Rim Rock's Raptors: Too Little Too Late

Many years have passed in Montana since an article has appeared like yesterday's front page piece in the Great Falls Tribune.

The print-only article, titled "Wind farms face raptor blowback" comes just days after a flurry of pro-wind farm, pro-transmission line press releases, news, and opinion pieces touting the success of the MATL transmission line lawsuit and much delayed start of construction of the Rim Rock Wind Farm here in Montana. One such opinion piece was contained in the same newspaper as the Raptor Blowback article, not behind their paywall.

*** Update 1/17/12 ***
The entire article is now available here.

The very pro-wind Great Falls Tribune came out today with a typical, timid op-ed pretenting to care about viewsheds and wildlife. You can read it here. There is some misinformation that I'll highlight in an upcoming post I've been working on for those interested.
*** End Update 1/17/12 ***

Prominently displayed next to the title of the front page article is a picture of a golden eagle with the caption ...'The federally protected golden eagle is among 10 species of raptors that inhabit Montana's Kevin Rim, the site of a planned 126-turbine wind farm.'Anyone following the mainstream media and opinion pages closely here in Montana can confidently say that the environmental wildlife protection movement in Montana has been basically silent when it comes to wind farms located in the state for many years.

Sunday's piece, sitting behind their paywall, discusses involvement of attempted implementation of siting guidelines for wind turbines, proposed meetings between Audubon and California utility officials, and (remember this) U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel shortages.

Perhaps the most laughable paragraph states that the Rim Rock Wind Farm owner and operator, NaturEner, has already studied the movement of raptors and waterfowl in the Kevin Rim and is locating the turbines 'to create corridors so birds can safely pass'.

Somebody tell the birds.

All of this is too little too late in my opinion, and if anyone thinks that the Morgan Stanley 1%ers, NaturEner, and our Governor are going to bow down to these late, futile attempts to have significant changes in turbine siting at the already delayed Rim Rock Wind Farm, they're living in a dream world.

So do I believe Sunday's article reports of the Obama Administration's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel shortages? Not in the least, they have other plans to deal with wind farms ...

Feds propose allowing wind-farm developer to kill golden eagles Jan 4, 2012'The federal government is proposing to grant a first-of-its-kind permit that would allow the developer of a central Oregon wind-power project to legally kill golden eagles, a regulatory move being closely watched by conservationists.

The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday released a draft environmental assessment that would allow West Butte Wind Power LLC to kill as many as three protected golden eagles over five years if the company fulfills its conservation commitments.

It’s the first eagle “take permit” application to be received and acted on by U.S. Fish and Wildlife under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. (“Take” means to kill, harass or disturb the birds, their nests or their eggs.)'
...
'Regulations adopted in 2009 enabled the agency to authorize, for the first time, the “take” of eagles for activities that are otherwise lawful but that result in either disturbance or death. In this case "taking" would be the killing of eagles hit by the wind turbines' huge blades.

Public comments on the draft environmental assessment of the Wind Butte project will be accepted until Feb. 2.'
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When it was big oil and Republicans "endangering" Montana wildlife, Katy, bar the door.

Now that the meme of green energy saving the world from climate change fills the coffers (which has somehow morphed into jobs, jobs, jobs), the folks and organisations that have made Montana what it is have been told to get in the back seat and shut up, until after the plans have been "cemented".
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Previous Rim Rock Wind Farm posts can be viewed here.