I find that we, the United States, are at cross roads and
cross currents. On Sunday, the New York
Times reported, that Duke Energy has agreed to pay $1 million in fines as part
of the Justice Department’s first criminal case against a wind power company
for the deaths of protected birds.
That’s right a criminal case for the death of birds, golden eagles in
this case, which is a tragedy. But how
is Duke Energy Renewables or any other utility to comply with the Renewable
Portfolio Standard (RPS) mandate of increasing the percentage of electricity
produced from wind, solar, geothermal or other, when they can be found
criminally guilty of avian deaths.
Birds are killed by everything from cars, trains, planes,
stationary meteorological towers, cell phone towers, trees, windows of homes
(we have had two in 14 years), other birds, chemicals, hunters, and on and
on. The $1 million fined was paid to several
conservation groups, including the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund,
the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation. These are the very groups
that have pushed for the RPS.
The company must now put into place a plan to prevent the
deaths of the birds. Duke Energy said
that it had been working with federal officials to limit the bird deaths. “The company is installing new radar
technology to detect birds and using field biologists to look for eagles and
determine when turbines need to be shut down.”
This clearly is a negative for wind power and will be more expensive and
interruptible.
How is a country supposed to grow? If the aim is to reduce energy consumed, then
say so and provide the incentives that make sense (not the passing of a compact
fluorescence lights law with no appropriate way of disposing them because the
contain mercury and no competitive substitute).
This is why rate hikes are being proposed by the energy companies and
the rate payers are being forced to foot the bills.
This country needs an energy plan and what we have, is a
terribly impractical one. We deserve
better.
