(WASHINGTON,
DC) – The Fish and Wildlife Service is expected this week to issue its final
rule extending the period in which wind projects can be permitted to injure or
kill protected eagles from five years to 30 years, according to industry
sources.
The
permits protect companies from being sued for the bird deaths so long as they
follow certain mitigation and reporting requirements. An earlier version of the
rule was
overturned by a court in 2015 because the agency did not perform an
environmental impact statement. FWS issued its final programmatic EIS on the rule in November and comments
on it were due Friday.
Thus
far, the service has only issued two five-year permits but it could soon grant
two more under the current regulations.
FWS on Friday issued its final EIS to grant two proposed
eagle take permits - one for construction and another for project operations
over five years - to the Power Company of Wyoming, which plans to build 500
wind turbines in southern Wyoming by 2020. During construction of the
Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Phase I Wind Energy Project, the permit would
allow developers to injure up to two bald eagles and eight golden eagles
annually. Depending on which size turbine blade the developer picks, FWS
estimated the project itself could kill one to two bald eagles and 10 to 14
golden eagles annually.
