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Call for action!

http://www.audubonaction.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=35981.0&dlv_id=44724

All,
As you know, Audubon took a strong stand in the wake of Friday’s announcement by the Interior Department of a new rule that would grant wind energy companies 30-year permits to kill Bald and Golden eagles. Since the media coverage reflects a stronger tone than most of our balanced messaging on wind power, I want to take this opportunity to make our position clear.
First, there is no doubt that the greatest threat to both birds and people is climate change. We need to deploy renewable energy sources aggressively and use conventional sources more efficiently if we are to meet the challenge of our lifetime. Consistent with our Board-approved policy, Audubon strongly supports properly-sited wind power as a clean alternative energy source that reduces the threat of global warming.
Audubon has a long history of involvement in wind-wildlife interaction issues, including efforts to develop state guidelines for wind development in California, Washington, Pennsylvania, and New York; providing substantive input regarding the Bureau of Land Management’s policy for wind development on public lands; and working cooperatively to improve the siting, design, and management of wind facilities across the country.
Chapters have been at the forefront of these efforts and have taken the lead in developing conservation plans for local energy projects.  As two current examples, the East Cascades Audubon Society used raptor data to inform wind energy siting in Oregon and the Golden Eagle Audubon Society in Idaho is advocating for the movement of 150 miles of transmission lines to protect eagle nesting territory.
We believe that birds and conservation have to be central  to energy siting decisions.  That is why we are speaking out strongly about the new 30-year rule, and actively challenging the Interior Department on their commitment to monitor and enforce current bird protection laws including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
We spent the better part of the last year working with the wind industry and a few other leading green groups to develop a workable permitting process that included eagle conservation as a fundamental tenet. For the first time, we were proposing Endangered Species Act-like protections for birds subject to harm by wind farms. The agreement we were able to reach with our NGO partners and the wind industry would have been a win-win and in keeping with Audubon’s best traditions and values.
In mid-summer, we put forward a joint recommendation to the Department of the Interior. But the Department walked away from this potentially game-changing deal–and instead moved forward with a 30-year rule that has highly questionable conservation value. The key point Interior makes is that the new rule allows for reviews every five years  but it was the head of the Fish and Wildlife Service who told us and others in the spring that he simply didn’t have the dollars to do those inspections. We think those assurances are bureaucratic vapor.
When we pressed the Interior Department’s Fish & Wildlife service on two basic business questions — how much would adequate policing cost and would it be possible to just get started on conservation planning without perfect science  we were flat-out stonewalled despite repeated attempts to have our questions answered.
On Friday of last week, I sent a letter to Secretary Jewell reinforcing all of these concerns. At this point, we think the best way for us to create balance is to do what NGOs are uniquely suited for: to push back publicly by mobilizing our members and friends.
  • Send a message to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell online or via mail to: Secretary Sally Jewell, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington DC 20240
  • Many chapters have contacts within regional U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices. Voice your concerns about this permitting rule to the FWS biologists and others you work with.
  • Hundreds of local newspapers carried this story over the weekend. That’s the perfect opportunity to submit a letter to the editor. You can do it as a chapter leader or as an individual. Letters to the editor are a great way to educate your community and alert decisions-makers about an issue. Here is a short sample you can use.
  • We’ve also posted a Q&A about the 30-year rule, which you can also use.
I will be hosting a call for chapter leaders who want to learn more about this issue, and will take questions about Audubon’s efforts in this area. Here is the call-in info:
Thursday, December 12, 11:30 am EST
Dial: 877-420-6757; Code: 473 162 6881#
We will continue to fight this battle–to ensure a sound future for eagles and other birds we’re entrusted to protect while building a clean energy future.
Sincerely,
David
David Yarnold
President & CEO
National Audubon Society

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