Dec. 11, 2009, 08:50 AM
Egads, I have always said the environmentalists wanted us all living in caves and subservient to "nature." This sure goes a long way toward validating that view.
Washington Post Wrote:Source Link
In a rare green vs. green court case, a federal judge in Maryland has halted expansion of a West Virginia wind farm, saying its massive turbines would kill endangered Indiana bats.
U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus ruled that Chicago-based Invenergy can complete 40 windmills it has begun to install on an Appalachian ridge in Greenbrier County. But he said the company cannot move forward on the $300 million project -- slated to have 122 turbines along a 23-mile stretch -- without a special permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"Like death and taxes, there is a virtual certainty that Indiana bats will be harmed, wounded, or killed imminently by the Beech Ridge Project," Titus wrote in a 74-page opinion. "The development of wind energy can and should be encouraged, but wind turbines must be good neighbors."
The lawsuit in Greenbelt is the first court challenge to wind power under the Endangered Species Act, but as wind and solar farms rapidly expand nationwide, similar battles are playing out. Officials and environmentalists are working to find a balance between the benefits of clean energy and the impact on birds, bats and even the water supply.
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