Federal Permits for Wind Farms to Kill Eagles

Via Will Baude of the Volokh Conspiracy, I learned of a recently released-rule by the United States Department of the Interior.  The Wall Street Journal reports:

The U.S. Interior Department on Friday issued a rule that highlights a tension lingering between two key goals of the environmental movement: developing renewable energy sources and protecting wildlife. 

The newly finalized rule would grant 30-year permits allowing wind farms and other projects to accidentally kill federally protected eagles, provided they meet certain criteria.

Those criteria include proving that the wind companies are taking safety measures to try to minimize the damage that their wind turbines do to eagles.  Environmentalists seem divided on the issue, with some noting that the benefits of renewable energy outweighs collateral damage of wind turbines, and with others arguing that this permit will simply "lead to more dead eagles."

This development follows shortly after the first prosecution of a wind company for killing eagles -- so these permits may indeed have a practical impact.