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Resident warns supervisors that proposed 750-foot turbines threaten migrating birds
Summary
A resident told the Des Moines County board that a new executive order and large wind turbines could curb tax credits and pose risks to migrating birds, providing daily migration counts and urging local mitigation if a turbine project proceeds.
A resident delivering public comment at the Des Moines County supervisors meeting urged the board to consider the impact of very tall wind turbines on migrating birds and highlighted a recent executive order he said would tighten rules for wind- and solar-project tax credits.
The resident (speaker 13) said the executive order directs the Treasury Department to limit which projects can access wind and solar tax credits and to prevent "artificial acceleration or manipulation of eligibility." He told the board he would email the text and provided an informational packet for supervisors to review.
On wildlife concerns, the resident supplied migration counts and altitude breakdowns intended to show how birds pass through the county’s airspace. He told the board, "we had just... fall migration, we had 92,373,372 birds," and offered examples of counts by altitude, warning that turbines of roughly 750 feet could intersect migratory pathways. The speaker urged the board to use the packet to time mitigation measures during peak migration dates.
Chair opened the public-input period and allowed the resident two minutes to present; supervisors and staff acknowledged receipt of emailed material and said staff would distribute the White House notice that had been cited.
The resident’s remarks were a public comment and not a board action; no formal directive, vote or referral occurred during the meeting. The board did not schedule immediate follow-up action in the transcript, though staff and supervisors indicated they would review the materials provided.
