A mighty wind

[XemaSab]

‘Clean’ power, like oil, is big business – and must obey same rules
BY TREVOR BUTTERWORTH MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2011

Imagine the U.S. government had asked the oil industry to observe “voluntary” environmental guidelines to protect wildlife — and then imagine that the oil companies were so upset by how burdensome these “voluntary” guidelines were that they were allowed to substantially rewrite them. Of course, this is the kind of dystopian conspiracy that many people imagine already occurs when commercial interests collide with conservation and ecology. What’s remarkable though, is that this is precisely what the U.S. government is allowing to happen with the wind power industry, and not the oil companies — or any other fossil fuel utility.

Last week saw public comments close on the debate over the Department of the Interior and the “voluntary” regulation of Big Wind. Why does Big Wind need regulation? Because wind turbines are highly effective bird-killing machines: stick a 4,000-acre wind farm in the wrong spot and it’s an ecosystem-destroying splat fest.

If there is a capital of wind-turbine avicide, the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area in central California might well be it. Between 1998 and 2001, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory tried to quantify the impact of this vast wind farm, which extends over 50,000 acres, on bird life. It concluded that up to 4,300 birds were killed each year, including 27 to 34 golden eagles. A later, more extensive study of the farm, while noting the uncertainties in measuring bird kills, postulated even higher numbers.

http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/08/08/080811-opinions-column-windpower-butterworth-1-2/

[dbackjon]

1. Good article

Wind is not some benign power source, built by peace-loving hippies - it is an industrial plant built by capitalists - and should be regulated accordingly.

[Nederland]

2. I am not a fan of wind

However, it is my understanding that the number of birds killed by wind turbines is miniscule in comparision to the number killed by other man-made objects like big glass skyscrapers or even...cats.

Is that not true?

[dbackjon]

3. All take tolls

Cats do indeed kill hundreds of millions of birds. Skyscrapers millions. Wind towers are just really popping up, so the effect has been smaller, but growing, compounded by the fact that often, the good wind areas are migratory paths.