Energy vs. Environment

During his presidential campaign last year, Barack Obama set a goal of generating 25 percent of the country's energy through wind, solar, geothermal and biofuels by 2025--an increase of 18 percent. His victory virtually ended all talk of increased drilling for domestic oil, and chants of "Drill here, drill now" were muffled by the administration's push for "green" energy.

So far, a number of conservation groups have spoken out against corn-, cellulose- and soy-based biofuels, saying they have a net negative effect on ducks and other wildlife. Thanks largely to federal subsidies of ethanol production, farmers in the Corn Belt have taken land out of conservation programs and planted corn and other crops in place of native grasses. The effects of two other renewable energy sources are still up in the air, but numerous research projects are underway to determine the long-term effects of wind and solar energy on wildlife.

What's known is that wind turbines, which spin at up to 200 miles per hour, are deadly to birds. However, a number of studies have examined bird strikes and have found wind mills are no more lethal than other tall structures such as power lines, buildings and towers.

"The bigger issue with birds, especially grassland birds, is the impact on the habitat," said Jay Pruett, director of conservation for the Oklahoma chapter of The Nature Conservancy. "Prairie chickens and sage grouse aren't used to having tall structures nearby, and they avoid them if they can."

A study conducted by Dr. Bob Robel at Kansas State University found nesting prairie chickens avoid man-made features by up to mile, an approximately 2,000-acre radius, while all adults avoided structures by up to a half-mile. Sage grouse, which are also struggling throughout much of their range and are potential candidates for threatened species status, also avoid tall structures. Numerous studies have shown oil development has had a significant negative impact on sage grouse, and large-scale wind farms will likely have a similar effect, said Pruett.

If Obama's plans proceed, prairie grouse will continue to lose critical habitat. According to the Department of Energy, an additional 7,000 wind turbines will have to be built each year for the next eight years to meet Obama's renewable energy goal. Pruett said a single wind mill farm can have an impact on 15,000 or more acres, and several wind facilities in one region can fragment critical habitat. Aside from biofuels such as corn and cellulose-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel, wind has the highest "energy sprawl" measure, meaning it needs far more space than other sources to create an equal amount of energy. Overall, it takes 28 square miles of wind farms to generate one terawatt-hour of power, compared to just 3.75 square miles of land for coal. Along with the footprint of the actual windmills is the power grid necessary to transport electricity to areas of high demand. According to the DOE, an additional 12,000 miles of power lines will be necessary to achieve Obama's goal of increasing green energy use. Pruett said prairie grouse don't just shy away from the turbines themselves, they also avoid power lines.