Eagles win, wind farms and feds lose in court

[Geee]

Watchdog.org:

Eagles — and the people who love them — picked up a big win in court this month.

 

How the victory may affect the Obama administration’s desire to dramatically ramp up wind energy production to meet its climate change goals is still unclear.

 

“We believe it’s very good news for eagles,” Michael Hutchins, director of the American Bird Conservancy’s Bird-Smart Wind Energy Program, of the Aug. 11 decision by a federal court rescinding a controversial rule proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that granted a 30-year exemption to wind energy and other companies for killing bald and golden eagles.

 

“We can’t have people do end-arounds and have them not go through the process,” said Hutchins, whose group helped take the case to court. “The Fish and Wildlife Service needs to follow the legal foundations established through the law.”

 

In a 46-page decision, U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh, an Obama appointee, ruled the USFWS violated the National Environmental Policy Act when its director, Dan Ashe, decided two years ago to allow the agency to issue the 30-year permits without going through environmental impact assessments.

[nickydog]

Good!