"A January 2007 settlement agreement intended to reduce the number of bird deaths from wind turbines at Altamont Pass, California is failing, scientists report. As a result, environmental groups are calling for additional restrictions on wind power generation at the nation's largest wind farm. ...Many of the affected bird species are protected by state and federal laws. Some of the birds killed are protected by federal laws so stringent they do not allow the taking or killing of even a single member of the species. Wind farm critics say the failure to enforce federal wildlife protection laws in the Altamont wind farm case is a result of environmentalists' pressure for wind power."

WindAction | Altamont Pass Settlement Fails to Reduce Bird Kills


Wind turbine-caused raptor mortality was greater at the APWRA than at any other wind farm in the world, based on published reports. We estimated bird mortality caused by wind turbine collisions at the APWRA to be…about 22,000 to 44,000 birds over the past 20 years of wind turbine operations.”

“Twenty-nine Golden Eagle incidents over an approximately three year period, in an area of about 50 square miles, should be considered an unacceptable level of accidental mortality. This is particularly significant with a species, like the Golden Eagle, which breeds in very low densities, has a low reproductive rate, has suffered population declines throughout its range in California and elsewhere, and is considered uncommon and a species of special concern in California.”

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org...irds_of_prey_at_altamont_pass/pdfs/quotes.pdf


Wind Turbines Continue To Kill Birds

Wind Turbines Continue To Kill Birds. Category: Public Comment from The Berkeley Daily Planet


And on and on... They simply have not done what they promised to do.

Buildings and cats continue to kill birds, but the Republicans don't care!

See how ridiculous your large fonted rant looks?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpGxrcvf_0I&feature=player_embedded]NBC NEWS Wind Turbines Kill American Eagles - YouTube[/ame]

 

[PMZ]

Do you suppose that the conservative concern for killing birds will result in Tea Party Congress members proposing outlawing Thanksgiving?

why would they

Do you know how many birds die in the lead up to Thanksgiving?????

 

[Mr. H.]

I don't have to do jack shit.

In 2009 Exxon was fined $7,000 per bird, yet the wind industry is allowed to apply for permits to kill bald eagles???

 

[jon_berzerk]

I don't have to do jack shit.

In 2009 Exxon was fined $7,000 per bird, yet the wind industry is allowed to apply for permits to kill bald eagles???

in 2011 seven North Dakota oil companies charged in federal court

with the deaths of 28 migratory birds

 

[jon_berzerk]

I never made such a claim, so perhaps you should check who you are responding to before you post such unsubstantiated drivel.

But lets check the facts. shall we?

Wind farms are a threat to bird populations ? and their harmful effect on bird populations is only getting worse as more wind farms are built. | Energy Fact Check

◾In 2007, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that wind energy is responsible for less than 0.003% of (3 of every 100,000) bird deaths caused by human (and feline) activities. (Source: National Academy of Sciences, http://bit.ly/NuJjHx)

◾Non-renewable energy sources “pose higher risks to wildlife” than renewable sources. Coal – which wind directly replaces – “is by far the largest contributor” to wildlife risks, according to researchers (Source: New York State Research and Development Authority, http://bit.ly/MLUtb7)

◾ According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wind energy is not even close to being a leading cause of mortality with respect to birds. In fact, 2 million birds are killed annually in oil and wastewater pits, at least 60 million are killed every year by vehicles and up to 900 million birds are killed each year by building window strikes. (Source: U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service, http://1.usa.gov/bZFrr)

◾The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has also said that the 440,000 bird deaths often attributed to the division are not considered official agency statistics, and the actual number is likely much lower. (Source: PolitiFact, PolitiFact | Lamar Alexander's wind claim: Is it for the birds?)

◾Repowering of old turbines in Altamont Canyon, California, site of the most conflicts between wind turbines and birds (golden eagles in particular), has reduced collisions by around 80 percent. (Source: NBC Nightly News, NBC NEWS Wind Turbines Kill American Eagles - YouTube)

◾The wind industry has a long history of proactively collaborating with the environmental community to address impacts and protect wildlife via groups like the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, the American Wind Wildlife Institute and the National Audubon Society. (Source: Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative (BWEC))

Long is debatable, effective they clearly are NOT.

"Research by raptor experts for the California Energy Commission indicates that the facility’s turbines kill more than 1,000 birds of prey from 40 different species each year, violating federal and state wildlife protection laws such as the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and several California Fish and Game Code provisions. According to wind-industry reports, the fiasco at Altamont Pass has also hampered wind power development as unresolved concerns about impacts on birds cause other wind facilities’ construction to be delayed or operations to be discontinued."

"In December 2010, the California Attorney General’s Office announced a settlement agreement with the largest energy company at Altamont Pass, involving about 2,400 of the 5,400 turbines and requiring “repowering” or replacing old turbines with fewer and more efficient turbines by 2015. The new turbines will cover less geographic area and will be sited in less risky areas for birds, according to guidelines established by scientists. Scientists caution that because of the location of the wind farm, bird kills will likely continue even at repowered turbines, so the company will make mitigation payments to local land-protection agencies to protect nearby raptor habitat and will implement a monitoring and adaptive-management plan to modify future operations in problem areas. The repowering under the agreement is a positive step and a fairly good model for what should happen throughout the wind farm, and the involvement of the attorney general is a welcome development. But the settlement covers fewer than half the turbines that need to be replaced. The Center will keep a close watch on the energy companies and the county to ensure that agreements are kept, and we’ll continue to advocate for the best bird protection possible."
Protecting birds of prey at Altamont Pass


"A January 2007 settlement agreement intended to reduce the number of bird deaths from wind turbines at Altamont Pass, California is failing, scientists report. As a result, environmental groups are calling for additional restrictions on wind power generation at the nation's largest wind farm. ...Many of the affected bird species are protected by state and federal laws. Some of the birds killed are protected by federal laws so stringent they do not allow the taking or killing of even a single member of the species. Wind farm critics say the failure to enforce federal wildlife protection laws in the Altamont wind farm case is a result of environmentalists' pressure for wind power."

WindAction | Altamont Pass Settlement Fails to Reduce Bird Kills


Wind turbine-caused raptor mortality was greater at the APWRA than at any other wind farm in the world, based on published reports. We estimated bird mortality caused by wind turbine collisions at the APWRA to be…about 22,000 to 44,000 birds over the past 20 years of wind turbine operations.”

“Twenty-nine Golden Eagle incidents over an approximately three year period, in an area of about 50 square miles, should be considered an unacceptable level of accidental mortality. This is particularly significant with a species, like the Golden Eagle, which breeds in very low densities, has a low reproductive rate, has suffered population declines throughout its range in California and elsewhere, and is considered uncommon and a species of special concern in California.”

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org...irds_of_prey_at_altamont_pass/pdfs/quotes.pdf


Wind Turbines Continue To Kill Birds

Wind Turbines Continue To Kill Birds. Category: Public Comment from The Berkeley Daily Planet


And on and on... They simply have not done what they promised to do.

Buildings and cats continue to kill birds, but the Republicans don't care!

See how ridiculous your large fonted rant looks?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpGxrcvf_0I&feature=player_embedded]NBC NEWS Wind Turbines Kill American Eagles - YouTube[/ame]

cats continue to kill birds, but the Republicans don't care!

i do everything on part

to insure that any domestic cat

running in the wild is eliminated

 

[orogenicman]

The fact is that windfarms killing birds is a tiny fraction of the issue of bird deaths due to human causes, and yet you people single out windfarms to the exclusion of every other cause. How many birds are killed by gun owners, for instance? You deniers are desperate to try to use such an issue to stop the use of alternative energy.

 

[westwall]

I never made such a claim, so perhaps you should check who you are responding to before you post such unsubstantiated drivel.

But lets check the facts. shall we?

Wind farms are a threat to bird populations ? and their harmful effect on bird populations is only getting worse as more wind farms are built. | Energy Fact Check

◾In 2007, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that wind energy is responsible for less than 0.003% of (3 of every 100,000) bird deaths caused by human (and feline) activities. (Source: National Academy of Sciences, http://bit.ly/NuJjHx)

◾Non-renewable energy sources “pose higher risks to wildlife” than renewable sources. Coal – which wind directly replaces – “is by far the largest contributor” to wildlife risks, according to researchers (Source: New York State Research and Development Authority, http://bit.ly/MLUtb7)

◾ According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wind energy is not even close to being a leading cause of mortality with respect to birds. In fact, 2 million birds are killed annually in oil and wastewater pits, at least 60 million are killed every year by vehicles and up to 900 million birds are killed each year by building window strikes. (Source: U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service, http://1.usa.gov/bZFrr)

◾The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has also said that the 440,000 bird deaths often attributed to the division are not considered official agency statistics, and the actual number is likely much lower. (Source: PolitiFact, PolitiFact | Lamar Alexander's wind claim: Is it for the birds?)

◾Repowering of old turbines in Altamont Canyon, California, site of the most conflicts between wind turbines and birds (golden eagles in particular), has reduced collisions by around 80 percent. (Source: NBC Nightly News, NBC NEWS Wind Turbines Kill American Eagles - YouTube)

◾The wind industry has a long history of proactively collaborating with the environmental community to address impacts and protect wildlife via groups like the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, the American Wind Wildlife Institute and the National Audubon Society. (Source: Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative (BWEC))

Long is debatable, effective they clearly are NOT.

"Research by raptor experts for the California Energy Commission indicates that the facility’s turbines kill more than 1,000 birds of prey from 40 different species each year, violating federal and state wildlife protection laws such as the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and several California Fish and Game Code provisions. According to wind-industry reports, the fiasco at Altamont Pass has also hampered wind power development as unresolved concerns about impacts on birds cause other wind facilities’ construction to be delayed or operations to be discontinued."

"In December 2010, the California Attorney General’s Office announced a settlement agreement with the largest energy company at Altamont Pass, involving about 2,400 of the 5,400 turbines and requiring “repowering” or replacing old turbines with fewer and more efficient turbines by 2015. The new turbines will cover less geographic area and will be sited in less risky areas for birds, according to guidelines established by scientists. Scientists caution that because of the location of the wind farm, bird kills will likely continue even at repowered turbines, so the company will make mitigation payments to local land-protection agencies to protect nearby raptor habitat and will implement a monitoring and adaptive-management plan to modify future operations in problem areas. The repowering under the agreement is a positive step and a fairly good model for what should happen throughout the wind farm, and the involvement of the attorney general is a welcome development. But the settlement covers fewer than half the turbines that need to be replaced. The Center will keep a close watch on the energy companies and the county to ensure that agreements are kept, and we’ll continue to advocate for the best bird protection possible."
Protecting birds of prey at Altamont Pass


"A January 2007 settlement agreement intended to reduce the number of bird deaths from wind turbines at Altamont Pass, California is failing, scientists report. As a result, environmental groups are calling for additional restrictions on wind power generation at the nation's largest wind farm. ...Many of the affected bird species are protected by state and federal laws. Some of the birds killed are protected by federal laws so stringent they do not allow the taking or killing of even a single member of the species. Wind farm critics say the failure to enforce federal wildlife protection laws in the Altamont wind farm case is a result of environmentalists' pressure for wind power."

WindAction | Altamont Pass Settlement Fails to Reduce Bird Kills


Wind turbine-caused raptor mortality was greater at the APWRA than at any other wind farm in the world, based on published reports. We estimated bird mortality caused by wind turbine collisions at the APWRA to be…about 22,000 to 44,000 birds over the past 20 years of wind turbine operations.”

“Twenty-nine Golden Eagle incidents over an approximately three year period, in an area of about 50 square miles, should be considered an unacceptable level of accidental mortality. This is particularly significant with a species, like the Golden Eagle, which breeds in very low densities, has a low reproductive rate, has suffered population declines throughout its range in California and elsewhere, and is considered uncommon and a species of special concern in California.”

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org...irds_of_prey_at_altamont_pass/pdfs/quotes.pdf


Wind Turbines Continue To Kill Birds

Wind Turbines Continue To Kill Birds. Category: Public Comment from The Berkeley Daily Planet


And on and on... They simply have not done what they promised to do.

Buildings and cats continue to kill birds, but the Republicans don't care!

See how ridiculous your large fonted rant looks?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpGxrcvf_0I&feature=player_embedded]NBC NEWS Wind Turbines Kill American Eagles - YouTube[/ame]

Show me a building that kills a Golden Eagle every year asshat. Golden Eagles are endangered and they breed slowly so if you want to see a species driven to extinction (like you always claim is happening) keep using them. We have documented proof of the bird kill in the Altamont which has seen a 50% reduction in the Gold Eagle population in 20 years.

If it were an oil company you would be screaming to the high heavens but because you are just an olfraud lite you are simply a green tech whore who would poison your neighbors just like your creator for a fucking buck.

Hypocritical asshole.

 

[westwall]

The fact is that windfarms killing birds is a tiny fraction of the issue of bird deaths due to human causes, and yet you people single out windfarms to the exclusion of every other cause. How many birds are killed by gun owners, for instance? You deniers are desperate to try to use such an issue to stop the use of alternative energy.

Because wind turbines are THE primary source of man caused death for endangered species you incompetent fool. Sparrows aren't exactly endangered are they? When's the last time you saw a cat kill a red tailed hawk? When's the last time you saw a building leap out and kill an endangered bat? Hmmm?

The fact is if you want to drive the various raptor species to extinction then the windmill is the perfect weapon to do it.

PROVE ME WRONG!

 

[orogenicman]

No sir, golden eagles are not endangered:

United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species of mammals and birds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They are, however, a protected species, and as the NBC video showed, every effort is being made to protect them.

 

[PMZ]

From http://www.popularmechanics.com/_mobile/science/environment/green-energy/4222351

''From the gravel parking lot in front of SeaWest Windpower's modest headquarters, I can see an olio of early turbine designs: 40- and 65-kilowatt models supported by metal lattices, 100-kw models atop tubular concrete towers. Some of the turbines are on mechanical yaw systems; others turn on simple ball bearings. Some have fat, rectangular blades; others are smoother, like butter knives. A few are missing blades altogether.''

''By checking 600 of these turbines every day (and many more on other companies's sites), Smallwood was able to identify the deadliest offenders: turbines on the ends of rows that sit low in valleys, where there are draws; that stand alone; or that are spaced far enough apart to create enticing gaps for birds. In Alameda County, companies must take down or relocate 7 percent of such turbines; in combination with other measures, this should reduce avian mortality by 50 percent in three years.''

''Perhaps more important, though, this research provides guidelines as to how farms can be built to reduce bird kills in the future, making wind power and wildlife more compatible concepts.''

One of the problems that conservatives typically exhibit is the inability to solve problems. Fortunately, if they just keep out of the way, liberals step in and make progress solving them.

 

[Mr. H.]

I don't have to do jack shit.

In 2009 Exxon was fined $7,000 per bird, yet the wind industry is allowed to apply for permits to kill bald eagles???

in 2011 seven North Dakota oil companies charged in federal court

with the deaths of 28 migratory birds

Yet the federal government not only promotes the wanton slaughter by wind farms, they intend to issue fucking permits. This is rich, Jerry. RICH!