Posted December 12, 2013
The Department of the Interior recently released a
final rule which extends the length of permits for wind farms to accidentally kill or injure bald and golden eagles. The final rule is available here.
The rule extends the maximum term of permits from 5
years to 30 years, while also maintaining discretion to issue permits with
shorter terms. The permits must also
include conditions for “specifying additional measures that may be necessary to
ensure the preservation of eagles, should monitoring data indicate the need for
the measures.”
According to the rule summary, “This change will
facilitate the responsible development of renewable energy and other projects designed
to operate for decades, while continuing to protect eagles consistent with our
statutory mandates.”
Politico reports that “environmentalists say the rule
wrongly pits wildlife and green energy against each other” in an article
available here.
National Audubon Society CEO David Yarnold said it is “outrageous
that the government is sanctioning the killing of America’s symbol, the bald
eagle.” He also indicated that the group
may file a lawsuit over the rule.
The Department of the Interior and the wind industry
support the rule, saying that it promotes conservation while giving certainty
to wind projects.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement, “Renewable
energy development is vitally important to our nation’s future, but it has to
be done in the right way.”
A wind energy company recently agreed to pay $1 million
in fines as part of a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice’s
Environmental and Natural Resources Division over the deaths of 160 birds,
including 14 golden eagles. For more
information on this story, a post from this blog is available here.
For more information on renewable energy, please visit
the National Agricultural Law Center’s website available here.
