Blood on the Blades

04-16-2022 • arclein

Last week the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that they had sentenced ESI Energy for a "blatant disregard" of federal wildlife laws of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). In their guilty plea to multiple violations, ESI admitted to the killing of at least 150 bald and golden eagles across 50 of its wind-energy facilities since 2012. Nearly all died of blunt force trauma attributable to being struck by a wind-turbine blade. The so-called "clean" energy company ?" a subsidiary of NextEra Energy ?" was fined $8 million, or about $53,300 per carcass. It turns out that the fine and sentencing was NOT because they killed many dozens of our national symbol, but rather that they killed them without first acquiring the necessary permits that would have legalized the slaughter.