A wind energy company was fined more than $8 million for killing 150 Eagles in 8 different states over the last decade.
The green energy company, NextEra Energy subsidiary ESI Energy, pleaded guilty to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act on Tuesday in a Wyoming federal court, according to the Associated Press.
Wind energy companies are allowed to apply for a permit that grants them immunity from the inevitable bird deaths that result from the massive turbines that rotate in the air. ESI did not seek that permit, the outlet reported.
“We disagree with the government’s underlying enforcement activity,” NextEra President Rebecca Kujawa said in response. “Building any structure, driving any vehicle, or flying any airplane carries with it a possibility that accidental eagle and other bird collisions may occur.”
This incident comes amid a major push by the Biden administration to ramp up green energy production in the U.S. (RELATED: Biden Close To Invoking Cold War Powers To Bolster Green Agenda: REPORT)
The Biden administration revealed a plan last year to develop 7 major off-shore wind farms on the West and East coasts, the AP reported.
At the same time, the Biden administration recently amended a Trump-era rule in order to bolster the protection of most bird species in the U.S., according to the AP. The Trump policy “overturned decades of bipartisan and international consensus and allowed industry to kill birds with impunity,” said Department of Interior spokesman Tyler Cherry.
If only somebody had warned us about how terrible renewables are for the environmenthttps://t.co/0PnSskU4dn
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) April 6, 2022
Energy expert and California gubernatorial candidate Michael Shellenberger has warned about the issues surrounding renewable energy sources, and pointed to the killing of bald eagles as another detrimental effect on the environment.