Posted on 04/06/2022 10:34:22 AM PDT by george76
A U.S. wind power developer pleaded guilty to multiple violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act after its wind turbine blades allegedly killed more than 135 bald and golden eagles across the country.
The company, ESI Energy, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of violations in the form of golden eagle deaths. Prosecutors said the birds were documented to have been killed by blunt force trauma after being struck by its wind turbine blades at its facilities in Wyoming or New Mexico, where ESI had not applied for the necessary permits.
As part of the settlement, ESI “acknowledged that at least 150 bald and golden eagles have died in total” at its 50 U.S. facilities since 2012, federal prosecutors said, including at least 136 deaths that were “affirmatively determined to be attributable to the eagle being struck by a wind turbine blade.”
As part of its plea deal, ESI also agreed to pay a hefty settlement, which includes nearly $1.9 million in fines, $6.2 million in restitution, and an additional fee of up to $27 million, payable over the next five years, to help mitigate future eagle deaths at its facilities.
...
ESI is also tasked with applying for federal permits at each of its 50 facilities across the U.S. where future bald or golden eagle deaths have been documented or are otherwise predicted.
Bald and golden eagles are currently protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits the killing and wounding of eagles without permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has a long history of working closely with the wind power industry to identify best practices in avoiding and minimizing the impacts of land-based wind energy facilities on wildlife, including eagles,” said Edward Grace, assistant director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement.
This agreement holds ESI and its affiliates accountable for years of unwillingness to work cooperatively with the Service and their blatant disregard of wildlife laws, and finally marks a path forward for the benefit of eagles and other wildlife resources entrusted to the Service’s stewardship," Grace added.
So the problem is that they didn’t pay in advance for a bird-killing permit?
It's OK, it's Green Energy or Die, anyway.
That’s what it sounds like. But if this is a known flyway, they may not have gotten the permits if they applied (?)
Lol. Government. Encouraging companies to do things and then punishing them for doing it. Kafka is validated again.
in a related story, a new restaurant called Endangered Delicacies has opened with a wide range of grilled eagle and pulled eagle sandwiches.
The Greenies have always shouted “Where’s the evidence?”....
He strangled them with his bare hands, and then there is the issue of other birds going through the bird shredders
....But at least they are not oil derricks or pump jacks, because that would be unsightly. /s
...green energy... /s
Tons of useless wind turbine blades dumped in landfills... Funny, no one seemed to consider what to do with the massive amount of wind turbine blades once they reached the end of their 20 year lifespan... not-recyclable.. not renewable..
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3776614/posts
So, it’s OK for a wind turbine company to get a permit to kill eagles with their windmills, but if you or I pick up a bald eagle feather off the ground and take it home, we are in deep doo-doo.
Killed more than DDT!
“As part of its plea deal, ESI also agreed to pay a hefty settlement, which includes nearly $1.9 million in fines, $6.2 million in restitution”
Restitution to who? The family of the dead bald eagles?
They’ll use the EPA on everyone except the “green energy” players.
A guy is caught by a ranger eating a Bald Eagle and is consequently put in jail for the crime. On the day of his trial, the conversation went something like this:
Judge: "Do you know that eating a Bald Eagle is a federal offense?"
Man: "Yes, I did. But if you let me argue my case, I'll explain what happened."
Judge: "Proceed."
Man: "I got lost in the woods. I hadn't had anything to eat for two weeks. I was so hungry. Next thing I see is a Bald Eagle swooping down at the lake for some fish. I knew that if I followed the eagle I could maybe steal the fish. Unfortunately, in the process of taking the fish I killed the eagle. I figured that since I killed the eagle I might as well eat it since it would be more disgraceful to let it rot on the ground."
Judge: "The court will take a recess while we analyze your testimony."
15 minutes goes by and the judge returns.
Judge: "Due to the extreme circumstance you were under and because you didn't intend to kill the eagle, the court will dismiss the charges. But if you don't mind the court asking, what does a Bald Eagle taste like?"
Man: "Well, your honor, it is hard to explain. The best I can describe it is maybe kind of between a California Condor and a Spotted Owl."
So, then:
It is Ok to kill bald eagles if you’re serving ‘green’ and have the coin.
Got it.
/s
135 bald and golden eagles are simply collateral damage and simply part of the price of the road to Utopia.
National Symbol? Doesn’t matter when we are talking about a Green New Utopia where everything is free. A place where we will have lemonade springs, big rock candy mountains and the cops will all have wooden legs so the looting will be easy.
SHEESH what a scam! Demand wind energy, then fine wind energy producers for doing what everyone knew woudl happen- birds dead- $$$ going into the pockets of those that demand wind energy-
A company planted a Solar Panel Farm near me and it is HUGE! I often wonder when driving by what is happening to the surrounding area and land now that all the sun’s energy is being lost to the panels. There is no free lunch so the cost or fallout of these panels will become self evident in the future.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.