New York Guidelines for Wind Turbines

New York Guidelines for Wind Turbines

Feb, 2008  - Guidelines meant to facilitate 
wind power development across New York state while minimizing the 
potential impacts to birds and bats were proposed Thursday by the New York 
State Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC. 
Currently, six wind farms are operating with a rated capacity of 423 
megawatts from 263 turbines in Madison, Wyoming, Lewis and Erie counties. 
Five other wind farms that are under construction in Clinton, Wyoming and 
Steuben counties will provide an additional 405 mw from 238 turbines when 
completed in the summer of 2008. More than 30 additional wind farm siting 
proposals are actively undergoing environmental review. 
New York is working towards achieving a Renewable Portfolio Standard 
whereby the state must meet a goal of 25 percent renewable energy 
generation by 2013. 
DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis called wind energy development "an important 
component of Governor Eliot Spitzer's clean renewable energy initiative in 
New York." 
"As proposals for commercial wind energy ventures continue to increase 
across the state, these draft guidelines will provide a valuable tool for 
those evaluating a project, as well as for our staff charged with 
protecting the state's critical bird and bat populations," Grannis said. 
As construction of wind turbines increases, there is also the increased 
potential for birds and bats to collide with the towers and rotating 
blades. The presence of spinning turbines may also induce behavioral 
changes in nesting or migrating birds, and in foraging bats, according to 
the DEC. 
During the environmental review process, wind energy proposals must 
include assessments of the impacts the project could have on wildlife - 
especially birds and bats - and other natural resources. In the past, 
these assessments have been completed on a case-by-case basis. 
The draft guidelines suggest that before expending a lot of effort to site 
a wind energy project, developers should determine whether or not the 
location is within the habitat of a bird or bat species that is listed as 
threatened or endangered. 
Another suggested consideration is whether the location of the project is 
within five miles of the Atlantic coastline or the shoreline of one of the 
Great Lakes - areas that are frequented by birds and bats.

The proposed guidelines provide a standardized process for completing 
assessments, which both benefits project applicants and improves the 
quality of the information obtained about bird and bat populations. 
The new guidelines outline DEC's recommendations to commercial wind energy 
developers on how to characterize bird and bat resources at wind energy 
sites and how to document and estimate bird and bat mortality resulting 
from collisions with turbines. 
The protocols in the guidelines are intended to allow comparison of data 
collected at different sites and in different years so that the 
information can be used to assess the ecological effects of wind energy 
generation. 
Protocols for both pre-construction studies and post-construction 
monitoring are included in the proposed guidelines. 
DEC began development of the draft guidelines after collaborating with the 
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and other 
stakeholders at a New York Wind/Wildlife Technical Workshop in August 
2006. Workshop participants presented information on bird and bat impacts 
at existing wind farms as well as various study methods and sampling 
technologies. 
Since the workshop, DEC has met with individual wind energy developers to 
discuss recommendations for pre-construction studies and post-construction 
monitoring at specific locations. Information presented at the workshop 
and the shared experiences provided by the developers have been 
incorporated into the proposed guidelines. 
To view the proposed guidelines, click here. 
Public comments are welcome until March 7, 2008. Comments can be mailed to 
Brianna Gary at NYSDEC Bureau of Habitat, 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, 
NY 12233-4756 or sent via email from the website. 

---