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Shamil Zhumatov / Reuters
Golden eagles are federally protected birds.
The federal government is proposing to grant a first-of-its-kind permit that would allow the developer of a central Oregon wind-power project to legally kill golden eagles, a regulatory move being closely watched by conservationists.
The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday released a draft environmental assessment that would allow West Butte Wind Power LLC to kill as many as three protected golden eagles over five years if the company fulfills its conservation commitments.
It’s the first eagle “take permit” application to be received and acted on by U.S. Fish and Wildlife under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. (“Take” means to kill, harass or disturb the birds, their nests or their eggs.)
The legislation, enacted in 1940, prohibits anyone from killing or disturbing any bald or golden eagles without a permit from the Interior Department.
Regulations adopted in 2009 enabled the agency to authorize, for the first time, the “take” of eagles for activities that are otherwise lawful but that result in either disturbance or death. In this case "taking" would be the killing of eagles hit by the wind turbines' huge blades.
Public comments on the draft environmental assessment of the Wind Butte project will be accepted until Feb. 2.
The permit, if ultimately issued, stipulates that there must be no net loss to breeding populations of golden eagles from the wind farm project. That means for every protected bird permitted killed, developers must contribute to conservation efforts for breeding them.
“Our goal is to maintain stable or increasing populations of eagles protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act," said Chris McKay, assistant regional director for Migratory Birds and State Programs in the Fish and Wildlife Service's Pacific Region.
"Regulations under the Act allow us to issue permits for activities that are likely to take eagles provided the activity is otherwise lawful and the taking is not the purpose of that activity, the take is unavoidable even though advanced conservation practices are being implemented, and the take is compatible with eagle preservation," McKay said in a press release.
California-based West Butte Wind Power LLC is proposing to build a 104-megawatt wind energy generation facility on ranchland in Oregon’s Deschutes and Crook counties, consisting of up to 52 wind turbines. Electricity generated by the project could power as many as 50,000 homes.
Conservation groups expressed cautious optimism at the government’s proposal to award the eagle take permit.
“This is a type of project where it’s appropriate for them to issue this kind of permit,” said Liz Nysson, energy policy coordinator with the Oregon Natural Desert Association She noted that only a small number of golden eagles are believed to be in and around the area where the wind turbines will be built.
“I say ‘cautious optimism’ because we fear that the agency is going to go forward and start issuing these permits … for a multitude of golden eagles every year, and that would be a bad use of the policy,” Nysson said.
It's not mandatory for wind-power projects to apply for the eagle "take" permits.
Kelly Fuller, wind campaign coordinator for the American Bird Conservancy, praised West Butte for being the first company to apply for one. She described the latest development as “precedent-setting,” according to the Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition, a bipartisan group of the nation’s governors dedicated to expanding the development of wind energy.
Fuller said the eagle permit process gives conservationists more opportunity to participate in the development process.
She said the conservancy group will ask Fish and Wildlife to extend its public comment period an additional 30 days beyond the Feb. 2 deadline, according to the Wind Energy Coalition.
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I don't what they are thinking. that is where the bird lives. its not right either way you look at it ! killing is killing. and a of all bird a sacred bird ? it don't matter if there not endangered killing is killing. so they Feds think they can make any law a long with man just to make way for what he wants ? or do you have to have BIG money or be white to change Laws ? you have Native waiting to go to court over killing eagle's. and will maybe looking at they live being taken. by being locked up. but yet you can change laws to kill 3 eagle's ? if you kill a police dog thats like killing a man. you figure law would be stronger killing a sacred bird that sits in the highest GOV and is on the mighty doller ? " IN GOD WE TRUST " white mans laws you should all get find or something just for thinking about killing. But Its OK when your the FEDs or have money ?
I don't what they are thinking. that is where the bird lives. its not right either way you look at it ! killing is killing. and a of all bird a sacred bird ? it don't matter if there not endangered killing is killing. so the Feds think they can make any law an along with man just to make way for what he wants ? or do you have to have BIG money or be white to change Laws ? you have people waiting to go to court over killing eagle's. and maybe looking at they live being taken. by being locked up. but yet you can change laws to kill eagle's ? if you kill a police dog thats like killing a man. you figure law would be stronger killing a sacred bird that sits in the highest GOV and is on the mighty doller ? " IN GOD WE TRUST " white mans laws you should all get find or something just for thinking about killing. But Its OK when your the FEDs or have money ?
Pretty soon the Fed Gov will be killing you off for getting in there way. Oh yeah, there already doing that or locking you up. they make the Laws.
Mr. C. Baum:
Thank you for your insightful comment. I have also performed "cultural surveys" at sites. However, you have used a word that the guv-mint uses quite frequently but in essense are telling you that they are going to ream you out royally--"mitigation". Take it from me and the late great George Carlin regarding the guv-mint: "...They don't give a f*** about you, they don't care about you, at all, at all, at all.". When the guv-mint uses the term mitigation they are telling you that they will do whatever they please and it pleases them very much to allow huge corporations, special interests groups, and conglomerates to get into position to rape this country of all its natural resources.
We live 15 north of the largest wind farm in Oklahoma--Blue Canyon. I haven't counted them but there are at least 150 turbines erected upon what is called the "Slick Hills" landscape. For decades the Slick Hills were beautiful and a landmark to the tribal groups living around them. Yet, the tribes were never called upon to perform culture surveys along the Hills' ridge which stretches some 15 miles. Three-fifths of an eagle per turbin per year doesn't sound like much but multiple that times 150 and you have 90 eagles year. Also, there are issues of property damage caused by the vibrations from these turbines but the issue here is the welfare of the local wildlife.
Remember this, you can bet you 401s that if the guv-mint appears on the surface to be complying with federal and state regulations then there IS a hidden agenda.
Hey some of us have to sacrifice to be green...even the eagles!
<a href="">Not all sacrifice...</a>
Those "green companies" installing those bird and bat choppers get plenty of federal subsidy.
What we're talking about is 3 golden eagles disturbed or possibility killed vs electricity to 50,000 homes. And the company has committed to help with a breeding program to replace those 3. It;s a no brainier. It just this type of thing that has put us in the fix we are today with all energy sources. If the power company said they would replace the birds 10 fold, would that be enough for the conservationists? Wake up America, It's time to pull out all the stops, we are on the brink!
And yet dams all over the NW are spending millions to save the Bull Trout wich is endangered. Maybe they can get a permit too so they can kill some of them. Oh wait, wind turbine energy is " green " so they play by a different set of rules. Like solar, they are green and just get free money from the Government by the billions.
So if its green, you can steal from tax payers, kill endangered species because your energy produced is "green".