Migrating golden eagles routinely soar through the sage brush flats that define the region, where hundreds of wind turbines have gone up over the past 15 years. Since retiring from the wildlife service, Lockhart has continued researching wind turbine impacts on golden eagles under a government contract in central Wyoming. Numerous permits allow the killing of bald eagles with no compensation required.Ī pending proposal from the Biden administration would further streamline permits - making them automatic in some cases as they allow wind-energy projects and power line networks to harm eagles and disturb their nests. Some permits include direct payments for dead eagles - about $30,000 per bird. “I think they are killing a hell of a lot more eagles than they ever anticipated.”Ĭompanies often pledge to perform conservation work to offset the deaths. “They are rolling over backwards for wind companies,” said Mike Lockhart a former U.S. Pursuing that goal through clean power development is requiring trade offs such as more dead birds from collisions with wind turbines that can tower 260 feet (80 meters) with blade tips spinning in excess of 150 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour). The AP’s findings - that significant numbers of eagles continue to die while fewer criminal cases are pursued - underscore a dilemma facing the Biden administration as it tries to confront climate change. Most permits are for wind farms, and more than half the killed birds would be golden eagles. It comes amid growing concern that a proliferation of wind turbines to feed a growing demand for renewable energy is jeopardizing golden eagle populations already believed to be declining in some areas.ĭozens of permits approved or pending would allow roughly 6,000 eagles to be killed over several decades, government documents show. Fish and Wildlife Service data obtained by The Associated Press. The falloff in enforcement of eagle protection laws - which accelerated in the Trump administration and has continued under President Joe Biden - was revealed in U.S. wildlife officials for killing or harming protected bald and golden eagles dropped sharply in recent years, even as officials ramped up issuing permits that will allow wind energy companies to kill thousands of eagles without legal consequence. READ MORE : Sign up for our weekly coronavirus newsletter here, and read our latest coverage on the crisis here.ROLLING HILLS, Wyo. Vicinity is vulnerable to shifts in market sentiment due to weaknesses in its credit profile, including the company's exposure to discretionary retail, Moody's said.ĭespite Vicinity's long leases with step-ups in rent, the rating agency expects substantial downside risk for the company arising from weaker demand for discretionary retail space, negative rental reversions, abatements and incentives offered to tenants. The coronavirus outbreak, a deteriorating global economic outlook, falling oil prices and asset price declines have significantly affected the retail sector, and consequently retail-focused REITs. The rating agency affirmed the retail property company's A2 issuer rating, as well as the A2 senior unsecured rating and (P)A2 senior unsecured medium-term note ratings for Vicinity Centres RE Ltd. Moody's revised its outlook on Australia's Vicinity Centres to negative from stable due to the unprecedented circumstances and uncertainties created by the coronavirus pandemic.
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