Posted on 05/19/2023 7:14:54 PM PDT by grundle
BILLINGS, Mont. — A wind energy company was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay more than $8 million in fines and restitution after at least 150 eagles were killed over the past decade at its wind farms in eight states, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
NextEra Energy subsidiary ESI Energy pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act during a Tuesday court appearance in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was charged in the deaths of eagles at three of its wind farms in Wyoming and New Mexico.
In addition to those deaths, golden and bald eagles were killed at wind farms affiliated with ESI and NextEra since 2012 in eight states, prosecutors said: Wyoming, California, New Mexico, North Dakota, Colorado, Michigan, Arizona and Illinois. The birds are killed when they fly into the blades of wind turbines. Some ESI turbines killed multiple eagles, prosecutors said.
It’s illegal to kill or harm eagles under federal law.
No, I was merely inviting our federal monitors to take appropriate action.
And someone else thinks I am minimizing bird deaths, downplaying the importance.
Can’t please anyone.
We must include the number of bird chicks that die as a result of parents not returning to the nest to feed chicks.
We must include the number of bird chicks that die as a result of parents not returning to the nest to feed chicks.
Eagles are directly protected under two Federal laws: the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
These laws generally prohibit the possession, use, and sale of eagle feathers and parts as well as a number of other activities.
Example:
“No person - including Native Americans — may kill or capture eagles without a permit from the [Fish and Wildlife] Service.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/science/bird-populations-america-canada.html
Here is an article estimating that the wild bird population in the US has declined from 10 billion to 7 billion from 1970 to present. 3 billion decline divided by 50 years is a loss of 60 million per year. Not good at all, but 800,000 per year from wind turbines is a small factor. Grassland birds hardest hit, but their numbers were going down before turbines were common.
I don’t like turbines, their unnatural alien rotation on hilltops. Forests cut down for the balsa, giant blades buried acre by acre when they break, fiberglass in soil.
The greens act like there is no environmental cost to what they call green. The government mandates renewable energy and fines companies for the inevitable consequences of the industry.
Might as well mandate a count on every salamander scraped up in a strip mine, but they don’t. Or every bird killed logging an overseas balsa forest, but they don’t.
#16 Birds get cuisinarted the barbecued.
It’s been shown they could avoid most bird strikes by painting one blade black. The contrast makes it easier for the birds to see and avoid.
But it’s probably cheaper to pay the pittance fine.
I hate windmills.
Where are the enviro jerks NOW??
If I killed a goose out of season I would be put in jail.
Shut them down
Ha! BTW … they are planning a ‘solar farm’ in Ohio!! … which has to be the state with the LEAST sunshine days of any state in the country!
Not to mention tons and tons of other birds.
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Or the millions of tons of bats which help keep insects under control
Bats get killed also. My friends grandson has a job counting dead bats at wind farms.
Utopia with out a mask
Unreal!!
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