Comments Filed on Behalf of Conservation Groups for Changes at the Criterion Wind Project

On behalf of a coalition of eight conservation organizations, MGC recently submitted comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urging that the agency take action at the Criterion Wind Project in Western Maryland to reduce bird and bat mortality. The comments were submitted in response to a draft Environmental Assessment, an application for an Incidental Take Permit, and a proposed Habitat Conservation Plan at the wind energy facility that currently holds the highest per-turbine bird mortality rate ever documented in North America. The groups’ primary concerns reference violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA). A press release from American Bird Conservancy, one of the organizations signing onto our comments, can be read here, and the comments submitted to the agency can be downloaded here.