Guidelines for Siting of Land-Based Industrial Wind Projects

The Conservation Issue

It is well documented that climate change is an existential threat to birds and a major factor in the decline in bird populations over the last five decades. There is an urgent need to responsibly site land-based industrial wind projects as a part of Pennsylvania’s clean energy portfolio. Unfortunately, hundreds of wind turbines are located on forested mountains that serve as important breeding sites, migratory pathways, and critical stopover sites for birds during migration.  Significant numbers of bird and bat kills have been documented by the Pennsylvania Game Commission at the state’s wind turbine projects.

Guide for Siting of Land-Based Industrial Wind Projects

Lead Contributor: Laura Jackson, Juniata Valley Audubon Society

ADOPTED: December 22, 2022

Climate change is one of the biggest threats to birds and the places they need now and in the future. The National Audubon Society report, “Survival by Degrees,” identifies 389 species of North American birds at risk of becoming endangered or possibly extinct if the global temperature rises more than 1.5 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology study published in 2019, “Decline of North American Avifauna,” reports that many bird species have suffered serious declines over the period of the last 50 years. The study states that over 2.9 million breeding birds have been lost in the United States and Canada since 1970.

Other threats to birds are not insignificant. These include loss of habitat; predation by outdoor cats; invasive flora and fauna species; nighttime lighting on buildings and other stationary fixtures in the built environment; collisions with glass; transmission lines, wind turbines, and communication towers; and pesticides and other toxins.

Counteracting the threat of climate change means not only dramatically reducing carbon emissions, but also doing so in a way that does not cause further harm to birds and their habitats. A guideline for appropriate development comes from the 2021 white paper, “Beyond Carbon-Free,” by the National Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy and Level Ten Energy, which suggests ways that the renewable energy industry can move toward a sustainable and equitable carbon-free energy transition. The paper emphasizes the importance of engaging local communities early and often to build a trusting dialogue around the project and community goals, avoid negative community and cultural impacts, and support community needs and benefits, while supporting local workforce development and diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

Pennsylvania Audubon Chapters are “local everywhere” across the Commonwealth and have a critical role in these local permitting processes. One chapter, Juniata Valley Audubon Society, has been diligent in educating local communities on how to work with developers and government agencies for proper wind turbine siting.  Their advocacy efforts led to the formation of the non-profit organization, Save Our Allegheny Ridges, which has a plethora of information on wind energy at https://saveouralleghenyridges.org.

Chapter Role
Council Role
Audubon Partner Role
Individual/Member Level
Provide information and presentations on the impact of climate change on birds and their habitat. Work through chapter programs, outreach to members and community partners to highlight the urgency of the shift to renewable sources of energy and the proper siting of land-based industrial wind projects in the matrix of carbon free options for energy.
Engage the Renewable Energy Committee to identify or create resources that may be useful to chapters. Provide a platform for chapter-to-chapter sharing on information, handouts, best practices, and approaches used to reach out to members and groups in the communities they serve.
Keep current with information available from the National Audubon Society, American Bird Conservancy, Sierra Club, Penn Future, PennEnvironment and Save Our Allegheny Ridges.
Community/Municipal Level
Determine if ordinances have been adopted in the municipalities and counties located in each chapter territory. Evaluate their effectiveness. Support the adoption or strengthening of municipal and county ordinances with comprehensive guidelines for land-based industrial wind project siting.
Provide workshops and webinars for Audubon chapters, Pennsylvania Bird Towns, Environmental Advisory Committees, and municipal officials to promote the proper siting, construction, and mitigation of land-based industrial wind projects.
Share model ordinances and actual ordinances that can be adapted, proposed, and adopted at the municipal level (ex. Partners like WeConservePA).
State/Federal Level
Support federal and state legislation that provide resources and support for renewable energy and bird friendly guidelines for industrial wind projects. Ensure that the regulatory agencies of DCNR, DEP, PGC, PFBC, and USFWS are effectively informed, involved, and engaged in the permitting, construction, and mitigation of land-based industrial wind projects that are located OR proposed for your community.
Coordinate efforts to reach out and educate our Pennsylvania General Assembly and Congressional delegations when there are opportunities for education and action on the issue of renewable energy and land-based industrial wind projects.
Work with Audubon’s Federal Policy Office and other advocacy organizations to promote support for legislation that supports renewable energy. Support is needed to identify proper locations for land-based industrial wind projects.