April 7, 2012
Delaware, Letters

Protect bats by not relying on wind turbines

www.delawareonline.com 7 April 2012

Pennsylvania officials estimate that 420 wind turbines there killed 10,000 bats in 2010 alone. Already the death toll is so large that it may exceed the ability of some slow-reproducing bat populations to sustain. Meanwhile, developers put up more turbines every year.

The National Wildlife Federation and Delaware environmental groups and legislators are partly to blame for the carnage. They sponsor wind development directly or indirectly through laws that force electric companies to buy ever-increasing amounts of otherwise uneconomic wind power. The results are more ugly wind installations and fewer bats in the Pennsylvania countryside, and fewer dollars in your bank account.

Commendably, Delaware wildlife officials and biologists are taking steps to protect bats from the spread of an epidemic disease (March 30 article). In the same spirit, Delaware should protect bats and other wildlife from the spreading environmental blight of wind development. Let your representatives know that you do not want wildlife and your energy budget to be sacrificed on the altar of politically correct but poorly considered energy policy.

Gregory A. Inskip, Wilmington


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/04/07/protect-bats-by-not-relying-on-wind-turbines/