Eagles, wind farms don't mix. New study shows toll on birds.
| Washington
Wind聽energy facilities have killed at least 67 golden and bald eagles聽in the last five years, but the figure could be much higher, according to a new scientific study by government biologists.
The research represents one of the first tallies of聽eagle聽deaths attributed to the nation's growing聽wind聽energy industry, which has been a pillar of President Barack Obama's plans to reduce the pollution blamed for global warming.聽Wind聽power releases no air pollution.
But at a minimum, the scientists wrote,聽wind聽farms聽in 10 states have killed at least 85eagles聽since 1997, with most deaths occurring between 2008 and 2012, as the industry was greatly expanding. Most deaths 鈥� 79 鈥� were golden聽eagles聽that struck wind聽turbines. One of the聽eagles聽counted in the study was electrocuted by a power line.
The vice president of the American Bird Conservancy, Mike Parr, said the tally was "an alarming and concerning finding."
A trade group, the American聽Wind聽Energy Association, said in a statement that the figure was much lower than other causes of聽eagle聽deaths. The group said it was working with the government and conservation groups to find ways to reduce聽eaglecasualties.
Still, the scientists said their figure is likely to be "substantially" underestimated, since companies report聽eagle聽deaths voluntarily and only a fraction of those included in their total were discovered during searches for dead birds by wind-energy companies. The study also excluded the deadliest place in the country for聽eagles, a cluster ofwind聽farms聽in a northern California area known as Altamont Pass.聽Wind聽farms聽built there decades ago kill more than 60 per year.
"It is not an isolated event that is restricted to one place in California, it is pretty widespread," said Brian Millsap, the national raptor coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and one of the study's authors.
The study excluded 17聽eagle聽deaths for which there was not enough evidence. And, in a footnote, it says more golden and bald聽eagles聽have since been killed at聽windenergy facilities in three additional states 鈥� Idaho, Montana, and Nevada.
It's unclear what toll the deaths could be having on local聽eagle聽populations. And while the golden聽eagle聽population is stable in the West, any additional mortality to a long-lived species such as an聽eagle聽can be a "tipping point," Millsap said.
The research affirms an AP investigation in May, which revealed dozens of聽eagledeaths from聽wind聽energy facilities and described how the Obama administration was failing to fine or prosecute聽wind聽energy companies, even though each death is a violation of federal law.
Documents obtained by the AP under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act show that in two cases in Iowa federal investigators determined that a bald聽eagle聽had been killed by blunt force trauma with a聽wind聽turbine blade. But neither case led to prosecution.
In one of the cases, a bald聽eagle聽was found with a missing wing and a leg in a corn field near a turbine at EDP Renewables North America LLC's Pioneer Prairie facility in Iowa. But the report says, "due to the sensitive nature of聽wind聽farm聽investigations and the fact that this investigation documented first violation for EDPR in Midwest, no charges will be pursued at this time." The report lists four other golden聽eagle聽deaths at a聽wind聽farm聽operated by the company in Oregon. The company did not return emailed questions about the incidents from the AP.
The Fish and Wildlife Service, which employs the six researchers, has said it is investigating 18 bird-death cases involving wind-power facilities, and seven have been referred to the Justice Department. The authors noted the study's findings do not necessarily reflect the views of the agency, although some of their data was obtained from staff.
Meanwhile, the聽wind聽energy industry has pushed for, and the White House is currently evaluating, giving companies permission to kill a set number of聽eagles聽for 30 years. The change extends by 25 years the permit length in place now, but it was not subjected to a full environmental review because the administration classified it as an administrative change.
Wind聽farms聽are clusters of turbines as tall as 30-story buildings, with spinning rotors as wide as a passenger jet's wingspan. Though the blades appear to move slowly, they can reach speeds up to 170 mph at the tips, creating tornado-like vortexes.
Wind聽farms聽in two states, California and Wyoming, were responsible for 58 deaths, followed by facilities in Oregon, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, Utah, Texas, Maryland and Iowa.
In all, 32 facilities were implicated. One in Wyoming was responsible for a dozen golden聽eagle聽deaths, the most at a single facility.
The research was published in the Journal of Raptor Research.
