www.windaction.orgfacts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impactsWindactionhttp://www.windaction.org/articles/c38+108?theme=atomXarayar2006-06-12T02:16:27ZWill wind farm project fly?.240072009-11-09T17:38:44Z2009-11-09T17:38:44ZA proposal to build the first wind farm in Western Washington may stall, and may even be doomed, because of concern that turbine blades would kill members of an endangered bird species, a state lawmaker says.
"I'm just not feeling real confident that this is going to grab hold and move forward very fast," Rep. Dean Takko, D-Longview, said last week. "There are key players who aren't very supportive, and I think it's going to hold this up. Is it going to kill it? I don't know."
State tables idea of wind farm lease in spotted owl habitat.228172009-08-22T14:48:57Z2009-08-22T14:48:57ZThe Washington Department of Natural Resources is no longer considering leasing 2,560 acres of state trust land to SDS Lumber Co. for possible future expansion of the proposed Whistling Ridge Energy Project in Skamania County.
A notice released by the DNR's Ellensburg office on Aug. 10 says the agency "is no longer considering a lease" but could reconsider the option at some future date.
"The reason it was withdrawn was because of issues with endangered species," DNR spokesman Aaron Toso said Friday.Ferruginous hawks in decline.227132009-08-16T16:19:18Z2009-08-16T16:19:18ZJason Lowe, a biologist with the Bureau of Land Management's Eastern Washington office in Spokane, ...conducted two field surveys this spring and summer, which confirmed what he feared: The hawks are fewer and farther between.
Where there were 17 nesting pairs in 1987 in the Juniper Dunes area of Franklin County, only four were spotted last year and just one this year. ...Wind farms are proliferating in Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon, which is a concern, he said.
"Information is not complete, but there have been reports of hawks being hit by the (rotating windmill) blades," he said.
While ferruginous hawks are unlikely to nest on ridges where windmills are located, they typically forage for food over a 17-mile radius, and that can include wind farms.
Green power collides with Endangered Species Act .226102009-08-10T11:14:36Z2009-08-10T11:14:36ZGreen power, green jobs, renewable energy collide with the Endangered Species Act in a proposed wind farm in Southwest Washington. The project calling for between 48-60 megawatts of power is proposed for 3,359 acres of Washington Department of Natural Resources land northwest of Naselle, Washington. ...The DNR has the power to stop the project if it deems the project endangers Murrelets.Wildlife hinders wind farm strategy; Turbines not the obvious "winner" state initially thought.224592009-08-01T12:28:24Z2009-08-01T12:28:24ZToday DNR has 24 active wind power leases in various stages. Five wind farms with 65 turbines operate on state trust land, all in Eastern Washington. The leases yield $670,000 a year.
However, the DNR failed to consider whether allowing wind turbines on state land might conflict with the compact the state made with the federal government in 1997 when it promised to manage its land in a way that would minimize harm to threatened and endangered species.
And Sutherland didn't foresee that some uses might not be compatible with the giant spinning turbine blades that feed renewable energy into the power grid.
Proposed wind project could imperil murrelet.223712009-07-27T13:04:27Z2009-07-27T13:04:27ZA proposal by an Eastern Washington utility consortium to build the state's first coastal wind farm by 2011 has run smack up against the habitat requirements of a threatened seabird.
Energy Northwest, based in the Tri-Cities, has signed a lease with the Washington Department of Natural Resources to build a wind farm on 3,359 acres of state trust land near Naselle, in Pacific County.
WA state biologist: wind project could pose risk.214942009-06-08T12:33:20Z2009-06-08T12:33:20ZA proposed wind farm on a forested ridge in eastern Skamania County could harm bats, raptors and other wildlife, a state wildlife biologist says. ...
Ritter, a wind mitigation biologist based in Pasco, said the survey data on bats was "extremely interesting and alarming."Wind project will kill wildlife, biologist says.214792009-06-07T12:45:45Z2009-06-07T12:45:45ZA state wildlife biologist says the Whistling Ridge Wind Project, proposed for a timbered ridge in eastern Skamania County, could cause high wildlife mortality, especially for bats and raptors.
Surveys of the 1,152-acre site, including those done for the applicant, Bingen-based SDS Lumber Co., show the area is heavily used by bats, raptors and other birds, biologist Michael Ritter said in formal comments to the state agency that will decide whether to approve the project.
Clark County wind farm on hold.213272009-05-22T13:06:41Z2009-05-22T13:06:41ZA potential wind farm envisioned straddling a ridgeline near Larch Mountain in east Clark County has been put on hold.
The state Department of Natural Resources, anticipating a boom in wind energy development spilling across the west side of the Cascades, wants more information before it considers leasing western state forests to wind farmers.
Washington wind turbines claim first known eagle victim.212672009-05-18T10:16:44Z2009-05-18T10:16:44ZA golden eagle died last month when it collided with a wind turbine blade at a 47-turbine wind farm in Klickitat County.
The April 27 collision at the Goodnoe Hills Wind Project southeast of Goldendale was the first known eagle casualty caused by a Washington wind project.
"I don't know of any other eagle fatalities in the state in connection with colliding with a turbine blade," said Travis Nelson, the state's lead wildlife biologist on wind power issues. He called the incident "unfortunate."
For the birds? Recent sightings raise hopes sage grouse and wind farms may not be mutually exclusive.154832008-04-24T09:04:07Z2008-04-24T09:04:07ZThen came onto the Whisky Dick came the 9,100-acre Wild Horse facility, owned by Puget Sound Energy, 127 wind turbines ...Some feared they might end the area's sage grouse future.
And now that a grouse and a nest have been found there?
"I think it's still too early to know," said Mike Schroeder, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife upland bird research biologist considered the state's foremost expert on sage grouse.
"One, it's just one nest. I've had sage grouse nest in wheat fields where there was absolutely zero chance of success. You have birds that do strange things. ..."There are issues -- the blades killing birds, the blades killing bats," said Andy Stepniewski, author of "The Birds of Yakima County" and program chair of the Yakima Valley Audubon. "The bigger issue is the footprint, the habitat fragmentation. The footprint of each one is a lot bigger than one can imagine, because of the size of the machine, the size of the road; these are enormous trucks that bring these huge turbines in there.
"The habitat is significantly impacted.
Group forming to battle windmill farm project.125012007-11-04T14:48:24Z2007-11-04T14:48:24ZThe wide open spaces and natural terrain and wildlife of Southeastern Washington are fading, and some residents would like the encroaching effects of urbanization toned down, such as a proposed project that would place 35 to 50 turbines on Rattlesnake Mountain.
More than 30 people showed up Saturday at the Richland Community Center for a meeting to oppose a proposed windmill farm at the base of the mountain. ...Rick Leaumont, chairman of the Audubon Society's conservation committee, agreed that urgency in protesting the project is necessary because about 238 bird species have been documented in the area, and would be effected by the windmills.
"Wildlife needs some kind of solitude, a place that is theirs," Leaumont said. "Any location on the mountain would be a problem."
Saturday meeting to marshal Rattlesnake Mountain wind foes.124652007-11-01T13:06:09Z2007-11-01T13:06:09ZDebate over putting wind turbines on Rattlesnake Mountain appears to be maturing faster than plans for the project itself. ...Guettner said Rattlesnake Mountain may be an ideal spot for wind turbines, but not one the public is likely to accept. "I feel like there's a supermajority of people who feel the way I do," he said. "I think it's time we marshal these people." ...Rick Leaumont, Audubon's conservation committee chairman, said about 238 bird species have been documented in the area. He said they are regularly coming and going to and from the monument, often crossing the mountain.
"Any location on the mountain would be a problem," he said. "It's like an airport."Wind Turbines Are Threat To Habitat Of Local Birds, Studies Show.124352007-10-30T10:35:37Z2007-10-30T10:35:37ZBy December 2007, more than 1,500 turbines will be churning out electricity in the Columbia River Gorge. Scientists are also concerned that since the turbines are nearing along the ridge of the gorge, canyons and shrub-covered rangeland, the natural habitats of the birds could be at risk. ...Wildlife biologists in Oregon and Washington state say the turbines are taking toll on raptors and other birds and it may limit expansion of clean wind energy.
Lumber company will apply to build Skamania wind farm.126062007-09-05T02:53:28Z2007-09-05T02:53:28ZSDS Lumber Co. plans to apply for a permit before year's end to build a wind farm in Skamania County that would produce up to 70 megawatts of power.
The project would be on a north-south ridge at elevations of 2,000 to 2,200 feet between Underwood Mountain and Whistling Ridge. The remote property lies east of the old mill town of Willard and about a mile north of the Columbia River Gorge ÂNational Scenic Area boundary. ...Dennis White, an environmental activist who lives in the Klickitat County community of Husum, said a regional discussion needs to take place about the cumulative effects of wind generation facilities in the Columbia Gorge.
"Wherever there's a BPA line, we're going to have these wind farms just outside the scenic area, up and down the gorge," White said.
Bird Group Watches For Dangerous Wind Projects.40872006-07-25T11:57:03Z2006-07-25T11:57:03ZCurrently, only one project is strongly opposed by Blue Mountain because of concerns for birds. It's called Windy Point, in Klickitat County in south-central Washington.
Comments pertaining to the accuracy and completeness of the Kittitas Valley Wind farm Project DEIS.9732003-12-01T05:00:00Z2003-12-01T05:00:00ZThis document [DEIS] has not provided any demonstrable public need for the insignificant amount of power this facility is capable of producing. No valid, compelling local (or even statewide) economic reasons were offered to potentially offset the overwhelming negative impacts that will result if built.
This DEIS is abundant in quantity, but extremely lacking in quality of scientific analysis and entirely deficient in analysis in certain areas. Various mitigations offered are unacceptable or unworkable.
The following are areas of analysis that were either deficient or not performed at all:............
When it comes to wind turbines and birds, the interests of both can be protected.225082009-08-05T11:15:51Z2009-08-05T11:15:51ZWith frequent ferocity, The Columbian has expressed editorial support for both:
-- Wind energy as an alternative energy source.
-- The Endangered Species Act.
But what happens when those two advocacies collide, when wind turbines kill birds, especially birds of a threatened species? ...If forced into a corner of mandatory choice, we suspect the proper view would be to support the ESA and the birds, for one simple reason: Extinction is precisely that, irreversible.Northwest wind power a threat to raptors.219192009-07-05T12:20:59Z2009-07-05T12:20:59ZIt is well known that raptors commonly fly at an altitude that puts them at particular risk for collision with wind power blades.
Proper siting was touted as the key to green wind power. So why is wind power being sited in an Audubon Important Bird Area, and why is that Important Bird Area slated for border to border wind power development? The answer is simple. Instead of proper planning, Northwest wind power is being allowed to develop wherever infrastructure is available and politicians are agreeable.Protecting habitat.177092008-08-29T04:17:59Z2008-08-29T04:17:59ZWind power has been proposed in letters to the editor as a good option to LNG, but there is no silver bullet solution to our energy needs, as far as I can see.
Because wind power depends on the wind, it is an unreliable source of electrical power. Wind power must be backed up by a more reliable conventional power source. That power source is LNG.
As wind power develops out, more LNG power plants will be built to back up wind power. Wind power cannot replace LNG; it will, instead, make LNG more necessary.