TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD

WHAT IS THE FINE OR PENALTY FOR KILLING A BIRD?

Your reply would probably be “it depends on the type of bird”.   That answer is only half correct; it also depends on who you are.   Wind farms get a free pass.  Everyone else pays dearly.

Seven oil companies have recently been charged in federal court with killing migratory birds that died after allegedly landing in oil waste pits in western North Dakota. The charges involve 28 dead birds that were discovered in oil waste pits between May 6 and June 20. The maximum penalty for each charge under the Migratory Bird Act is six months in prison and a $15,000 fine. 


In July 2009, Pacificorp agreed to pay $10.5 million in fines, restitution and equipment upgrade costs for the deaths of at least 232 golden eagles, 46 hawks, 50 owls and nearly 200 other birds that had been electrocuted in Wyoming since January 2007. The cost per bird computes to a little less than $20,000.

 On August 13, 2009, Exxon Mobil pled guilty in federal court to charges that it killed 85 birds—all of which were protected under the Migratory Bird Act. The company agreed to pay $600,000 in fines and fees for the bird kills, which occurred after the animals came in contact with hydrocarbons in uncovered tanks and waste water facilities on company properties located in five western states,” reports Robert Bryce. Each bird kill cost the company over $7,000.

Those cases were probably justified, but why the double standard?  The Fish and Wildlife service estimated in 2009 that about 440,000 birds were killed by wind turbines. Yet the wind industry has yet to face a single charge.

Biologists believe the Altamont Pass turbines in northern California, which uses older turbine technology, may be the worst example.  A study by the Alameda County Community Development Agency reported that 10,000 annual bird deaths occur in the Altamont Pass.   Deaths include 75 to 100 golden eagles, 380 burrowing owls, 300 red-tailed hawks, and 333 American kestrels (falcons) killed annually be Altamont turbines.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, each megawatt of installed wind power capacity results in the killing of between one and six birds per year. At the end of 2008, the US had about 25,000 megawatts of wind turbines. By 2030, environmental and lobby groups are pushing for the US to be producing 20% of its electricity from wind.  Meeting that goal, according to the Department of Energy, will require the US to have about 300,000 megawatts of wind capacity.  That will be a 12-fold increase over 2008 levels, which will likely mean the killing of at least 300,000 birds per year by wind turbines.

Environmental groups are remaining largely silent on the bird kill issue because, in their view, the wind industry’s claims that it reduces carbon dioxide emissions are more important that the unlawful killing of birds.  Personally, I do not believe carbon dioxide is, or ever has been a problem.

But that’s not the point.  The point is, when it comes to protecting America’s wildlife, environmental organizations and federal law enforcement officials have a double standard: one that’s enforced against oil, gas and electric utility sectors, and another that exempts “green energy”.