Lift the wind to kill the veil of the eagle – Wattwat?

From cfact

David Wojick

Every land-based wind facility in the United States has a permit to kill a certain number of eagles every year. These killing numbers add up to a secret that should be public information. Is it hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands?

Given these numbers, we can decide how to limit them. We also need better data on the actual killing, so it's time to lift the wind and kill the veil of the eagle.

First of all, the basics. CFACT Collegian Maggie Immen illustrates this issue well in his comments on the proposed Wyoming wind energy facility. She wrote this:

“Wind turbines are a literature threat to bird populations, especially raptors such as gold and vultures. Estimates show that in the United States alone, wind farms kill at least 150,000 birds a year. Wyoming is a critical migration corridor, especially vulnerable.

The rail tie project planned in Albany County will dangerously bring the turbine dangerously close to the Golden Eagle habitat. Laramie resident wildlife biologist Mike Lockhart warned that the official bird death toll may be underestimated as the scavenger quickly recorded it before the record.

In addition to these issues, federal regulations allow a certain number of eagles to die through an accompanying license per wind project. However, experts believe that these restrictions rely on flawed data that underestimate the actual mortality rate. Because eagles reproduce slowly, even a few deaths can have a devastating impact on their population. However, regulators continue to approve projects such as rail ties without adequately addressing these risks. ”

See this with good links to more data.

When it comes to the Eagles and the Overland Project, a clear flaw should be corrected – the killing is infinite. Each project will receive a license, so the total number of deaths allowed continues to increase as more projects are online. Of course this is wrong.

The total number of kills allowed per year should be strictly limited. In the world of regulation, this is called the upper limit of killing. We saw a similar cap when issuing a national hunting license for big games. It can be called a wind bag restriction.

The license for the Fresh Wind Project (if any) will be based on the homicide permitted by the existing license. If this total is less than the upper limit, a license can be issued in the amount of the difference. These permits may be auctioned, or distributed by lottery or something. The killing hat needs to be strictly enforced. If an item kills its allocation, the rest of the year must be closed or the upper limit is set.

By contrast, the Biden administration made it easier to obtain an Eagle Kill license, which was not enforced at the time. They created what is called a general license, which means that a single project does not have to submit a lengthy project. The project basically just registered and paid the nominal processing fee. The requirement that reports of actual homicides must be monitored by independent third parties must be removed.

Policy changes in these bad ideas need to be reversed. Allowed killings need to be restricted and the killing reports are accurate.

In addition to the allowed killing numbers, the Eagle Death Report should be made public. People need to know how much the wind project in their county or state is killing eagles. They also need to know how many kills were raised.

Given good eagle killing information, we can make wise decisions about closure and reduce these deaths. Lift the wind to kill the veil of the eagle.

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