Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Dead Bat Causes Wind Power Cut Back

Windmills to shut at night following demise of rare bat
Night operation of the windmills in the North Allegheny Windpower Project has been halted following discovery of a dead Indiana bat under one of the turbines, an official with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday.

The finding marks only the second location where an Indiana bat has been found dead under a wind turbine. Two Indiana bats were found under turbines in the Mid-west, said Clint Riley, supervisor for Fish and Wildlife’s Pennsylvania field office.
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The find is significant because the Indiana bat is an endangered species and is protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.
Why, just last night we were celebrating the likelihood of Maryland approving offshore wind power, with a cautionary observation that wind power is known to kill large numbers of potentially endangered bats and birds.

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