Citizens Group Says Wind Power Project Violates Endangered Species Law

December 9, 2003

Meyersdale, PA– A citizens group, Friends of the Appalachian Highlands, has filed a legal notice claiming that a planned wind power project of 380-foot industrial turbines on a two-mile long swath of ridgetop near Meyersdale would violate the Endangered Species Act.

On Monday, December 9th, Friends of the Appalachian Highlands sent a 60-day notice letter to Florida Power and Light and developers Atlantic Renewable and Zilkha Renewable Energy, who are building a wind power project on Sand Spring/Hunsrick Mountain in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The letter, which is a prerequisite for legal action under the Endangered Species Act, states that the erection of turbines and operation of the facility poses an immediate threat to an endangered species, the Indiana bat.

The legal notice states that endangered Indiana bats live in an abandoned limestone mine less than four miles from the project site. Because of the proximity of endangered bats and the deaths of several thousand that collided with industrial wind turbines at the nearby Backbone Mountain wind project in West Virginia, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told FLP to conduct two years of preconstruction bat studies. Fish and Wildlife also asserted possible threats to the threatened bald eagle, protected golden eagle and to thousands of migratory birds that fly through the project area.

Friends of the Appalachian Highlands says that the company has ignored the warning from Fish and Wildlife and is building the project. Bat expert Dr. Michael Gannon stated that the Meyersdale turbines will kill bats who feed, bred and migrate through the area.

“Wind power is supposed to be environmentally benign. But this hasty, ill-considered scheme, in the heart of some of Pennsylvania’s most valuable scenic land and natural habitat, is not benign,” said Karen Ervin of Friends of the Appalachian Highlands. “Florida Power and Light should have followed the instructions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and performed adequate pre-construction studies to ensure protection of migratory birds and bats – threatened and endangered species – before proceeding with this project. It’s up to citizens to make them obey the law,” she said. “The wind industry has waged a major propaganda campaign to hoodwink the public the general public and public officials. Our goal is to present the truth about the wind industry before thousands of turbines are built, changing our area forever. Area residents should see this in the same light as the issue regarding the importation of seage sludge into the county and demand that regulations likewise be established for the siting of industrial wind energy facilities.

"Wind power may be part of our energy future, but we have to be smart about where and how we go about it. Pennsylvania has already paid a high environmental price for this country’s energy demands, so why would we want to add a poorly thought-out wind power project to that toll? Not since the hey-day of strip-mining has the scenic beauty of Somerset County been so degraded. Friends of the Appalachian Highlands believes this project will create a negative impact on the quality of life of area residents, devalue property and impose devastating effects on the natural ridge tops and native wildlife. This is where our public officials must step up to the plate and require stringent pre-permitting and post construction impact studies as well as establishing ‘no-build’ zones” said Dale Jeffrey of Friends of the Appalachian Highlands.

The group is being represented by Meyer & Glitzenstein, a public interest law firm in Washington, D.C.

Contact:
Karen Ervin 814-634-1910 skdervin@aol.com
Kim Ockene, Meyer & Glitzenstein, 202-588-5206