Recently in Wildlife
Concentrating Solar:
The U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service confirms that a protected peregrine falcon was found severely injured on the site of BrightSource Energy's Ivanpah solar facility in September. It died shortly after. Solar flux is being eyed as a possible cause of death.
Wind:
At least 27 golden eagles perished at 13 California wind turbine facilities between 1997 and June 2012, with a startling rise in reported mortalities in 2011. That's not including the eagle killing machines at Altamont Pass.
Wildlife:
In the wake of this week's sentencing of eagle biologist John David Bittner on charges of handling eagles and other birds without a federal license, Bittner's colleagues in the environmental realm are weighing in -- and they have harsh words for their colleague.
Wind:
Yet another proposed wind project in the Mojave Desert has been dropped, and the project's likely effect on the local eagle population is a big reason.
Photovoltaic (PV):
At no more than 14 megawatts of planned capacity, San Diego Gas & Electric's proposed Ocotillo Sol power plant is a lot smaller than many desert solar projects. But it's still got wildlife and cultural protection activists concerned: the project would occupy 115 acres of Imperial County's Yuha Desert that had been set aside for protection by the feds.
Natural Gas:
Conservation groups announced Wednesday that they are suing the EPA for failing to protect an endangered butterfly species from a San Francisco Bay Area gas-fired power plant.
Wind:
First, one California condor. Now, over 100 Indiana bats.
Photovoltaic (PV):
The fatality marks the first reported death of a federally listed endangered bird at a renewable energy generation site in the mainland U.S.
Wind:
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has signed off on a wind power facility that would cover almost 60 square miles of public lands in Arizona near the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Wind:
A rare bird that had attracted a number of British birders was struck and killed by wind turbine blades as the onlookers watched in horror.
Photovoltaic (PV):
A 450-megawatt solar project may break ground as early as next year at Edwards Air Force Base in the western Mojave Desert. The project, now undergoing environmental review, would sell power to utilities outside the military base.
Wind:
In case you thought the wildlife and wind turbine conflict issue was limited to eagles, condors, and California, think again. A Vermont wind installation is seeking permission to legally kill four little brown bats a year with its turbines, and says that the permit would save the company $4 million a year.
Wind:
Four California-based wind power facilities have applied to the federal government for permits to harm eagles, ReWire has learned.
Commentary:
The paper this week covered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to allow a wind facility to kill a condor, and among other problems the story contained a howler of a misstatement about wind development in the Mojave.
Wind:
The Bureau of Land Management has given the thumbs-up to a Kern County wind project that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says is likely to kill at least one California condor.
Wind:
The Feds have just released the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for wind project near the mouth of the Grand Canyon that may pose a threat to the Canyon's population of reintroduced California condors.
Wind:
In a reversal that has outraged environmentalists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will not penalize a Southern California wind operator if its turbines kill or injure one California condor.
Wildlife:
A photo making the rounds of social media may prove embarrassing to Pattern Energy, the developer of the huge Ocotillo Express Wind project in Imperial County.
Wind:
The federal government has been sued over a recently-approved wind project in Nevada. Plaintiffs charge the federal government conducted an inadequate review of the project's likely effects on desert wildlife.
News and analysis about renewable energy in California. Blog host Chris Clarke is an environmental writer of two decades standing. He currently lives in Joshua Tree and can be contacted at: rewire@kcet.org.
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