The Current Issues Involving Wind Farms and Wildlife

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Introduction and Background:

Wind energy has been one of the greatest developments in the field of renewable energy in the last several years. Wind farms, based off of energy production facts, are pivotal in our society, to the continued push to reduce fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. To the untrained eye, they seem as though they are too good to be true; a cheaper form of energy that also emits less pollution than traditional forms of energy production (find a source for this) sounds perfect, right? However, there has been growing tension between the wind energy industry and environmental groups as the Obama administration continues pushing for more renewable energy projects. Several things have caused this tension.

In 2008, an article by NBC News stated, “because wind energy has gained such traction, whooping cranes could again be at risk – either from crashing into the towering wind turbines and transmission lines or because of habitat lost to the wind farms.” With the staggering estimates climbing as high as 40,000 wind turbines to be assembled and erected in the U.S. located amidst the 200-mile wide migration corridor traveled by the whooping crane, surely a negative impact on the federally endangered species would occur. The American Wind Energy Association grew by 45% in 2007 so the significance to the future of energy in our country is undeniable, but with the threatening of an endangered species, among other bird species, tension grew and is impacting a variety of issues today and will be impacting them in the future as well (“Wind Turbine”).

Recently, conservation groups have angrily reacted to the new law that gives wind farms a 30-year permit to lawfully kill golden eagles, as well as bald eagl...

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...esolved and will one day be a very insignificant issue and perhaps entirely irrelevant.

Works Cited

Drouin, Roger. "8 Ways Wind Power Companies Are Trying to Stop Killing Birds and Bats." Mother Jones. N.p., 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Frosch, Dan. "A Struggle to Balance Wind Energy With Wildlife." The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

Negin, Elliott. "The Wind Energy Threat to Birds Is Overblown." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 03 Dec. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

"Wind Energy Facts at a Glance." Wind Energy Facts at a Glance. American Wind Energy Association, 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

"Wind Energy Frequently Asked Questions." Wind Energy Frequently Asked Questions. American Bird Conservancy, 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

"Wind Turbines May Threaten Whooping Cranes." Msnbc.com. NBC News, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

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