When the Altamonte Pass wind turbine farm was developed over 20 years ago, there was much concern over the wind turbines’ effect on migratory birds, raptors and bats.

The concerns, and at times outcry, of bird experts have continued but those concerns were often questioned as being misplaced or even myths.

As past articles often noted, domestic cats in the U.S. alone are responsible for millions of bird deaths.  And, some experts theorized that the design of the wind turbines at Altamonte Pass was antiquated and updated designs, which included taller towers and longer blades, would results in many fewer dead birds.

But changing the wind turbine design didn’t help. The operators of the Altamonte Pass wind turbines were sued in 2006 over the bird deaths by several environmental groups. The groups cited a 2004 California Energy Commission report that estimated that between 1766 and 4771 birds were killed by Altamonte wind turbines each year.

A settlement was reached in 2007 whereby the turbine operators agreed to cut raptor deaths by 50 percent over 3 years.  By the end of 2007, however, scientists reported no decrease in the number of raptor deaths.

Now with increase of government subsidies to the renewable energy sectors, the number of wind turbine farms in the major flyways for raptors and migratory birds are growing. With this growth, the issue of bird deaths has risen to the forefront again. A 2007 study by the National Academy of Sciences estimates that between 20,000 and 30,000 birds are killed each year by wind turbines. The American Bird Conservancy believes that believes that number is low and estimates that there are 220,000 bird deaths from turbines. Newsweek.

One plan to reduce deaths is to site the turbines in places that are safer for birds.  Another idea is “curtailment” - turning off the blades at dawn and dusk, the peak times for bird or bat flights. In addition, ultrasonic bat deterrents are also being studied.

One idea that does not seem to be on the table is prosecution. Many of the birds killed are protected by tough state and federal laws that prevent the killing of a single bird. The Department of Justice, however, has not prosecuted any wind farm operators.

Robert Bryce recently wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that wind power, a “green” power is looked upon more favorably than power generated by fossil fuels. According to Mr. Bryce, that leads to a double standard of of law enforcement.

Mr. Bryce cites two recent cases where the DOJ prosecuted companies for bird deaths but these companies are not in the renewable energy sector. One was Exxon, which was fined $600,000 for killing 85 birds protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 due to uncovered tanks or wastewater facilities. The other was PacifiCorp, which paid $1.4 million in fines for killing 232 eagles in Wyoming over the past two years due to poorly designed power lines.

One former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement investigator, Rob Lee, told Mr. Bryce, he doesn’t see the Justice Department bringing any enforcement actions against the wind turbine operators. “The fix here is not easy or cheap,” Mr. Lee said.

Further reading:
Wind Power and Prairie Chickens - http://www.examiner.com/x-17018-Environmental-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m8d27-Wind-Power-and-Prairie-Chickens

Wind Farm threatens the Red Kite, the national bird of Wales — http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/09/06/wind-farm-threat-to-wales-national-bird-91466-24616525/

US Fish and Wildlife developing new wind turbine guidelines -
htttp://www.fws.gov/habitatconservation/windpower/Subcommittee/Legal/Reports/Wind_Turbine_Advisory_Committee_Legal_Subcommittee_White_Paper_(Final_As_Posted).pdf

Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (digest) - http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/migtrea.html

Video: Altamonte Pass - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtgBWNKwBkE
Photo: Golden Eagle - http://www.flickr.com/photos/frield/2467497833/

Copyright 2009 - K.J.Collins