Governors' Wind Energy Coalition

Colleagues,

In a speech before oil and gas executives at the CERAweek conference in Houston on Tuesday, Interior Secretary Zinke said that wind production has a “significant carbon footprint” and that wind turbines kill birds. Secretary Zinke said:

“We probably chop us as many as 750,000 birds a year with wind and the carbon footprint on wind is significant,” Zinke said. “I always thought the best place for wind was on the roof of a house.”

Here’re a few talking points you or your governor might wish to use if asked about Secretary Zinke’s comments:

A typical wind turbine repays its carbon footprint in about 6 months. Wind is also one of the biggest, fastest, cheapest ways to cut carbon pollution. In 2016 alone, wind cut nearly 34 million cars’ worth of CO2 pollution. A recent project examining solutions to carbon pollution ranked land-based wind energy the number two remedy and offshore wind 22nd out of 100.

Wind causes fewer than 0.01% of all human-related bird deaths

Wind turbines kill an estimated 140,000 to 328,000 birds each year, but the biggest threat to birds is climate change. More than half of the bird species in North America could lose at least half of their current ranges by 2080 due to rising temperatures.

Sources:

Secretary Zinke Overestimates Wind Power’s Impact on Birds, Downplays Fossil Fuel’s Risks, http://www.audubon.org/news/secretary-zinke-overestimates-wind-powers-impact-birds-downplays-fossil-fuels

http://time.com/5187877/donald-trump-wind-power-ryan-zinke-birds-global-warming/

https://www.axios.com/fact-checking-zinkes-bird-death-claim-1520379825-0dbede05-9934-42f6-988b-58c9e3fbe280.html

Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.

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	March 8, 2018
Colleagues, In a speech before oil and gas executives at the CERAweek conference in Houston on Tuesday, Interior Secretary Zinke said that wind production has a “significant carbon footprint” and that wind turbines kill birds. Secretary Zinke said: “We probably chop us as many as 750,000 birds a year with wind and the carbon footprint on wind is significant,” Zinke said. “I always thought the best place for wind was on the roof of a house.” Here’re a few talking points you or your governor might wish to use if asked about Secretary Zinke’s comments: A typical wind turbine repays its carbon footprint in about 6 months. Wind is also one of the biggest, fastest, cheapest ways to cut carbon pollution. In 2016 alone, wind cut nearly 34 million cars’ worth of CO2 pollution. A recent project examining solutions to carbon pollution ranked land-based wind energy the number two remedy and offshore wind 22nd out of 100. Wind causes fewer than 0.01% of all human-related bird deaths Wind turbines kill an estimated 140,000 to 328,000 birds each year, but the biggest threat to birds is climate change. More than half of the bird species in North America could lose at least half of their current ranges by 2080 due to rising temperatures. Sources: Secretary Zinke Overestimates Wind Power’s Impact on Birds, Downplays Fossil Fuel’s Risks, http://www.audubon.org/news/secretary-zinke-overestimates-wind-powers-impact-birds-downplays-fossil-fuels http://time.com/5187877/donald-trump-wind-power-ryan-zinke-birds-global-warming/ https://www.axios.com/fact-checking-zinkes-bird-death-claim-1520379825-0dbede05-9934-42f6-988b-58c9e3fbe280.html Secretary Zinke Overestimates Wind Power’s Impact on Birds, Downplays Fossil Fuel’s Risks, http://www.audubon.org/news/secretary-zinke-overestimates-wind-powers-impact-birds-downplays-fossil-fuels Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.
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