In These Times

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• • 16 Sep 05
  • 11:11 am

  Thanks to Mischa Gaus for revealing the threat to bats and wildlife due to corporate wind energy development. However, the story has a few errors. First, the number of bats killed by wind turbines studied by researchers was likely twice as large 2,900, as this number represents the estimated mortality for only the 6 week study period - bats migrate much earlier and later than the limited time the researcher were able to investigate this impact. Second, it sadly is incorrect to state that "wind power does not clear forests". In fact that may be the biggest ecological impact resulting from …

  Posted to Shooting Down the Breeze

• • 26 Sep 05
  • 8:07 am

  It is unfortunate that wishful thinking and faith-based arguments are being advanced to justify and support the rapid, nearly unfettered expansion of the wind industry. What the debate about windpower hinges on is not WHETHER to shift away from polluting energy technologies based on fossil-fuel combustion, but HOW to do so... Where to site these facilities is key. Unfortunately, lining Appalachia's ridgetops with wind turbines likely poses an unnecessarily high risk of environmental harm. I fear that large-scale development of this region's limited wind energy potential would needlessly sacrifice much for little gain. Especially given the limited amount of power this …

  Posted to Shooting Down the Breeze