February 3, 2012
Minnesota

PUC delays hearing on wind turbine bird deaths

by Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio, minnesota.publicradio.org 2 February 2012

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has postponed a hearing on a plan to limit bird and bat deaths at a controversial wind farm proposed for Goodhue County.

Goodhue Wind wants to build 48 turbines on about 50 square miles of land in Goodhue County just north of Zumbrota in southeast Minnesota.

Some local residents have been fighting the project for years. The latest battle is over the developer’s plan to protect eagles and other birds on the site.

The company says it will apply for an eagle take permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If granted, it would allow the turbines to kill a certain number of eagles before the company would face penalties.

The developer has asked for more time to analyze the plan. No date has been named for a new hearing.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/02/03/puc-delays-hearing-on-wind-turbine-bird-deaths/