Endangered bat the latest legal challenge for the proposed Oahu wind project | By Diane Ako | KITV Channel 4 | Saturday, February 29th 2020 | www.kitv.com
Could a small bat derail some big plans for an Oahu wind farm? It’s the latest challenge to the controversial Na Pua Makani wind project in Kahuku.
The endangered Hawaiian hoary bat or ‘ope’ape’a calls that area home, and some people are saying the wind farm developers – AES US Generation- don’t have a permit to move the bats.
The Hawaii Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge against AES’s habitat conservation plan and Incidental Take License.
The group, Keep the North Shore Country, is contesting the plan that was approved in 2018 by the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources
Chief Operating Office of AES US Generation Mark Miller says, “The Na Pua Makani wind project has received all necessary permits and approvals. We do not anticipate the Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision will delay the delivery of this vitally-needed renewable energy for Hawai‘i’s future.”
Other legal challenges against the project include Keep the North Shore Country’s contested case regarding the setback distance of two turbines, and Life of the Land’s challenge of the power purchase agreement now under review at the Public Utilities Commission.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/03/01/supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-challenge-from-kahuku-wind-farm-opponents/