Sen. John Bonacic has refused to meet his constituents to address the threats to people in his district from state government policies supporting industrial wind development. Still, we hope he will take a stand on state and regional efforts to protect endangered wildlife in his district.
The Daily Star reports the deep concerns of the Delaware Otsego Audubon Society about the impact of building industrial turbines on birds and bats, especially the endangered golden eagles, protected by state and federal law.
DOAS states, "The golden eagle is especially vulnerable to wind turbines. It has been called the species which appears to be at the highest risk ... more eastern goldens pass our site than anywhere else this far north."
We hope the senator joins the Otsego County Board of Representatives in supporting DOAS' request for state funding to study industrial wind's impact on golden eagles. After all, the senator wrote in support of state taxpayer funding for an industrial wind developer that represents part of the risk to wildlife and people in his district.
To date, environmental impact studies of wind development have not looked at the total effect on endangered species, but only at the immediate area of a single project. We hope the senator will support using the existing legal framework for regional environmental impact studies to look at the potentially catastrophic cumulative impact of hundreds of proposed turbines on the Western Catskill ridges across which golden eagles migrate.
We are still waiting for Senator Bonacic to meet his constituents to discuss the many risks to people in his district from state policies, including the funding he supported, that encourage industrial wind development. In the meantime, we hope he will be more responsive and protective of his district's endangered wildlife.
Ken Jaffe
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