Eagle safety fears halt key wind projects

[phantom power]

APPLE VALLEY, California — Concerns that whirling wind turbines could slaughter protected golden eagles have halted progress on a key piece of the federal government's push to increase renewable energy on public lands, stalling plans for billions of dollars in wind farm developments.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management suspended issuing wind permits on public land indefinitely this summer after wildlife officials invoked a decades-old law for protecting eagles, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The restriction has stymied efforts to "fast-track" approvals for four of the seven most promising wind energy proposals in the nation, including all three in California.

Now, these and other projects appear unlikely to make the year-end deadline to potentially qualify for hundreds of millions of dollars in stimulus funds. If extensions aren't granted in the lame duck session of Congress, the future of many of these plans could be in doubt.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40640914/ns/us_news-environment/

[madokie]

1. Can eagles hear?

I know they have good eyesight but what about hearing. Why can't they hear the noise the blades make? Why can't the manufacturers build in a noise generator that would get an eagles attention without it being in our hearing range? Maybe even a noise that would make them avoid them all together

[phantom power]

3. Even after having watched some video of a bird getting clobbered by a turbine blade...

(which I think was posted by XemaSab a while back)

I don't feel like I understand why birds aren't better at avoiding them. Maybe the particular kind of motion confuses them? It wouldn't resemble the kinds of motion they've evolved with. Yet.

[madokie]

4. Kind of like our pets being run over by automobiles

They're not used to something coming at them at 60 miles per hour, I guess. My problem with the whole deal though is why aren't the engineers working on figuring out what will help to keep the birds from coming in contact with the blades, surely it can be done. There's always going to be those that are plain stupid like the bird that flew into our window a while back. it was dead by the time it hit the ground. I guess if I was to move into a tent I wouldn't have that happen. :evilgrin:

[GliderGuider]

2. delete

It wasn't that funny...