Companies won't face charges in condor deaths - latimes.com
Federal wildlife officials took the unprecedented step Friday of telling private companies that they will not be prosecuted for inadvertently harassing or even killing endangered California condors.
In a decision swiftly condemned by conservationists and wildlife advocates, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said operators of Terra-Gen Power's wind farm in the Tehachapi Mountains will not be prosecuted if their turbines accidentally kill a condor during the expected 30-year life span of the project.
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Wind turbines already kill many species of birds and are suspected of cutting down a number of federally protected golden eagles in the Tehachapis last year. Conservationists say that the government needs to force wind farms to find ways to prevent the deaths rather than granting exceptions to endangered species protections.
"This is a sad day for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," said Adam Keats, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. "We're talking about perhaps one of the most endangered species on the planet, let alone in this country. So, the Obama administration said loud and clear today" that it doesn't care about the environment.
Daniel Burnett, treasurer of Kerncrest Audubon, agreed. "I can't believe the federal government is putting so much money into a historic and costly effort to establish a stable population of condors, and at the same time is issuing permits to kill them. Ludicrous."
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There needs to be a civilian oversite at each of these wind turbines. Someone to keep count of the bodies. The type of species killed, and what have you.
Because this could kill the wind turbine industry, and the scumbag politicians that they bought, all in one fell swooooop.
I bet the wind turbine companies, with an official looking but totally illegal nod from our corrupt government in Sacramento, restrict access to the wind turbines.
Might need to take that to court.
From the LA Times story,
“This is a sad day for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Adam Keats, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’re talking about perhaps one of the most endangered species on the planet, let alone in this country. So, the Obama administration said loud and clear today” that it doesn’t care about the environment.
The highlighted part is cut at the end by the reporter Louis Sahagun.
Is there some way to recover Adam Keats original statement?
Just checked the Center for biological diversity website for news headlines - not a word about condors, but they did note Obama is pulling protections for the grey wolf across the entire lower 48, 2 days ago.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2013/wolf-05-09-2013.html
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