U.S. to give 30-year wind farm permits;
thousands of eagle deaths seen
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[December 15, 2016]
By Laura Zuckerman
(Reuters) - Wind farms will be granted
30-year U.S. government permits that could allow for thousands of
accidental eagle deaths due to collisions with company turbines, towers
and electrical wires, U.S. wildlife managers said on Wednesday.
The newly finalized rule, to go into effect on Jan. 15, extends the
current five-year term for permits that allow for the accidental deaths
of bald and golden eagles. The bald eagle is the national emblem of the
United States.
The permits, which are meant for any activity that could disturb or kill
eagles but will mostly apply to wind farms, are required under federal
law.
Wind energy companies had sought the change from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, arguing they needed the longer permits to provide more
stability to investors in the growing renewable power industry.
In 2013, the agency approved a similar plan extending "eagle-take"
permits to 30 years, but a U.S. judge overturned it last year. The judge
agreed with conservation groups that the agency had failed to properly
assess the impact on federally protected eagle populations.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has said the growth in many sectors of the
U.S. energy industry coincides with a rising number of bald eagles as
well as an apparent decline in golden eagles.
The agency concluded that the population of roughly 40,000 golden eagles
in the United States could withstand the loss of about 2,000 birds
annually. Bald eagles, estimated at more than 140,000, could sustain as
many as 4,200 fatalities a year without endangering the species, it
found.
The number of eagles killed each year at wind facilities is not
precisely known, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. An
estimated 545 golden eagles are thought to perish annually from
collisions with obstacles ranging from turbines to vehicles, the agency
said.
The American Wind Energy Association said it hoped the new rule would
provide “a workable permitting framework that gives the private sector
necessary clarity” while maintaining healthy eagle populations.
Conservationists have said the longer permits threaten decades of
protection that have saved the bald eagle from extinction.
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A bald eagle sits in a tree in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near
Haines, Alaska October 8, 2014. REUTERS/Bob Strong/File Photo

The revised permit requires companies to hire a third party to
collect data on eagle deaths rather than consultants hired by permit
holders, a change hailed by Defenders of Wildlife, a backer of the
measure.
However Michael Hutchins of the American Bird Conservancy said he
wants more details on actions Fish and Wildlife would take if permit
holders exceed the number of eagles they are legally allowed to
kill.
Companies that exceed allowable limits could face fines or legal
action, but that is not specified enough, Hutchins said.
The National Audubon Society was also disappointed. "As an
organization we think a 30-year term is unreasonable, especially
when we’re still learning about the impacts of wind and other
technology on wildlife," said Sarah Greenberger, vice president for
conservation.
"It becomes that much more critical to work together because we feel
strongly we should be making a transition to renewable energy," she
said. "There’s a way to do that in a way that’s beneficial for our
planet."
(Reporting by Laura Zuckerman in Salmon, Idaho; Editing by Ben
Klayman and Jeffrey Benkoe)
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