Illinois Wind Farms Found Guilty of Killing Eagles
Wind farms have been a controversial issue for many years. That is likely to intensify after a company that has wind farms in Illinois and many other states has pled guilty to killing eagles.
The Associated Press reported that ESI Energy had admitted to its wind farms in 8 states including Illinois killing 150 eagles which is a federal offense. That guilty plea includes $8 million dollars in fines. As they reported, eagles are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The American Eagle Foundation has shared many statistics of how many birds are effected by wind energy. They state that "a 2013 study published in The Wildlife Society Bulletin found that wind turbines killed an estimated 573,000 birds annually in the United States". The exact numbers in Illinois are not known. However, it's no secret that the Mississippi River is an annual migratory eagle area.
What is to be done in the future to reduce or eliminate the deaths of birds associated with this type of energy is anyone's guess at this point.
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