New U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Permit Expands Coverage for Wind Energy and Conservation of Eagles
Bald Eagle. Photo: Ryan O'Keven/Audubon Photography Awards
WASHINGTON (February 8, 2024) – Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced revisions to their incidental take permitting program under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The final rule includes a general permit for wind energy projects that exhibit a demonstrably low risk to eagles. Audubon and partners submitted recommendations to make permitting more efficient in ways that support the buildout of wind energy while benefitting Bald and Golden Eagle conservation.
“Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles are deeply important to our nation, and this rule sets a new precedent for how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with clean energy developers to avoid and minimize impacts to these iconic birds at wind energy sites as well as transmission,” said Marshall Johnson, chief conservation officer of the National Audubon Society. “We congratulate the Service and the Migratory Bird Program for their hard work in creating a pathway to a more efficient permit program where wind energy companies commit to conservation measures, monitor and share data on eagles at their project sites, and help manage Bald and Golden Eagle populations across the country.”
Clean energy development is key to reducing carbon pollution and helping slow the rise in global temperatures, but infrastructure must be sited and operated in ways that avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts to local and regional bird populations. Audubon has set a goal to help achieve 100 gigawatts of new renewable energy and transmission responsibly sited by 2028. Audubon’s report, Birds and Transmission: Building the Grid Birds Need, outlines the urgent need for additional transmission capacity and shares solutions for minimizing risks to birds. More about incidental take permits under the Bald & Golden Eagle Protection Act can be found here.
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.