Bird-Smart Wind Energy Webinar

In January, ABC’s Bird-Smart Wind Energy Program Director Joel Merriman hosted a webinar on wind energy development in the U.S. The webinar included discussion about risks to birds, best practices for project planning, and bird-smart renewable energy policy.

Renewable Energy Project Planning Gets Overhaul in New York

New York State recently passed the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act, which seeks to streamline the process for renewable energy project approvals. There are some positive elements of the bill, such as prioritizing project siting on degraded lands. However, too many safeguards are removed overall, leaving birds vulnerable.

How Effective is Curtailment?

A recent study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management found that wind turbines kill birds regardless of whether blades are moving. This has important implications for birds as the practice of curtailment – stopping wind turbines to avoid wildlife collisions – may not be as universally effective as previously thought.

Bird-Smart Wind Energy Fact Sheet

Need a concise, easily digestible overview of bird-smart wind energy? Our one-page fact sheet outlines the principles of smart wind energy project planning, and is perfect for sharing with stakeholders, such as wind energy developers, planners, or decision-makers.

Bird-Smart Wind Energy Policy

Congress is currently considering bills that would expand renewable energy development on public lands. Rather than setting a higher standard for this development, these bills would remove critical safeguards, leaving birds on public lands vulnerable.

High-Risk Offshore Wind Project Approved in Lake Erie

The first offshore wind energy facility proposed in the U.S. Great Lakes has been approved by the State of Ohio — but with an important caveat. The facility, which would be built in Lake Erie, sits within an important area for waterfowl and migratory land birds. To protect birds and bats, it will be required to halt its turbines at night during eight months of the year. ABC is continuing the fight against this poorly sited project.

Wind Energy Survey Flags Concerns

Late last year, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Energy & Wildlife Policy Committee published the results of a wind energy and wildlife-focused survey taken by state wildlife biologists across the country. Among other findings, the survey found that many believe that federal wind energy development guidance does not consistently result in low-risk project siting.

Wind Energy and Wildlife: State of the Science

In fall 2019, a review of the science regarding the impacts of wind energy development on wildlife was published in Issues in Ecology. The study is an effective overview of existing literature about both onshore and offshore development.