Avoid, Minimize, Mitigate

Avoid, Minimize, Mitigate

The potential impacts of wind energy development on wildlife and habitats have been studied and several have been identified. There may be additional impacts to wildlife and habitat that have not yet been identified.

It is important to take steps to avoid and minimize known and unknown potential impacts.  For more detailed recommendations, check out the Guidelines for Avoiding, Minimizing, and Mitigating Impacts of Wind Energy on Biodiversity in Nebraska and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines.

Recommendations to avoid and minimize impacts:

  1. Consult natural resource agencies: The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service know of the locations of species of concern and consulting with these agencies is highly recommended early in the wind energy development planning process. 
     
  2. Siting or determining the location of the wind energy facility is a very important part of avoiding and minimizing potential impacts to wildlife.
     
    • Use the Nebraska's Biodiversity and Wind Energy Siting and Mitigation Map: In Nebraska, the Nebraska's Biodiversity and Wind Energy Siting and Mitigation Map shows the relative sensitivity of wildlife habitats to wind energy and mitigation areas, but it was not designed to evaluate wind energy facility siting at specific locations. 
       
    • Site on previously altered landscapes: Siting wind energy facilities on previously altered landscapes and using existing roads and utility corridors can help reduce habitat fragmentation and other potential indirect impacts of wind energy development.    
       
    • Site away from important wildlife and plant habitat: Siting wind energy facilities near areas have been identified as important to fish, wildlife, plants, and/or aesthetics is not recommended; establishing a buffer between these areas and the wind energy facility could help avoid and minimize impacts to wildlife and habitat.  
  3. Turbine and transmission line design and layout can help reduce impacts to wildlife.
     
    • Use free-standing support towers: Free-standing support towers for turbines and meteorological towers can help reduce bird and bat fatalities by minimizing the perch locations compared to lattice support towers and flight hazards associated with guy-wires.
       
    • Space turbines and place parallel to migration routes: Determining the proper spacing and orientation of turbines at a wind energy facility may help reduce avian and bat collisions.
       
    • Bury electric power lines within facility:  To reduce avian mortality, it is recommended that power lines should be buried.  Above ground power lines should be marked with bird flight diverters.
       
    • Use white strobe lights, if required: If lights are required by the FAA, white strobe lights are recommended; the number, intensity, and flashes per minute should be minimized.  Steady-burning lights are not recommended because they have been shown to attract night-migrating birds.
  4. Operational Mitigation can be effective at minimizing bat and bird fatalities.
     
    • Feathering turbine blades below cut-in speed: Bats are more likely to be killed by wind turbines during periods of low wind speed. If the blades are not turning during these wind speeds, bat fatalities can be reduced (Baerwald et al. 2009).
       
    • Raise cut-in speed: By increasing the wind speed in which the turbine blades start to turn, bat fatalities can be reduced.
       
    • Curtail operations during periods of high bird and bat activity: Pausing energy production when there is great danger of bird and/or bat fatalities can be done regularly or in specific instances.
       
    • Develop and maintain an Operational Contingency Plan: Having a plan that outlines when and why turbines will be curtailed can be a valuable tool and is recommended for whooping cranes for almost all wind energy facilities in Nebraska. Plans for other species or species groups, such as waterfowl, would be valuable as well.
  5. Mitigation for permanent impacts (direct and indirect) to native habitats is recommended. Turbines sited on land with row-crops can reduce the money recommended for mitigation.