by Eric Lendrum
On Tuesday, a wind energy company was found guilty in federal court of killing over 150 eagles with their wind turbines over the course of the last ten years.
The Daily Caller reports that ESI Energy, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Wyoming to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. ESI had failed to apply for a special permit granted to some wind energy companies that provides them immunity from inevitable bird strike deaths caused by the massive propellers of the wind turbines.
After having been found to be responsible for the deaths of approximately 150 eagles in eight different states over the last decade, the company was fined over $8 million.
“We disagree with the government’s underlying enforcement activity,” said NextEra President Rebecca Kujawa following the ruling. “Building any structure, driving any vehicle, or flying any airplane carries with it a possibility that accidental eagle and other bird collisions may occur.”
The decision reflects a major setback in the push for so-called “renewable energy,” with wind often being pointed to by global warming alarmists as an alternative to fossil fuels. Last year, the Biden Administration announced a plan to develop seven off-shore wind farms on both the East and West coasts of the United States.
Some green activists, including California gubernatorial candidate Michael Shellenberger, have warned that some energy alternatives such as wind are no better for the environment than oil and gas, as the mass killing of birds is just as environmentally harmful.
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Eric Lendrum reports for American Greatness.
