….as the bird carcasses pile up—two more dead golden eagles were recently found at the Pine Tree wind project in Southern California’s Kern County, bringing the number of eagle carcasses at that site to eight—the wind industry’s unofficial license to kill wildlife is finally getting some serious scrutiny.
Some 77 organizations—led by the American Bird Conservancy, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Endangered Species Coalition and numerous chapters of the Audubon Society—are petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to toughen the rules for the siting, permitting and operation of large-scale wind projects.
It’s about time. Over the past two decades, the federal government has prosecuted hundreds of cases against oil and gas producers and electricity producers for violating some of America’s oldest wildlife-protection laws: the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Eagle Protection Act.
But the Obama administration—like the Bush administration before it—has never prosecuted the wind industry despite myriad examples of widespread, unpermitted bird kills by turbines. A violation of either law can result in a fine of up to $250,000 and imprisonment for two years.
h/t Ed S.
Cracks appear………
That’s a great site. Thanks for the link.
As long as the progressives have the reins their pals in the windmill industry are safe.
“Windmill Industry” sounds like the Dutch should be getting crazy rich, right? Although I thought the “Windmill Industry” went the way of buggy whips a long time ago…. hmmmmmmmmm.
Yet heaven help the poor guy who shoots an eagle. The disconnect is unbelievable!
Somebody tell Brad Wall.
Wind power is just another stupid “green” idea that only survives because of massive subsidies.
Even windmill butchered golden eagles must serve the revolution.
Fly them to Florida, plant them in Limbaugh’s recycling bin to frame him, then call Fish and Wildlife.
.
Dolt McGuinty hates birds so he could care less if a few birds get chopped with his wind farms. Hell giant fans don’t keep him awake at night!
Someone needs to tell the Canadian meatpuppet for WWF that his organization is suing to stop windfarms in the US. Stewart has been one of the biggest cheerleaders for wind power in Ontario for decades.
Oh, almost forgot, Keith likes to rub in the fact that it’s DR. Keith Stewart. What never gets mentioned is that it’s in political science. As to what relevance PoliSci has to biology and energy systems…
Oh, come on now SDAers! Get over it!
I mean, If you were a Majestic Bird of Prey, how would you want to go from the heavens to the ground?
Bludgeoned to death by an implement of caring environmentalists! Of course!
I’ve said this before, but it’s a shame that old Nixon era bureaucrat Lawrence Eagleburger died too young to license his name to a wind turbine company.
To ALL here,
It’s sure nice to encounter a discussion on wind power as deeply informed and objective as this one. Good goin’!
Charles
Really … I could not really care much less about what windmills do to birds.
What ticks me off is the way these governments cater to the green activists …. especially the ones that are trying to shove this unicorn and faery dust agenda down taxpayer’s throats.
If it does not contribute to the economic well being of our nation it is not progress.
No evidence of any economic gain now … in the near future or in the foreseeable future from the forced wind energy investment.
Ahhh, wind power. I love this picture and just can’t show it often enough.
http://quixoteslaststand.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/untitled2.png
You haven’t been around here much, have you Charles? We’ve been over the technical and economic aspects of wind power here so exhaustively for so many years that it’s become thoroughly boring. The only glimmer of humour is when some troll like you shows up.
But even troll-kicking is starting to become tiresome.
In Pincher Creek, bats are known to explode due to the wind mills
Charles Smith makes a ton of green on SPC windmill leases on his farmland.
Proponents of wind subsidy farms like to refer to the turbines as “windmills” because it has a cute bucolic ring to it and brings up positive images of a bygone era. The +500 ft behemoths in SW Ont are definitely not your grandfathers windmill. With over 20 tonnes of reinforced concrete foundation, and similar steel and concrete towers, these industrial wind turbines are exactly that, mamoth power generating plants. That the McGuinty government is fine with stacking these up against residents homes, says a lot about that regime’s code of ethics. Only in rural Ont. of course, no wind turbines for the urban landscape.
Why these overpaid fools can’t learn from Europes mistakes is beyond me. Easy to be arrogant when it’s not your own money and you have a superiority complex to boot. Like McGuinty.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/02/06/germany-in-skeptical-turmoil-on-both-climate-and-windfarms/#more-56069
I don’t believe that going after wind generators and dead or mangled birds serves the right or does us any good. (Conservatives, Republicans etc.)
A: Its the bird that decides to fly into the blades, not the other way around. Birds fly into windows, cars, trucks, power lines and siamese cats. The cat on the other hand won’t run into stationary or moving objects if he sees them. Nor will a dog. Conclusion. Birds are not smart.
B: Windmills existed over 2000 years ago. I think they’re romantic, they beautify the countryside. The wind is free.
C: Last year I visited a wind generator site near Swift Current, Sk. The largest turbines I’ve ever seen. We were driving a new F-150, the V-8 was idling about 50 meters from one of the towers. We were standing about 10 meters in front of the truck. I’d guess that the noise coming from the engine was about the same as the turbine. A near silent hum from both.
D: My Grandfather had a 32 volt Jacobs wind generator in 1944, backed up with a Delco power plant. One slight difference. He paid for it from his own money. That should apply to all wind turbines.
@ Plainzdrifter at March 10, 2012 12:48 AM
B: Windmills existed over 2000 years ago. I think they’re romantic, they beautify the countryside. The wind is free
Ahh yes, free wind that has the ability to triple your hydro bill. They beautify the countryside? Must be like modern art and strictly in the eye of the beholder. Romantic ?? I don’t even want to go there. Like gay pride is romantic. Completely unreliable and needing backup power. Now that’s a topic worth discussing. Bet they discussed it 2000 years ago and decided it was useless, therefore relying on the waterwheel instead. Still useless 2000 years later.
silly twits don’t know they’re arseholes from solidarity, um I mean no offense to anyone
Tastes like chicken.
‘In Pincher Creek, bats are known to explode due to the wind mills’
Posted by: Aizlynne at March 9, 2012 10:27 PM
I heard that too, Aizlynne, and not just in Pincher Creek. Bats eat thousands of mosquitos and so do the little songbirds that are drawn, by centrifugal force, into the cruel slashing blades of these meat grinders. Big birds are maimed and often die slowly on the ground. Where is PETA? Where are regular people who would stop any human from beating a bird or bat to death with a stick.
Ken (kulak) I think that Brad Wall should know better than to ignore Kate’s message at the top of this blog.
Plainzdrifter – please tell me that you are being sarcastic.
Plainzdrifter;
A- Those birds that are routinely killed are birds of prey that are focused to the base of the turbine towers looking for rodents that are attracted to the human activity there. Those birds are looking down at the time they get wacked.
B – Yes those windmills are quite pleasing to the eye and when the Dutch decided to go to electricity, the kept a few around for tourism purposes. They got conned for the uglier industrial variety until recently when they threw out the whole program and are now reverting to nuclear.
C- To get a full appreciating for the noise levels, you have to be much further away and downwind. When you were 50 metres away, the sound was literally going right over your head.http://quixoteslaststand.com/2012/02/01/why-you-cant-hear-a-wind-turbine-when-you-stand-under-it/
D- Correct , no-one should be subsidizing these things.
Obviously these eagles you speak of are not as cute and cuddly as the ducks that died in Suncors tailings pond. That’s why their deaths go unreported.
B: Windmills existed over 2000 years ago. I think they’re romantic, they beautify the countryside. The wind is free.
I suggest you spend an evening next to an industrial wind plant in Huron Co Ont. The giant towers lit up with red lights are the as close to hell on earth as I care to be. My friends actually lived there, until bought out by the the wind subsidy company for a fraction of value.
Their health and finances were effectively ruined.
If you think this romantic, I can get you a hobby farm 2 miles from L Huron cheap.
As for free, the McGuinty government pays 13.5c a kwh subsidy, for power that is not needed, but must be taken onto the grid. Often it is exported for about 3.8c, or Americans are paid to take it.
“Free” wind is an obscene joke for Ont consumers, soon to have the most expensive power in N America.
In a democracy people get the government they deserve.
Ont consumers, soon to have the most expensive power in N America
Bullshit… you need to get out more or maybe learn how to use Google.
Martin is not far off.
http://www.hydro.mb.ca/regulatory_affairs/energy_rates/electricity/utility_rate_comp.shtml
Ok I don’t get out much, but do access the net a lot. That is where I discovered that Ont. at the present rate of price increases is projected to have among the highest electricity rates of any industrialized country, in the same range as Denmark.
This qualification should account for any discrepancy regarding Northern Canada, if that is your insinuation. These projections came from tomadamsenergy.com.
Drove through Palm Springs a couple weeks ago and saw hundreds of bird choppers. Most weren’t turning as it was almost dead calm there, except for one bank of 50 or so in which almost every propeller was turning. Do they run electricity to those things to make them turn when the wind hasn’t blown for a while, for lubrication or something?
Ontario is anticipating a 7.9% cost increase anually for the next 5 years. That will definately put them in top spot for being the most expensive in Canada.
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/09/march-of-the-green-zombies
@ Banachek at March 11, 2012 12:14 AM
Many windmills have gas driven generators for backup on calm days.
Forward this to Brad WAll and McGuinty.
http://toryaardvark.com/2012/01/30/germany-renewable-energy-is-destroying-the-economy/