There’s “green hypocrisy” regarding bird deaths? At the Coyote Blog earlier this week,Warren Meyer pointed out that ExxonMobil agreed in 2009 to pay $600,000 in fines to the Justice Department for the deaths of 85 migratory birds in five states (Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Texas) in a five-year period between 2004-2009. The fine amounts to a little more than $7,000 per dead bird.
Warren then pointed out that the world’s largest solar thermal power plant (the BrightSource Energy plant near Ivanpah, California) is incinerating thousands of local birds every year at that single location, and the number might be even as high as 28,000 according to estimates by an expert at the Center for Biological Diversity. At that rate and applying the fine per bird paid by ExxonMobil, BrightSource Energy should be paying annual fines of between $7 million and $196 million. But along with its green energy cousin – wind power – solar power plants are getting a pass on killing birds. A significant double standard is being applied by Team Obama where only oil and gas companies are being fined for birth deaths, but not solar and wind companies. Call it “green hypocrisy.”