[BCNnet] Bird Calls articles

[Donnie]

BCN friends:

 

In the current issue of Bird Calls, the newsletter of the Bird Conservation
Alliance, there were 2 articles that I thought would interest local bird
conservationists.  Both deal with the overall theme of our future energy
needs.  I believe you'll find them of interest.

 

Regards,

 

Donnie Dann

Highland Park/Lake County

donniebird at yahoo.com

 

Organizations Call for Halt to Devastating Mountaintop Mining Proposal

In June, 60 organizations, including many members of the Bird Conservation
Alliance, signed onto a letter opposing a massive mountaintop removal-valley
fill coal mine in West Virginia. ABC coordinated the effort in collaboration
with the Appalachian Center for the Environment, the Ohio Valley
Environmental Coalition, and others. The letter requested that the Army
Corps of Engineers deny a Clean Water Act permit application for the
proposed Spruce No. 1 mine near Blair, WV. The operation would allow the
destruction of 2,278 acres of mostly mature deciduous forest, and the
filling in of nearly six miles of stream valley with removed rock and soil. 

Mountaintop removal-valley fill coal mining is perhaps the most shocking
land abuse occurring in the country today. The process involves removing the
tops of mountains and dumping them into surrounding valleys. Mountaintop
removal mining operations are predicted to destroy 380,000 acres of forest
and degrade riparian habitat along more than 2,200 miles of streams by 2014.

The effects on a wide array of aquatic and terrestrial organisms and water
quality are devastating, as are the impacts on an entire suite of priority
birds, including the Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Vireo, Acadian
Flycatcher, and Worm-eating, Kentucky, and Cerulean Warblers. Some 80% of
the global population of the Cerulean Warbler breeds within the Appalachian
region that is subject to mountaintop removal coal mining activities. Over
137,000 breeding Ceruleans are likely to be impacted by these coal
operations over the next decade. This mine alone is predicted to result in a
loss of breeding territory for more than 800 birds.

Although the Army Corps of Engineers has been known to rubber-stamp such
applications in the past, there is a glimmer of hope following a recent
decision. Under pressure from a federal court suit, and facing a hearing to
justify issuance of four permits for new or expanded mountaintop removal
activities, the Corps announced the suspension of all four permits and
blocked further operations at the mines. This calls into question plans for
other large operations, including the Spruce No. 1 mine. Contact: Gerald
Winegrad, <gwwabc at comcast.net>.

Bird Calls Editorial by ABC's Dr. Michael Fry
Wind Power: Working Toward Bird-Friendly Green Energy 

ABC believes that wind energy is a valuable, non-polluting, renewable power
source, capable of reducing our reliance on fossil-fuel burning power-plants
that damage the environment through greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and
other environmental hazards. Wind farms, however, kill birds and bats,
thereby raising concerns of a different kind. We all want clean, renewable
energy, but we cannot sacrifice large numbers of birds and still consider
wind power "green."

But how many dead birds is too many dead birds? Can we accept the loss of
any birds as a fair price of business? One answer may lie in mitigation. As
well as making every effort to minimize bird kills, every wind farm operator
must be prepared to mitigate for any birds that are unavoidably killed in
turbine collisions. The largest and most contentious wind farm in the
country, at Altamont Pass in central California, may ironically prove to be
a good example of a bird-friendly solution. Altamont's 7,000 turbines have
killed thousands of raptors over the past 36 years, including an estimated
1,000 Golden Eagles. Political pressure forced FWS to turn a blind eye to
this illegal killing, but environmental groups sued in 2003 to stop the
mortality or shut down the farm. The California Attorney General stepped in
to negotiate a settlement with one operator that may set a precedent in
other similar cases. Buena Vista will not only remove the oldest and most
dangerous turbines, install newer, more bird-friendly machines in safer
areas, and shut down turbines for part of the year if kills continue, but
they have also agreed to compensate for bird kills by purchasing
conservation easements that protect and enhance raptor populations disturbed
by the ongoing projects.

In 2006, Congress acted to provide tax incentives to create additional wind
farms, and the industry is on a rapid expansion track. New projects are
under intense scrutiny by the environmental community, particularly those
proposed for sensitive areas. But as fast as we can build wind farms, our
energy consumption is increasing. What this means is that even if every
planned wind farm is built on schedule, we will still not be able to reduce
our reliance on fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. Ultimately,
consumption reduction is the key to halting our 'energy crisis' and global
warming fears.

In spite of federal funding and tax incentives, wind development on land and
in coastal waters is regulated at the state level, with major variations in
protection of birds and habitats. Texas, for example, has an aggressive
program to build wind farms in highly sensitive coastal bird habitats with
little or no environmental review and no monitoring of potential impacts
after construction. Federal oversight is needed to ensure that strong
protection is afforded everywhere. To that end, ABC applauds the 2005 Energy
Bill which gives the Minerals Management Service (MMS) regulatory authority
over all offshore wind projects, including sites off the Texas coast and the
"Cape Wind" project off Cape Cod-all contentious locations for proposed wind
farms. MMS has proven to be a strict regulator of the offshore oil and gas
industry, and we believe they will do a good job of evaluating, monitoring,
and mitigating offshore wind projects that have potential, adverse impacts.

Despite the fast pace of development of wind power and its great potential
to provide green energy, we must not be in a hurry to get it wrong.
Continued close collaboration with industry and strong federal regulation
that uses tax breaks for doing the right thing and meaningful fines for
doing the wrong thing will be the carrot and stick approach that will ensure
the next fifty years are positive for birds at wind farms.

 

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