Friday, November 29, 2013

Green Energy Company Faces $1 Million Fine

November 29, 2013 by B. Christopher Agee Leave a Comment

To take the left’s rhetoric at face value is to concede that the political movement has a unique dedication to the environment. While demonizing capitalists who dare use proven sources of energy, radical environmentalists endlessly tout the latest fad alternative as humanity’s greatest hope for the future.

In reality, of course, the left’s posturing is far less about saving the environment – after all, more scientific studies than ever before cast serious doubt on the left’s apocalyptic predictions – and much more about maintaining control over the population.
This fact is illustrated by the promotion of wind energy as a “green” replacement for more established forms of energy. Of course, mankind has harnessed the power of wind in some form or another for most of its history. In recent years, however, substantial swaths of American land have been usurped for the development of so-called wind farms.
In addition to being widely considered an eyesore, these farms also pose a very real damage to the same environment their proponents are ostensibly working to save.
Two wind farms in Wyoming, both operated by Duke Energy Corp., are currently under fire regarding the deaths of more than 150 birds between 2009 and 2013. Among the animals killed were at least 14 eagles.
It is a crime to kill many of the species without a permit, which no wind energy company has yet pursued. Both the Justice Department and Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating additional bird deaths as part of a continuing investigation.

The company pleaded guilty to the charges recently and has agreed to pay a $1 million fine. This marks the first time, despite countless other deaths caused by wind turbines, that an energy company has faced such prosecution.
American Bird Conservancy President George Fenwick explained that energy created on these farms “is not green if it is killing hundreds of thousands of birds.”
A recent study showed that 67 or more bald and golden eagles were killed by turbines within the past five years. Since they do not look up as they fly, these birds of prey are especially vulnerable to the turbine’s blades, which can move at up to 170 miles per hour.
Though there are a few afterthought measures Duke and other companies can employ in an effort to prevent future deaths, these wind farms are already operational, meaning more birds will be killed in the future.
As the American Wind Energy Association recently confirmed in a statement, there can be no energy production that is “completely free of impacts, and wind energy is no exception.”
The same could have also been said in response to the rare missteps within the oil industry. Instead, the left decided that Americans should be forced to switch to more “environmentally friendly” alternatives such as wind and solar energy.
As is so often the case, it now appears their solution is actually creating more problems than it solves.
–B. Christopher Agee

Green Energy Company Faces $1 Million Fine

November 29, 2013 by B. Christopher Agee Leave a Comment

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This fact is illustrated by the promotion of wind energy as a “green” replacement for more established forms of energy. Of course, mankind has harnessed the power of wind in some form or another for most of its history. In recent years, however, substantial swaths of American land have been usurped for the development of so-called wind farms.

In addition to being widely considered an eyesore, these farms also pose a very real damage to the same environment their proponents are ostensibly working to save.

Two wind farms in Wyoming, both operated by Duke Energy Corp., are currently under fire regarding the deaths of more than 150 birds between 2009 and 2013. Among the animals killed were at least 14 eagles.

It is a crime to kill many of the species without a permit, which no wind energy company has yet pursued. Both the Justice Department and Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating additional bird deaths as part of a continuing investigation.

American Bird Conservancy President George Fenwick explained that energy created on these farms “is not green if it is killing hundreds of thousands of birds.”

A recent study showed that 67 or more bald and golden eagles were killed by turbines within the past five years. Since they do not look up as they fly, these birds of prey are especially vulnerable to the turbine’s blades, which can move at up to 170 miles per hour.

Though there are a few afterthought measures Duke and other companies can employ in an effort to prevent future deaths, these wind farms are already operational, meaning more birds will be killed in the future.

As the American Wind Energy Association recently confirmed in a statement, there can be no energy production that is “completely free of impacts, and wind energy is no exception.”

The same could have also been said in response to the rare missteps within the oil industry. Instead, the left decided that Americans should be forced to switch to more “environmentally friendly” alternatives such as wind and solar energy.

As is so often the case, it now appears their solution is actually creating more problems than it solves.

–B. Christopher Agee

Confessions of a Colorado Conservative

Friday, November 29, 2013