New wind power guidelines are for the birds

Associated Press ^ | March 23, 2012 | MATTHEW DALY

[Free ThinkerNY]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration offered new guidance Friday on where wind farms should be located to reduce the number of bird deaths while promoting increased use of wind power.

A bird advocacy group that lobbied for mandatory standards said the new, voluntary guidelines will do little to protect hundreds of thousands of birds killed each year by wind turbines.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

A few hundred ducks died in a settling pond in the Alberta oil sands a couple of years ago, and self-proclaimed environmentalists went berserk demanding the oil sands be shut down. These same hypocritical, envirofascists support wind turbines that kill tens of thousands times more birds, per unit of energy produced.

[Sacajaweau]

We can get wind here in Upstate NY....for an extra charge of course!!

We get nuclear normally. We need a new plant instead of a bazillion "subsidized and overpriced and inefficient" mills.

[oilwatcher]

The YouTube videos of birds — hawks, buzzards, etc. — getting whacked by windmills are simply heartbreaking. Often the poor birds aren’t killed outright, just sent crashing to the ground with broken wings where they struggle to drag themselves away. No one who truly loves nature could support these monstrosities.

[newgeezer]

{ping}

[Sacajaweau]

Easy to solve...Put signs like they do for the deer (deer crossing).

Geese flight path....

A sign with an EPA rep goosing a citizen flying an american flag should do it.

[newgeezer]

From the article:

Exact statistics for the number of birds killed by wind turbines are not available, but a 2008 study by a biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that wind farms were killing about 440,000 birds per year in the United States.

The number of wind turbines has grown significantly since then, with overall output increasing from about 25,000 megawatts of electricity in 2008 to nearly 47,000 megawatts last year, according to the wind energy association.

The wind industry's goal of providing 20 percent of the nation's electricity by 2030 could lead to a million bird deaths a year or more, according to the American Bird Conservancy.

The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that up to 1 million birds die annually in oil field pits and at waste facilities, but says millions more are killed by cars, cats and collisions with buildings, power lines and radio towers.

John Anderson, director of siting policy for the wind energy group, said wind turbines cause a minute fraction of overall bird deaths - less than 3 out of every 100,000 human-related deaths.

[Red Badger]

Just don’t turn them on, problem solved.............

[oilwatcher]

The Fish & Wildlife estimate of a million bird deaths in oil fields annually is utter nonsense. An oil field operator can expect a criminal citation, large fine, and injunctive order for even one bird or bat death. A million dead birds would have long ago put the industry out of business.

[RatRipper]

Given the apparent infinitely deficient moral fabric of President Zer0, it is quite ironic that he should see hope for our energy future in pond scum.

[spawn44]

I don’t believe anything coming from the environmental leftists after the AGW/IPCC CO2 scam. Hundreds of thousands of bird dead from windmills. I doubt it. Who made the count. I would like to see the data from where this figure came from. Who was behind this issue and who paid for the study.

[Sacajaweau]

I did some calcs using data from a big wind farm: 781 megawatts came from 627 windmills.

It calcs out that each windmill kills 11.66 birds....

big whoop...More are probably killed by cats....

[Red Badger]

NYC and other urban areas could solve their pigeon problems and energy problems both at the same time!..............

[Average Al]

All they have to do is identify some rare frog or bug on the site and the whole windfarm will be dismantled. ;-)

[dennisw]

Condor Cuisinarts is what they call windmills out in California

[Sacajaweau]

I keep thinking of planting arrowheads...

[Average Al]

I’m a little suprised hunters haven’t been taking these things out with target practice.

[BfloGuy]

We need a new plant instead of a bazillion "subsidized and overpriced and inefficient" mills.

What? Why, I can see it now. Windmills towering over Niagara Falls, lining the peaks of the Adirondacks, and marshalled along the Mohawk as it flows inexorably Westward. It will be a sight to behold and something to watch -- especially on those windless nights when the TV don't work.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Cats don’t kill geese, swans, condors, hawks, falcons, or eagles. Wind turbines fricassee them all equally.