HR0943 LRB094 19677 RSP 56144 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Wind power facilities provide emission-free
3 options to oil-fueled and gas-fueled power plants and promote
4 the generation of electricity as a renewable energy resource;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, Wind energy is a tiny but fast-growing share of
7 U.S. energy; since Congress reinstated a key tax credit for
8 wind producers, the industry is poised for rapid expansion in
9 the next year; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The growth of renewable energy sources has
11 resulted in 17 states passing laws requiring that some part of
12 the total electricity used come from renewable sources such as
13 wind power; and
 
14     WHEREAS, In August 2005, the Illinois Commerce Commission
15 adopted Governor Blagojevich's Sustainable Energy Plan as a
16 voluntary plan, under which Illinois' utilities would begin
17 acquiring 2% of their electricity from sources such as wind,
18 solar, and methane captured from landfills by the end of 2006,
19 ramping up in 1% annual increments to 8% in 2012; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Wind power facilities are developing rapidly in
21 Northern and Central Illinois and are planned or under
22 construction in Adams, Boone, Bureau, Carroll, LaSalle, Lee,
23 DeKalb, McLean, Pike, and Stephenson Counties; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Each wind turbine is approximately 213 feet high
25 with a blade diameter of up to 170 feet, and the revolving
26 blades, especially when numbers of turbines are concentrated
27 into wind farms, pose a danger to migrating birds, including
28 threatened and endangered species; and
 
29     WHEREAS, Scientists don't know whether wind turbines

 

 

HR0943 - 2 - LRB094 19677 RSP 56144 r

1 reduce overall bird populations, but are concerned that
2 turbines, added to other factors such as habitat destruction,
3 could result in the species decline; and
 
4     WHEREAS, In some states environmentalists have sued to
5 force turbine owners to take corrective measures because of the
6 danger to threatened and endangered species; and
 
7     WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the danger of wind
8 turbines to flying birds, and that corrective measures such as
9 placement of wind turbines away from the migratory routes of
10 birds can help in reducing bird mortality; therefore, be it
 
11     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
12 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13 the Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the
14 Illinois Commerce Commission, conduct a study to assess the
15 danger of wind turbines to birds, including threatened and
16 endangered species in Illinois, and report its findings and
17 recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor no
18 later than July 1, 2007; and be it further
 
19     RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the
20 Director of Natural Resources, the Chairman of the Illinois
21 Commerce Commission, and the Governor.