Birding Groups Sue To Stop Lake Erie Wind Farm Project That They Say Poses Danger To Birds
OLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Two birding groups filed a federal lawsuit trying to block a planned wind farm in Lake Erie, saying the project poses a danger to birds that fly through the area.
The groups said the proposed six-turbine wind farm for just off the shore of Cleveland "would pose substantial collision risks to the enormous numbers of birds that use the area throughout the year, including large concentrations of migrating songbirds."
The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have failed to evaluate the environmental impacts of the project and alternatives as required by the National Environmental Policy Act and the federal Clean Water Act, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday.
Plans call for the turbines to be 8 to 10 miles (13 to 16 kilometers) northwest of Cleveland.
The energy department and the Army Corps declined to comment.
If approved, the wind farm would be the first offshore wind farm in the Great Lakes, The Blade reported.
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