Boondoggle That Utility Customers Will Be Paying For -- Wind Story

Link here.

A wind farm planned just south of Rawlins has added a radar system to monitor birds.


The radar, originally for the military, will help developer Power Co. of Wyoming LLC collect data about the habitat and migration patters of golden eagles, bald eagles, hawks and other bird species and bats at the proposed 1,000-turbine wind energy project.

The information will be used to help create a management plan for eagles, birds and bats on the company’s Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project.

The proposed 2,500 megawatt, $4 billion to $6 billion wind farm site will sit on portions of 154 square miles of the Overland Trail Cattle Co. ranch, a 500 square-mile checkerboard of public and private land.

My understanding is that the FAA will install several observation towers in Wyoming and retired FAA air traffic controllers will guide the migrating birds through the wind turbine maze. Washington bureaucrats are now drafting a plan to collect eggs, and attaching transponders to hatchlings.

These hatchlings -- when they grow up -- will then "lead" their flock of birds through dangerous windmill territory.

Call signs have already been assigned: "Bald Eagle 1."  "Bald Eagle 2."  "Egret 1." "Egret 2."  "Whooping crane 1." "Whooping crane 2." "Bat 1." "Bat niner-one-two-niner-three."

Crows and pigeons will not be provided transponders. They will be on their own.