Feds ignore their research on windmills killing eagles
By
David Wojick
June 25th, 2025
The U.S. Energy Department (DOE) has an ongoing research program on detecting and deterring the killing of eagles and other flying critters by wind turbines. The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issues eagle killing permits to wind facilities which are supposed to incorporate technologies that minimize deaths.
It looks like FWS has never implemented, or even publicly evaluated, any of DOE’s research products. The permits are issued under the Eagle Protection Act and clearly calls for mitigating eagle deaths, which the DOE products claim to do. This is a glaring deficiency.
For example, here are four DOE Research Reports from 2021-22 which FWS has had plenty of time to look at.
“A Heterogeneous System for Eagle Detection, Deterrent, and Wildlife Collision Detection for Wind Turbines”
https://www.cfact.org/2025/06/25/feds-ignore-their-research-on-windmills-killing-eagles/
