Other energy industries more harmful to birds than wind turbines

Editor:

This letter is to address Save Ontario Shores’ claims that wind turbines coming to Yates and Somerset will have a “devastating impact” on the local bird population. Although I have asked numerous times for the information on exactly what birds from our area will be “devastated,” I can get no answer from them. They just keep repeating the same old answers.

These are facts that need to be made public to counteract the vague “devastation” claims made by this group. Although, these still do not answer many questions about the turbine/bird issue raised by their group (such as which specific birds they are claiming this about), it does put into perspective the biased claims that turbines are the worst thing in the world for birds.

Cell and radio towers kill 6.8 million birds a year. I suggest SOS members give up their communication instruments and save those birds and leave the turbines to counteract the pollution caused by fossil fuels that kill, according to the US News and World Report, in numbers that follow: (Each has a low and a high estimate, except coal and nuclear.)

• Wind Turbines: Low, 140,000 to high, 328.000;

• Oil/Gas: Low, 500,000 to high, 1,000,000;

• Nuclear: 330,000;

• Coal: 7,900,000.

The high estimate for Wind Energy is less than the one for the article that was posted (in the article the numbers were 20,000 to 573,000) but I am sure that SOS members are as horrified as I am by the numbers of birds killed by other forms of energy. I am sure they will cease and desist what in my opinion is a witch hunt against the wind industry and focus their energies against the fossil fuel companies and the cell and radio industries. That is if the birds are the real reason for this travesty you call SOS.

Susan Campbell

Lyndonville