Two Midwestern energy companies want Fish and Wildlife Service approval for a long-term plan to manage the trade-off between protecting endangered bats and producing clean energy.
After several years in the making, a draft habitat conservation plan for what’s called the Alliant Wind Interstate Wind Project opened for public review Tuesday. The proposed plan covers a wind energy network that spans parts of Iowa and Minnesota, and is notable for its scope.
The plan prepared by Alliant Energy’s Interstate Power and Light and the Wisconsin Power and Light would last 30 years. It would address potential bat losses from 765 wind turbines located in seven Iowa counties and one Minnesota county.
“Alliant Energy takes seriously any impact our wind farms may have on birds and wildlife,” spokesperson Melissa McCarville said in an email Wednesday, adding that “we have developed a habitat conservation plan to support an application submitted to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service.”
