{"id":17410,"date":"2011-09-22T17:22:05","date_gmt":"2011-09-22T21:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/static\/?p=17410"},"modified":"2012-02-03T05:48:21","modified_gmt":"2012-02-03T10:48:21","slug":"wind-turbines-kill-federally-protected-birds-with-impunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/2011\/wind-turbines-kill-federally-protected-birds-with-impunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Wind turbines kill (federally protected) birds with impunity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00b7<\/span>
\n“Bird Death Fines Depend on Who Kills the Birds”
\n\u00b7\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

—Jack Dini, Canada Free Press<\/a> (9\/19\/11)<\/p>\n

Oil companies face heavy fines: Wind farms get a free pass<\/p>\n

Seven oil companies have recently been charged in federal court with killing migratory birds that died after allegedly landing in oil waste pits in western North Dakota. \u00a0The charges involve 28 dead birds that were discovered in oil waste pits between May 6 and June 20. \u00a0The maximum penalty for each charge under the Migratory Bird Act is six months in prison and a $15,000 fine.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

There\u2019s more: \u00a0In July 2009, Pacificorp agreed to pay $10.5 million in fines, restitution and equipment upgrade costs for the deaths of at least 232 golden eagles, 46 hawks, 50 owls and nearly 200 other birds that had been electrocuted in Wyoming since January 2007. \u00a0The cost per bird computes to a little less than $20,000.2<\/sup>\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cOn August 13, 2009, ExxonMobil pled guilty in federal court to charges that it killed 85 birds\u2014all of which were protected under the Migratory Bird Act. \u00a0The company agreed to pay $600,000 in fines and fees for the bird kills, which occurred after the animals came in contact with hydrocarbons in uncovered tanks and waste water facilities on company properties located in five western states,\u201d reports Robert Bryce. \u00a0Each bird kill cost the company over $7,000.3<\/sup><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>
\nWind Farms<\/span><\/p>\n

The Fish and Wildlife service estimated in 2009 that about 440,000 birds were being killed by wind turbines. \u00a0Yet the wind industry has yet to face a single charge.<\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>
\nTen thousand (10,000) annual bird deaths occur in the Altamont Pass wind turbines in northern California<\/span><\/p>\n

One example is a study by the Alameda County Community Development Agency which reported that 10,000 annual bird deaths occur in the Altamont Pass wind turbines in northern California. \u00a0Deaths include 75 to 100 golden eagles, 380 burrowing owls, 300 red-tailed hawks, and 333 American kestrels(falcons) killed annually by Altamont turbines.4<\/sup><\/p>\n

With an anticipated twelve-fold energy build-out by the year 2030, bird mortality is expected to dramatically increase in the coming years, absent significant changes in the way wind farms are sited and operated.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the life of a bird worth? \u00a0If you\u2019re Big Oil it can range from $7,000 to $20,000 per bird. \u00a0Yet, if you\u2019re wind energy, it costs nothing. \u00a0There are hundreds of cases that federal officials have brought against oil and gas companies over the last two decades for violations of the Migratory Bird Act, a statute on the books since 1918. \u00a0No question the cases were justified, but not one case was brought against wind farms even though they kill many more birds. \u00a0Somebody has given the wind industry a get-out-of-jail-free card.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When it comes to protecting America\u2019s wildlife, environmental organizations and federal law enforcement officials have a double standard: \u00a0one that\u2019s enforced against oil, gas and electric utility sectors, and another that exempts wind and solar power from prosecution despite evidence of a multitude of violations.<\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>
\nReferences<\/span><\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Dave Kolpack, \u201cOil companies charged in ND migratory bird deaths,\u201d forbes.com, August 25, 2011<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Ruffin Prevost, \u201cUtility to pay for bird deaths,\u201d Billings Gazette, June 11, 2009<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Robert Bryce, \u201cBird kills? What bird kills?<\/a>\u201d, September 11, 2009<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Andrew Walden, \u201cWind energy\u2019s ghosts,\u201d American Thinker, February 15, 2010<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00b7 “Bird Death Fines Depend on Who Kills the Birds” \u00b7\u00a0 —Jack Dini, Canada Free Press (9\/19\/11) Oil companies face heavy fines: Wind farms get a free pass Seven oil companies have recently been charged in federal court with killing migratory birds that died after allegedly landing in oil waste pits in western North Dakota. \u00a0The charges involve 28 dead birds that were discovered in oil waste pits between May 6 and June 20. \u00a0The maximum penalty for each charge under the Migratory Bird Act is six months in prison and a $15,000 fine.1 There\u2019s more: \u00a0In July 2009, Pacificorp agreed to pay $10.5 million in fines, restitution and equipment upgrade costs for the deaths of at least 232 golden eagles, 46 hawks, 50 owls and nearly 200 other birds that had been electrocuted in Wyoming since January 2007. \u00a0The cost per bird computes to a little less than $20,000.2\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cOn August 13, 2009, ExxonMobil pled guilty in federal court to charges that it killed 85 birds\u2014all of which were protected under the Migratory Bird Act. \u00a0The company agreed to pay $600,000 in fines and fees for the bird kills, which occurred after the animals came in contact with hydrocarbons in uncovered tanks and waste water facilities on company properties located in five western states,\u201d reports Robert Bryce. \u00a0Each bird kill cost the company over $7,000.3 \u00b7 Wind Farms The Fish and Wildlife service estimated in 2009 that about 440,000 birds were being killed by wind turbines. \u00a0Yet the wind industry has yet to face a single charge. \u00b7 Ten thousand (10,000) annual bird deaths occur in the Altamont Pass wind turbines in northern California One example is a study by the Alameda County Community Development Agency which reported that 10,000 annual bird deaths occur in the Altamont Pass windRead More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,169],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17410"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17410\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.windturbinesyndrome.com\/static\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}