Summary of Fact:  Despite claims to the contrary, the National
Audubon Society has never issued a call for a moratorium on wind farm development. Quite the opposite, Audubon supports windpower  development in general, and recently joined the wind industry's call for continued tax incentives for the development of new wind power plants. And, in Wisconsin, the wind industry's commitment to minimizing bird collisions goes far beyond what state laws and regulations require.

On its web site (www.misplacedwindpower.com), the Addison
Preservation Group makes the following claim (in the Cuisinarts of
the Air section):

"The National Audubon Society has called for a moratorium on new
wind farms until the bird kill problem is solved. They are concerned
about the impacts on [bird] populations in the decades ahead when
wind turbines may be all over the country. The wind industry is
ignoring this request."

While it is true that Audubon's lead scientist, Jan Beyea, called
for a moratorium on windpower development, the organization never
officially adopted or endorsed that position. Nevertheless, Beyea's
public statement, issued in the early 1990's, led directly to the
first National Avian-Wind Power Planning Meeting, which was sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and which sought to bring stakeholders together to discuss the issue. The American Wind Energy Association sent representatives, as did Audubon.  That in turn led to the establishment of an Avian Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee, and to a guidelines document on avian studies at potential wind power sites which has only recently been issued by the NWCC.

Far from opposing windpower in general, Audubon believes windpower
can alleviate dependence on polluting fossil fuels, and appreciates and supports responsible wind project development. In Audubon's view, responsible wind development means conducting site surveys and
impact studies that minimize the threat of bird collisions, and siting wind plants away from large raptor habitat zones and critical points along migratory flyways. Though Audubon has gone on record in opposition to wind development in certain areas, such as one north of Los Angeles where California condors are being reintroduced, these were unique situations arising from site-specific characteristics and not at all reflective of a general distaste for windpower.

Audubon's most recent statements on windpower can be found in its
press release issued November 3, 1999, which announced an agreement
among Audubon, Enron Wind Corp. and Tejon Ranch Company. The
agreement, in Audubon's words," directly benefits the California condor recovery effort while facilitating a wind power project that would provide green energy to the Los Angeles area." In that same press release, Audubon had this to say about windpower development in the United States:

"The National Audubon Society has also announced that it
unconditionally supports the Wind Energy Production Tax Credit and
will seek to convince legislators to pass the measure. 'Wind power
is a clean, nonpolluting source of electricity, producing no acid
rain, oil spills, or radioactive waste,' said Dan Beard [National
Audubon Society's Senior Vice President of Public Policy]. 'Audubon
appreciates and supports responsible wind project development. We
believe passage of the tax credit is essential to accelerate the
development and resulting benefits of wind power generation.'" The
Tax Credit, which expired last summer, provides a tax incentive
which enables wind power to be cost competitive with carbon-based
fuel generation."

(Author's note--the Tax Credit was extended for another 30 months,
to December 31, 2001.)

Contrary to the Preservation Group's assertion that avian mortality
has been ignored, the wind industry has demonstrated a commitment to
addressing, and ultimately resolving, this issue. Among the specific
steps the industry has taken in this regard:
 

-- The wind industry asked Congress to earmark funds within the DOE appropriation for avian research, and Congress did so.

-- The industry has participated regularly in the National Avian Windpower Planning Meetings, of which there have been three to date.  A fourth is planned in northern California in May.

-- The industry provided extensive review and comment on the NWCC's recently-published avian research guidelines document.

--Industry members have commissioned avian studies at proposed wind plant sites, including those where there are no permitting requirements (such as Addison), and have implemented mitigation measures where necessary.

--The American Wind Energy Association, the industry's trade association, has participated in many of these activities and has regularly publicized avian studies in its newsletter.

For the record, it should be noted that none of the state's windpower installations, nor the proposed Addison wind farm, have met with any known complaints or objections from Wisconsin's Audubon chapters. There are now 35 utility-scale wind turbines, totaling 23 megawatts, operating in eastern Wisconsin.

For further information about avian-windpower issues nationally,
contact:

John Bianchi, National Audubon Society: jbianchi@audubon.org
Tom Gray, American Wind Energy Association: tomgray@igc.org

For further information about avian-windpower issues in