Center for Bio. Div. sues windmill companies for killing endangered birds.

[Muzzle Tough]

I found this, and thought it was interesting. My personal preference is for nuclear power. However, I can see both the pros and cons of windmills.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?


http://www.sw-center.org/swcbd/press/BIRDKILLS1-12-04.htm

LAWSUIT SEEKS REDRESS FOR MASSIVE ILLEGAL BIRD KILLS AT ALTAMONT PASS, CA, WIND FARMS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 12, 2004

Center for Biological Diversity

Livermore, CA – The Center for Biological Diversity (“CBD”) filed a lawsuit today against Florida energy producer FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE symbol: FPL) and Danish wind power company NEG Micon A/S for their part in the illegal ongoing killing of tens of thousands of protected birds by wind turbines at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (“APWRA”) in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Through their subsidiaries and associated entities, FPL Group and NEG Micon own or operate roughly half of the approximately 5,400 wind turbines at the APWRA. Each year, wind turbines at the APWRA kill up to 60 or more golden eagles and hundreds of other hawks, owls, and other protected raptors. These bird kills have continued for 20 years in flagrant violation of the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and several California Fish and Game Code provisions. The lawsuit alleges that these violations and bird kills are unlawful and unfair business practices under the California Business and Professions Code.

“Altamont Pass wind turbines are causing extremely high levels of bird mortality along a major raptor migration route and are likely depleting eagle, hawk, and owl populations not only locally but throughout the western U. S.,” said Jeff Miller, spokesperson for CBD. “We absolutely support wind power, but it is past time for the primary turbine owners, FPL Energy and NEG Micon, to address this problem.”

“Altamont Pass has become a death zone for eagles and other magnificent and imperiled birds of prey. Recent studies have proposed numerous recommendations for mitigating the devastating effect of Altamont Pass wind turbines on birds, yet the industry is blindly charging ahead replacing existing turbines with new and much larger turbines without any requirement of effective preventative measures or remediation for ongoing bird kills,” said Richard Wiebe, attorney for the plaintiffs.

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[shraby]

1. Can't they put a cage on those windmills to

keep the birds out?

[Muzzle Tough]

2. Yes.

But it would reduce the amount of wind that the windmills would get.

Everything here is a tradeoff. The good must be weighed against the bad.

[Tangledog]

3. I'm with the Center on this one

It doesn't take long for a windmill farm to start taking a big toll on migratory birds.

Wind power would seem a natural for New England, since we have a lot of wind. It's not getting far, though. Part of it is NIMBY and wealth issues, but the scientific concerns have been around since before some of the recent proposals, and they look extremely legit to me.

[dweller]

4. some enterprising inventive entrepreneur

yeh, some french person, should create one of those devices that warns/repels birds harmlessly from approaching the windmills...similar to those deer devices (i've always referred to them as 'deer calls' to those who have them on their cars) that supposedly emit a warning whistle to deer.

dp

[BlueEyedSon]

5. As a nuke advocate, what do you suggest we do with the waste?

[phantom power]

7. Most of the "waste" is useful.

It can be used as fuel in different reactors. I'm completely hazy on the specifics, but your post might summon the Spirit of NNADIR, who can explain it all.

I think it's also possible to extract valuable (non radioactive) metals from the waste, as well.

[RafterMan]

8. Have a look at the Advanced Fuel Cycle program

The goal is to reduce the mass of nuclear waste by 95%, and the amount of time it's radioactive to under 1,000 years. They've come up with a bunch of ways to do this, and are currently hashing out which ones are best.

Here's a starting point:

http://www.rae.anl.gov/research/afc/

[NNadir]

9. In the External Cost on energy thread, I will be posting information

about the magnitude of the so called "nuclear waste" problem, which everyone worries about. I have already posted about the magnitude of the coal waste problem, which no one worries about.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=5609&mesg_id=5609

In the coal waste analysis (post #81) I have showed how many kilometers from the center of Manhattan, a one kilometer toxic cloud of carbon dioxide (which would cause fatality within a few minutes) would extend for the release of just one year's output of carbon dioxide from worldwide coal plants. I have also made a reasonable estimate of how many hundreds of millions of tons of ash and sulfur dioxide are released into the environment in an uncontrolled manner by coal fired power generation each year under normal operations. (Using 2001 as a baseline.)

I will show that in comparison to the case for just this one fossil fuel, the "problem" of "nuclear waste," much obssessed upon, is so trivial as to border on insane.

[phantom power]

6. How many birds will die if we continue to spew CO2 into the air?

Climate change is a terrific engine of extinction. Especially rapid climate change.

Also, my understanding is that recent turbine designs rotate slower, and are not much of a threat to birds, because they move slow enough to be seen.

As far as nuclear power, I think it is a good thing, as long as we do it right. Recycling spent fuel is an important part of doing it right.