INVOICES, Mont. (AP) – A wind power company has been sentenced to probation and fined more than $ 8 million after at least 150 eagles were killed on its wind farms in eight states over the past decade, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
ESI Energy, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the Migratory Poultry Convention Act during a court hearing in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on Tuesday. He is accused of killing eagles at his three wind farms in Wyoming and New Mexico.
In addition to the deaths, golden and bald eagles have been killed at wind farms linked to ESI and NextEra since 2012 in eight states, prosecutors said: Wyoming, California, New Mexico, North Dakota, Colorado , Michigan, Arizona and Illinois. Birds die when they fly on wind turbine blades. Prosecutors say several ESI turbines killed several eagles.
Killing or hurting eagles is against the law under federal law.
The bald eagle – a national symbol of the United States – was removed from conservation under the Endangered Species Act in 2007 after a dramatic recovery from widespread pest control due to pesticides and other problems. Golden eagles have also failed, whose populations are considered stable but under pressure, including from wind farms, car accidents, illegal hunts, and poisoning with lead ammunition.
Businesses have historically been able to avoid prosecution if they take steps to prevent the death of birds and seek permits for what happened to them. ESI has not applied for such authorization, authorities said.
The company was warned prior to the construction of wind farms in New Mexico and Wyoming that they would kill the birds, but still persisted and sometimes ignored advice from federal wildlife officials on how to reduce the amount of dying, according to court documents.
“For more than a decade, ESI has violated (wildlife) laws, depriving eagles of required permits or even requirements,” Todd Kim, assistant attorney general, said in a statement from the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources Department of Justice.
ESI agreed to spend $ 27 million under the plea deal on measures to prevent further deaths of eagles during its five-year probationary period. This includes shutting down turbines at times when eagles are more likely to shut down.
Despite these measures, wildlife officials suggest that some eagles may still die. When that happens, the company will pay $ 29,623 per dead eagle, under the contract.
NextEra president Rebecca Kujava said the collision of birds with the wind turbine was an inevitable accident that should not be made criminal. He said the company is ready to reduce wildlife losses from its projects.
“We do not agree with the government’s law enforcement action,” Kujava said in a statement. “Building any structure, driving any car or flying any aircraft is accompanied by the possibility of accidental collision of eagles and other birds.
Source: Huffpost
