Energy Industry Updates for August 2010

Wind Projects Caught in Fangs of Indiana Bats

With the ever-increasing number of wind turbines being constructed, various government and private organizations are pursuing research into the impact of wind turbines on birds and bats with particular focus on endangered species. Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Fowler Ridge I Wind Farm in Benton County, Indiana announced a plan to research ways to reduce the impact of wind generation on bats after finding a dead endangered Indiana bat near a wind turbine. Fowler Ridge I, like all projects, had conducted due diligence wildlife surveys and consulted with state and federal wildlife agencies prior to construction and operation. The project was found to represent a very low risk for bats in general and the endangered Indiana bat in particular, but the finding of the dead bat led to further scrutiny by the FWS.