Wind energy company kills 150 eagles in U.S., pleads guilty

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A subsidiary of one of the largest U.S. providers of renewable energy pleaded guilty to criminal charges and was ordered to pay over US$8 million in fines and restitution after at least 150 eagles were killed at its wind farms in eight states, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

NextEra Energy subsidiary ESI Energy was also sentenced to five years probation after being charged with three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act during a court appearance in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The charges arose from the deaths of nine eagles at three wind farms in Wyoming and New Mexico.

Prosecutors said the company's failure to take steps to protect eagles or to obtain permits to kill the birds gave it an advantage over competitors that did take such steps - even as ESI and other NextEra affiliates received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal tax credits from the wind power they produced.

It's illegal to kill or harm eagles under the migratory bird act. However, a wide range of industries - from energy firms to manufacturing companies - have lobbied for years against enforcing the law for accidental bird deaths. Most of the eagles killed at the ESI and NextEra wind farms were golden eagles, according to court documents.

Companies historically have been able to avoid prosecution under the century-old Migratory Bird Treaty law if they take steps to avoid deaths and seek permits for those that occur. “For more than a decade, ESI has violated laws, taking eagles without obtaining or even seeking the necessary permit,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division in a statement.

 

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That was a lot of info. The charges should stick. The company ignored federal wildlife recommendations while others had to comply. The guilty plea to save face is a smart move for them.

wow this world will never change, I am glad I am old and will not live to see the worst yet to come

Nuclear energy is the better option. Having said that, these wind farms have been subsidized knowing that they kill birds. Why fine them now?

Wind Tunnels would have been more practical. Wind Tunnels teach you to fly. That said the discrimination between a Duck and an Eagle ?....

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