Extensions Would Allow More Killing of Our National Bird - NationalJournal.com: "The Interior Department appears close to finalizing a controversial permitting rule that authorizes wind farms to kill eagles for decades.
The White House Office of Management and Budget signed off Wednesday on the heavily lobbied rule, which would boost the available permit period from five to 30 years, records show.
The rule, which has faced opposition from environmental groups, authorizes the non-intentional deaths of eagles but also contains conservation provisions, according to a summary of the plan on OMB's website.
The summary touts provisions designed to "ensure the preservation of eagles."
The wind industry has pushed for the change, arguing that it would provide regulatory certainty for developers, and notes that the eagle "take" permits include conservation and monitoring measures.
According to the American Wind Energy Association, eagle collisions with turbines at "modern" wind farms account for less than 2 percent of all reported human-caused Golden Eagle deaths, and "only a handful of Bald Eagle fatalities ever.""
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