This is just priceless. In 2006, voters in the state of Washington went all hippy and passed an initiative that required utilities to buy wind power for energy.
So a bunch of counties got behind a project to build the first major wind farm in Western Washington.
But the U.S Fish and Wildlife stepped in and gasped that one marbled murrelet seabird could be killed every two years and that’s too high a price to pay and the put the kabosh on the wind farm.
So to get this right – counties responded to a state environmental initiative but was stopped by the federal government due to worries about a bird.
It liked the area because it could help with wind power transmission concerns. Among other transmission benefits, the wind blows there primarily in the winter, while other wind projects in the state have strong winds in the spring and fall.
The land already had been disturbed. Forest has been cut down on the ridge and a large gravel pit and communication towers are operating on top of the ridge, Baker said.
The project partners spent three years conducting scientific studies that showed that the wind farm could be operated in a way that would result in an average of one bird hitting a turbine every two years, he said. That clearly showed the wind project would not jeopardize the species, he said.
The seabirds, which can fly 50 mph, nest in the forest near the ocean to raise their young in the spring and fly out to the ocean in the morning to feed, he said.
However, in mid-August, Energy Northwest learned a draft for a required Fish and Wildlife environmental impact statement would require that the wind project be shut down for six months of the year in the daylight hours. Instead of a 25-year permit, only a five-year permit with extensions would be granted.
The project participants had agreed to spend $1 million to buy 300 acres of old growth forest to set aside for habitat. But the draft environmental study also would require $10 million for the federal government to spend on other habitat projects, Baker said.
The project participants already had adapted the project, including reducing the size of the turbines, and the additional conditions came as a surprise, he said.
Seattle Audobon called the decision to abandon the project a major victory.
Although it supports projects to reduce climate change, the harm to marbled murrelets outweighed the benefits of reduced carbon output, the group said.
Come on. You’ve gotta’ love this story, right?
November 18, 2011 at 6:59 pm
The whole thing is stupid. We are sitting on nearly limitless energy. Whenever we want to tap into it we can.
1. Nuclear – bury waste in the already-radioactive-for-thousands-of-years-Nevada Test Site or shoot it into space on a giant gun. (Do-able, really, Google Gerald Bull, read some history on ballistics and space or check out the Navy's new rail gun.)
2. If you really want wind: Float tethered turbines into the jet steam (above the birds – and away from air traffic routes). 200mph all the time – day/night. Blips with power cables – oh that was hard to dream up. Sheese…
3. Geothermal. Did a deep enough hole pretty much anywhere, pipe it, stick a turbine over it, just add water. It's 200plus degrees only a short way down in most places. Be less than coal for crying out loud. You could have a hole in nearly every town.
Duh. And on and on.
Heck, we have the technology to mine the asteroids.
And, yes, you could even use wind turbine blades on earth that don't kill birds. But you would have to use a non-G.E. company that is not in bed with the Democrats. So, as they say, "There's yer problem right thar!" Politics. Technology is rarely the issue.
November 18, 2011 at 8:26 pm
You forgot warming ourselves over burning piles of marbled murrelets that were stupid enough to fly into turbines.
November 18, 2011 at 8:30 pm
I thought it was too obvious to mention. HA!
On a side note: I wonder how many combusted BTU's would be given off by all the human waste, rats, refuse and rags left over from the OWS events. (Or are those not considered to be "leftovers")
November 18, 2011 at 9:09 pm
This story reminds me of another bird: the cookoo!
November 19, 2011 at 1:25 pm
"Although it supports projects to reduce climate change, the harm to marbled murrelets outweighed the benefits of reduced carbon output, the group said."
Penny wise and pound foolish. How many marbled murelets will be irreparably harmed by the carbon output? For government to assume that only human beings are harmed by carbon output is as they say "a red herring" How many persons lose their lives going into coal mines and/or living in polluted air? To place the birds, that will perish above persons who will perish is criminal at best and insane at worst.
November 19, 2011 at 1:25 pm
and stupid
November 19, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Since marbled murrelets do not pay taxes and persons do pay taxes this Fish and Wildlife must be defunded and the reason is taxation without representation
November 19, 2011 at 7:35 pm
The lunatics are clearly running the asylum.
Karl
November 19, 2011 at 10:50 pm
Animal loonies mistake sentimentality for love and superficiality for serious thought. Compulsory patristics I think!
November 20, 2011 at 2:07 pm
@used to post: The wind turbines will be stationary and the animals will respect the turbines "space". Airplane blades are moving objects. Every cockroach and termite gives off feremones when killed and the queen speeds up egg laying when she gets the scent. Fifteen new termintes for every one killed. Higher animals too, have the same survival apparatus. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife are goosestepping to the drones in Washington.
November 21, 2011 at 2:59 pm
@Anonymous 9:07:
I don't think you are suggesting that moving turbine blade are killing cockroaches. I suppose that IS possible, but that would be very inefficient as the blades would be hitting the ground, and I would think that would be a less-than optimal configuration.
My point is that it is fairly easy to make them in such a way as to be avoided. I am just going into detail, b/c it is kind of silly.
In fact, I would scrap the turbines for offshore wave generators.
We also have the technology to use wave generation, solar and/or a combination to desalinate enough water to built "Great Lakes" in the Middle East. I am not saying we should, but I AM saying that ALL of this "energy shortage" talk is a bunch of hooey.
We have the technology to do just about anything. But we don't even have the political will to keep a basic economy moving. Sad.
November 21, 2011 at 5:46 pm
The Green Goddess prefers HUMAN sacrifice, of course.
But animals will do–for a time.
November 21, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Jones beach on LI has been known as a place people dropped off their unwanted cats, leading to herds of feral cats wandering around. The beach is also the home to the piping plover, a useless endangered bird. The cats began eating the birds. The bird people wanted the cats killed off. The cat people fought it. I found it hilarious. As a side note, they put up these protective enclosures over the bird eggs which simply let the other animals know just where to find them.
November 22, 2011 at 2:39 pm
The "cat people"!! AHHH THE CAT PEOPLE!!!!
I love cats, but they are the most deadly creature on land. They kill more species of living things than anything else. But people let them roam all over the place destroying in an unnatural way. (Unnatural, because their predators are gone.)
I've seen those piping plovers on Fire Island, further down, West of Cupsogue (last time I was on L.I.) I have to say – those birds are seriously CUTE. But they can't be THAT easy to catch since "cats don't surf", and the plovers are always dodging the surf. I guess the cats just munch the chicks. Too bad.
Cat's should be indoors unless you need them for your farm. And then they should be sterilized.