Lycoming Audubon Society Statement on Wind Energy
(adopted April 25, 2005)

Lycoming Audubon Society (LAS) encourages development of alternative renewable energy sources as an essential step toward reducing our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels.

LAS also encourage an energy policy that minimizes impacts on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. Energy conservation measures offer the most effective means of reducing and minimizing these impacts.

We encourage Lycoming County and the state of Pennsylvania to pursue policies to encourage cost-effective development of wind energy, but with these caveats:

a) A scientifically acceptable three-year post-construction analysis is permitted at the site to monitor and determine impacts on animal migrants.

b) Sites with significant natural values should be avoided.

c) Alternative energy development and associated infrastructure should address concerns about environmental impacts through rigorous year-long biological assessment done prior to installation of facilities at any site. Such studies should reveal the importance of a site to migrating and resident birds and wildlife, threatened and endangered species and exemplary natural communities, Important Bird Areas (IBAs), sensitive habitats like wetlands and old growth forest, extensive unfragmented forest, and areas where significant conservation investment has been made.

c) Sites with existing disturbance or development infrastructure should be given priority.

d) Sites close to support roads and power distribution grids should be given priority. Power-generating facilities should favor monopole towers over lattice towers, unguyed towers over guyed towers, white strobe lights flashing 20 times per minute rather then red lights (if lit), and setbacks from ridgetops.

e) We encourage power development on public lands only after comprehensive studies by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service, with concurrence of professional outside consultants, of impacts of such development on birds, other wildlife and their habitats on all likely sites on applicable public lands.

f) We encourage a siting process that permits full and open public participation and appeals.

g) We urge imposition of a bond to ensure removal of towers and accompanying infrastructure of original cover if towers cease operation for more than six months.

h) We encourage federal and state funding to develop alternative non-industrial power technologies such as solar energy.