UTILITY COMPANY SENTENCED IN WYOMING FOR KILLING PROTECTED BIRDS AT WIND PROJECTS
WASHINGTON – Duke Energy Renewables Inc., a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp., based in Charlotte, N.C., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Wyoming today to violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in connection with the deaths of protected birds, including golden eagles, at two of the company’s wind projects in Wyoming. This case represents the first ever criminal enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for unpermitted avian takings at wind projects.
Under a plea agreement with the government, the company was sentenced to pay fines, restitution and community service totaling $1 million and was placed on probation for five years, during which it must implement an environmental compliance plan aimed at preventing bird deaths at the company’s four commercial wind projects in the state. The company is also required to apply for an Eagle Take Permit which, if granted, will provide a framework for minimizing and mitigating the deaths of golden eagles at the wind projects.
The charges stem from the discovery of 14 golden eagles and 149 other protected birds, including hawks, blackbirds, larks, wrens and sparrows by the company at its “Campbell Hill” and “Top of the World” wind projects in Converse County between 2009 and 2013. The two wind projects are comprised of 176 large wind turbines sited on private agricultural land.
According to the charges and other information presented in court, Duke Energy Renewables Inc. failed to make all reasonable efforts to build the projects in a way that would avoid the risk of avian deaths by collision with turbine blades, despite prior warnings about this issue from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). However, the company cooperated with the USFWS investigation and has already implemented measures aimed at minimizing avian deaths at the sites.
“This case represents the first criminal conviction under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for unlawful avian takings at wind projects,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. “In this plea agreement, Duke Energy Renewables acknowledges that it constructed these wind projects in a manner it knew beforehand would likely result in avian deaths. To its credit, once the projects came on line and began causing avian deaths, Duke took steps to minimize the hazard, and with this plea agreement has committed to an extensive compliance plan to minimize bird deaths at its Wyoming facilities and to devote resources to eagle preservation and rehabilitation efforts.”
The rest of the article is here.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Special meetings for Essex Township and Bengal Township on Nov 6
Essex Township -
November 6th special meeting information:
Township attorneys Frederick Lucas and Bill Fahey have requested a Special Meeting to discuss the Forest Hill Energy Complaint vs Essex Township. The meeting will take place on November 6th at 7:00 pm. The Community Center is being used at that time so we have secured the Village of Maple Rapids offices for the meeting. The offices are located at 118 W. Adelaide approximately three blocks North of the Community Center. This meeting will primarily be a closed meeting with public comment at the opening and closing of the meeting.
Bengal Township -
November 6th special meeting:
Bengal Township is holding a special meeting at 7:00 p.m. It will be held at held at Township Hall at 6586 West M-21.
November 6th special meeting information:
Township attorneys Frederick Lucas and Bill Fahey have requested a Special Meeting to discuss the Forest Hill Energy Complaint vs Essex Township. The meeting will take place on November 6th at 7:00 pm. The Community Center is being used at that time so we have secured the Village of Maple Rapids offices for the meeting. The offices are located at 118 W. Adelaide approximately three blocks North of the Community Center. This meeting will primarily be a closed meeting with public comment at the opening and closing of the meeting.
Bengal Township -
November 6th special meeting:
Bengal Township is holding a special meeting at 7:00 p.m. It will be held at held at Township Hall at 6586 West M-21.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Monday, November 4th - be there!
From Kevon Martis:
Good afternoon ICC supporters and interested observers!
The plans for the AWEA protest Nov. 4th in East Lansing are coming along very nicely.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MI PROTEST EVENT OF THE LAST 6 YEARS! WE NEED YOUR VOICES!
Our friends in Huron County are trying to fill a bus for this event.
URGENT NEWS::
The speaker’s list for the AWEA event has been released. http://www.awea.org/events/Event.aspx?EventID=21506&SubSectionID=5633
The names there are the Who’s-who list of wind profiteers and opportunists in the State of Michigan- Rich VanderVeen who pushed the Gratiot County wind project, John Sarver who said “rural residents do not have a right to peace and quiet”, Rick Wilson of Heritage Energy, Patty Birkholz of MLCV, Doug Jester from 5 Lakes Energy, Chris Kolb of the Michigan Environmental Council- all the names that pushed the failed Proposal 3 ballot measure last year.
Our message to them is simple: NO MEANS NO!!!!
Steve Bakkal of the Michigan Energy Office and MPSC Commissioner John Quackenbush are also speaking. I have sent word to them that we are very troubled by their presence and hope that they will convey to the AWEA crowd that wind energy in Michigan is causing harm and devastating our rural communities. We have several folks who will be attending inside and taking notes. To date I have not received a response from their offices. I will keep you posted.
US Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the House Ways and Means committee is scheduled to speak as well. I have placed a call in to his DC office asking for clarity on his position with respect to the Production Tax Credit for Wind Energy so that our protest could be properly targeted.
I have not yet received an answer. I have also asked that he cancel his appearance. We may need to take more action here. Keep your phone dialing fingers nimble and I will keep you posted.
Finally, Senator Debbie Stabenow is speaking as well. Our efforts to reach her on wind energy in the past have fallen upon deaf ears.
Finally, I spent all day in Lansing on Thursday. I spoke with many members of the Senate Energy and Tech Committee. I also visited members of the same committee but on the House side.
Our voices are being heard.
In the meantime, please take some time to start making protest signs for the event. Feel free to use the names of the AWEA speakers to inspire your efforts. We will again have IICC T-shirts for folks who wish to wear them. It would be good to have a few signs showing the names of which counties are represented.
Signs asking Governor Snyder to protect your communities from predatory wind developers or wind development are valuable as well.
And a few asking for the end of the PTC for wind energy are good..
We have folks traveling from OH, IN and hopefully Ontario to help us out.
I hope to see you all there.
Kevon
More information here.
Good afternoon ICC supporters and interested observers!
The plans for the AWEA protest Nov. 4th in East Lansing are coming along very nicely.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MI PROTEST EVENT OF THE LAST 6 YEARS! WE NEED YOUR VOICES!
Our friends in Huron County are trying to fill a bus for this event.
URGENT NEWS::
The speaker’s list for the AWEA event has been released. http://www.awea.org/events/Event.aspx?EventID=21506&SubSectionID=5633
The names there are the Who’s-who list of wind profiteers and opportunists in the State of Michigan- Rich VanderVeen who pushed the Gratiot County wind project, John Sarver who said “rural residents do not have a right to peace and quiet”, Rick Wilson of Heritage Energy, Patty Birkholz of MLCV, Doug Jester from 5 Lakes Energy, Chris Kolb of the Michigan Environmental Council- all the names that pushed the failed Proposal 3 ballot measure last year.
Our message to them is simple: NO MEANS NO!!!!
Steve Bakkal of the Michigan Energy Office and MPSC Commissioner John Quackenbush are also speaking. I have sent word to them that we are very troubled by their presence and hope that they will convey to the AWEA crowd that wind energy in Michigan is causing harm and devastating our rural communities. We have several folks who will be attending inside and taking notes. To date I have not received a response from their offices. I will keep you posted.
US Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the House Ways and Means committee is scheduled to speak as well. I have placed a call in to his DC office asking for clarity on his position with respect to the Production Tax Credit for Wind Energy so that our protest could be properly targeted.
I have not yet received an answer. I have also asked that he cancel his appearance. We may need to take more action here. Keep your phone dialing fingers nimble and I will keep you posted.
Finally, Senator Debbie Stabenow is speaking as well. Our efforts to reach her on wind energy in the past have fallen upon deaf ears.
Finally, I spent all day in Lansing on Thursday. I spoke with many members of the Senate Energy and Tech Committee. I also visited members of the same committee but on the House side.
Our voices are being heard.
In the meantime, please take some time to start making protest signs for the event. Feel free to use the names of the AWEA speakers to inspire your efforts. We will again have IICC T-shirts for folks who wish to wear them. It would be good to have a few signs showing the names of which counties are represented.
Signs asking Governor Snyder to protect your communities from predatory wind developers or wind development are valuable as well.
And a few asking for the end of the PTC for wind energy are good..
We have folks traveling from OH, IN and hopefully Ontario to help us out.
I hope to see you all there.
Kevon
More information here.
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