One wonders:
a) - how often the supposed threat to wildlife is used to delay such
projects when the real reason is that people just don't want a windfarn in
their "backyard" - birds are a convenient excuse!
b) - what the long term effect on the same birds/bats of NOT having a
windfarm is - if windfarms help reduce global warming in the long term then
maybe they will do more good than harm?
On 08/04/07, Terry Bishop <> wrote:
Not wanting to start the windfarm debate but fantastic to see a
governmental
body taking responsibility in the US. A little toe in the door maybe????
Wind farm must protect birds, bats
SCC returns plans, sets July hearing on Highland proposal
The Associated Press
Saturday, April 7, 2007
ROANOKE -- The State Corporation Commission yesterday sent a proposal for
Virginia's first wind farm back to develop a plan to protect rare birds
and
bats.
In recommending approval last month for construction of 19 turbines, SCC
hearing
examiner Alexander Skirpan found that the Highland New Wind Development
proposal
posed a risk to birds and bats on Highland County's ridges. Skirpan
recommended
a monitoring program, developed by the company and the Virginia Department
of
Game and Inland Fisheries, to reduce the environmental hazard.
The SCC said in its order that all parties to the case and the
commission's
staff should be involved in developing the plan, and scheduled a hearing
for
July 17 in Richmond. Among the issues to be considered are funding, the
species
to be protected and the roles of the Department of Game and Inland
Fisheries and
others.
A number of residents in rugged rural Highland oppose the turbines, which
would
be built at a 4,400-foot elevation near the West Virginia border. They
fear the
whirring blades on 400-foot-tall towers will kill rare and endangered
birds and
bats that frequent the remote area.
"We agree with the hearing examiner that the proposed facility will
provide
economic benefits and will have no material adverse effect upon the
reliability
of electric service provided by any regulated public utility," the
commission's
order said.
But, the SCC said, "We must consider environmental impact."
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