Congress mulls = bird kills by wind turbines

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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

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Congress mulls bird kills by wind turbines

Deb = Price / The=20 Detroit News

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WASHINGTON -- In a high-stakes issue for Michigan, Congress = took its=20 first look Tuesday at the killing of birds and bats by huge wind = turbines.

U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W. Va., warned that wind turbines in the=20 Appalachian mountains of his home state have killed so many bats that = they could=20 become an endangered species.

That got the attention of U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint, who = wondered aloud=20 whether the drive to increasingly use wind turbines in Michigan could = undermine=20 efforts to restore the forest industry by killing bats needed to keep = insect=20 populations down.

"One of the threats to forest industry are insects, and bats might = have a=20 role," said Kildee, who sits on the subcommittee that held the hearing = ominously=20 titled "Gone With the Wind: Impacts of Wind Turbines on Birds and = Bats."

"Perhaps we can find a way to have both wind power and protect the=20 environment," Kildee added.

That goal -- figuring out how to protect wildlife while boosting the = reliance=20 on wind energy, which reduces global warming -- was echoed by other = lawmakers=20 and witnesses, including bird and bat advocates.

Environmentalists, including those at the hearing, generally support=20 wind-produced energy. But they want the federal government to require = the wind=20 industry to take precautions to minimize bird kills by, for example, = locating=20 the turbines away from migratory paths.

"Wind-energy developers are not going to voluntarily take all the = steps that=20 are reasonably necessary for the protection of wildlife," Mollohan said, = adding=20 that West Virginia developers ignored calls for multi-year studies on = the impact=20 of turbines on bats before constructing new ones.

"These developers are for-profit corporations that, like any other, = are=20 answerable to their shareholders," added Mollohan, who said developers = have been=20 given "a de facto exemption from the wildlife protection laws."

Michigan has a huge potential for wind power that it has barely begun = to=20 tap.

In addition, the state, because of its manufacturing knowledge and = worker=20 expertise, could become a center for the production of parts for wind=20 turbines.

Kildee said it's critical to figure out now, in the early stages of = the=20 development of wind energy, how to reduce dangers to wildlife. = Otherwise, he=20 warned, the nation could repeat to birds and bats what happened with the = dams in=20 the Northwest that were quickly built to supply electricity without = weighing the=20 devastating impact on salmon.

But U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, R-Idaho, argued that wind turbines kill few = birds=20 compared to glass-window buildings, vehicles, transmission lines and = outdoor=20 cats.

"Isn't it unfair to just focus on the turbines, when there is so much = else to=20 focus on?" Sali asked.

Spokesmen for the wind industry, who weren't asked to testify, told = reporters=20 after the hearing that opponents are over-blowing the potential threat = and=20 ignore several studies that show minimal damage to wildlife.

The Michigan Public Service Commission is proposing that 10 percent = of=20 Michigan's energy come from renewable sources -- mostly from wind -- by = 2015.=20 Currently, most of the 3 percent of renewable energy in Michigan comes = from=20 hydro-electric plants and landfill gases.

Michigan has three commercial wind turbines: Traverse City Light and = Power=20 has a 600,000 watts wind generator that creates power for about 200 = households.=20 Two larger wind generators operate near Mackinaw City.

In addition, several wind generators are being built in the Thumb = region.=20 Wyandotte Municipal Utility is considering installing two wind = generators near=20 the Detroit River, and is weighing the potential impact on birds.

Bats are instinctively attracted to the whirling blades, meaning = simply=20 locating wind turbines away from bats may not solve the problem because = they may=20 seek them out. Scientists are searching for ways to override bats' = instinct by,=20 for example, disrupting the wind flow near turbines so that the bats = feel so=20 uncomfortable that they will stay away.

You can reach Deb Price at dprice@detnews.com or (202)=20 662-8736.

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