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Wind Power News: Wildlife
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Infrasound from wind turbines could be ‘a huge threat to the entire biodiversity’: doctor
More than 70,000 wind turbines operate across the United States, and the U.S. government continues to approve offshore wind projects as part of its transition toward clean energy. When wind turbines rotate, however, they generate not only electricity but also infrasound. For Dr. Ursula Bellut-Staeck, this development represents “a huge problem for all forms of organisms,” including humans. The medical doctor and scientific author has been studying the health effects of infrasound for several years. She has been looking into . . . Complete story »
Right whales seem to not be a concern in new plans
Massachusetts fishermen say feds are hypocritical in Gulf of Maine wind energy designation. A move to designate two million acres in the Gulf of Maine as a hub for wind energy is snagging a sharp hook from Massachusetts fishermen who say the development overlooks risks to the North Atlantic right whale. A handful of Bay State fishermen advocacy groups are teaming with counterparts from across New England in criticizing the Biden administration’s plans to industrialize the area off the coasts . . . Complete story »
Biden administration sued over Virginia offshore wind farm approval
A conservative think tank on Monday sued the Biden administration in an effort to reverse approval of what would be the largest offshore wind farm of its kind. The Heartland Institute filed the suit with the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, a nonprofit that advocates for an economically libertarian approach to environmental action and has denied the existence of human-caused climate change. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to reverse the National . . . Complete story »
Noise from offshore wind turbines may lead to whale extinction, environmentalists say
Imagine living amid noise as loud as a rock concert, all day, every day. Environmentalists say that’s exactly what will happen to all sea creatures—from fish to whales to clams—in the waters around the massive offshore wind farms planned for the eastern coast of the United States. The spinning windmills will be so loud, they say, that people at the beach will hear them, too. Offshore wind farms create airborne, underwater and seabed noise vibrations, Bob Stern, president of Save . . . Complete story »
Serious environmental concerns on proposed Mannar windpower facility
Proposed 250 MW windpower facility on Mannar Island would block the most important migratory bird corridor in Sri Lanka. Mannar is one of the oldest cities in Sri Lanka dating back to the maritime Silk Road and the trade routes between India and Sri Lanka. It also has some of the most important wintering wetlands for migratory birds in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a signatory nation for the United Nations Convention of Migratory Species (CMS). Hence, we have a global . . . Complete story »
U.S. sets plans to protect endangered whales near offshore wind farms
Of the 360 right whales left in the ocean, only 70 are reproductively active females. Complete story »
Wind farm plan in Hokkaido called threat to endangered fish
Environmental groups are demanding the suspension of a wind power plant project in Hokkaido, saying it could devastate the population of “ito” (Japanese huchen), an endangered species of salmonid freshwater fish. The Environment Ministry has also cited the need for major revisions to the project. Japan Renewable Energy Corp. (JRE), a Tokyo-based company affiliated with Eneos Corp., a major oil company, is in charge of the wind power project. JRE has indicated it is open to changes. “We are aware . . . Complete story »
New bird and butterfly survey threatens wind project proposal
Significant additional information, including a new survey on the endangered Marsh Fritillary butterfly, has been submitted to An Bord Pleanála in relation to a planning application for a proposed 26 turbine wind farm in the Ballivor Bog Group. Bord na Mona Powergen Limited is seeking a ten-year planning permission for the wind farm on the Meath/Westmeath border which would be operational for 30 years from the date of commissioning. The application is a strategic infrastructure development (SID) which means it . . . Complete story »
Blown away: almost 70% of animals displaced from homes by wind-power developments
Wildlife and wind turbines are an uncomfortable mix. Rotating turbine blades can make short work of anything unlucky enough to collide with them, but direct mortality is only part of the story. Having reviewed the available evidence from around the world, biologists in Finland have found that 63 per cent of bird species, 72 per cent of bats and 67 per cent of terrestrial mammals are displaced from areas where turbines are installed. Some of the most pronounced effects were . . . Complete story »
New bid to scuttle Robbins Island wind farm looks headed for Supreme Court
A new bid to scuttle the controversial Robbins Island wind farm proposal is headed for the Supreme Court. The appeal from long-time project opponent the Circular Head Coastal Awareness Network is against the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s recent decision to approve the wind farm. TasCAT overrode a state Environment Protection Authority condition that would have forced proponent ACEN to shut down the turbines for five months a year to protect endangered orange-bellied parrots. ACEN said that would make the . . . Complete story »