Activists Sue Wind Farm for Bat

(Charleston, West Virginia) A lawsuit has been filed in federal court by environmental and animal rights groups asking that a West Virginia wind farm comply with the Endangered Species Act to protect the Indiana bat. The activists want the project halted until the issue is resolved.


Indiana Bat
The Animal Welfare Institute and Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy want Beech Ridge Energy LLC to obtain an endangered species permit to construct the 23-mile-long wind farm designed to operate with 124 wind turbines, each 390 feet tall. Apparently the wind farm is "within miles" of known Indiana bat habitat.

Energy company lawyer, Joe Condo, said the lawsuit lacks merit.

"Beech Ridge Energy has cooperated for years with all the relevant governmental entities and has received all required permits necessary to build the wind farm, which will help West Virginia and the country reach its clean energy goals," he said in an e-mail.

The issue rests with a federal judge now.

Frankly, whenever I see environmental and animal rights activists lodging complaints, I generally suspect they are trolling for payoffs. Nevertheless, I must confess feeling a certain tingle of schadenfreude when leftists go after leftists. Unfortunately, it's always the taxpayers and the consumers that have to pay for the litigation.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.