How Clean Energy Can Benefit Climate, Communities, and Conservation

By Garry George

Audubon

That’s why climate action is conservation and why clean energy is key to saving billions of birds. Rooftop solar and microgrids should be maximized as part of the transition, but utility-scale infrastructure is critical to reaching net zero emissions. As deployment ramps up, conservation groups can play a key role in making sure that infrastructure is planned with both wildlife and people in mind. 

Here are just a few ways that conservation groups can get involved:  

  • Engage in “least conflict” planning processes that identify optimum siting for the most efficient and timely permitting.   
  • Partner with clean energy developers on research to better understand, avoid, and minimize impacts on wildlife of wind and solar energy.  
  • Submit comments on proposed projects as well as proposed rulemakings related to the permitting, funding, and deployment of transmission and clean energy infrastructure. 
  • Work with clean energy and transmission developers to implement responsible siting and operation practices.  
  • Advocate for early and continued consultation with Tribal Nations as well as state and federal wildlife agencies.  
  • Encourage coordination with any affected communities.  

Local knowledge is critical, and every project has different considerations, but here are some of Audubon’s top line recommendations for development with the least impact on birds and the places they need today and tomorrow:  

  • Follow the mitigation hierarchy of avoid first, minimize second, and provide compensatory mitigation as a last step. 
  • Modernize and expand current transmission capacity via grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) such as dynamic line ratings, power flow controllers, storage, and reconductoring.       
  • Prioritize utilizing previously disturbed lands and existing right of ways where appropriate and in consultation with local affected communities.  
  • Avoid rare, unique, and sensitive high conservation value lands such as grasslands, intact sagebrush-steppe, native forests, and wetlands, with special attention to migratory pathways, wildlife corridors, and fragmentation of habitat.   
  • Avoid or minimize impacts to species and habitat in Audubon Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and identified wildlife management areas.   
  • Consult early, often, and meaningfully with Tribal Nations as well as State and Federal wildlife agencies, and coordinate with impacted communities.  
  • Ensure efficient permitting under the Endangered Species Act, Bald & Golden Eagle Protection Act, and Migratory Bird Treaty Act as necessary, along with any state wildlife permits.    
  • Site as close as possible to transmission interconnection to avoid long distribution lines to the grid (gen-tie lines) and roads.   
  • Build underground lines when feasible.    
  • Provide benefit agreements with affected communities, prioritizing tribes and environmental justice.  

Thanks to a well-established and robust scientific knowledge base and ongoing research and development of new technologies, there are many ways to reduce risks to wildlife. There is no such thing as impact-free energy development, but we have seen positive results from working collaboratively to avoid, minimize, or offset those impacts through science-based solutions.

Together, we can make sure that wildlife conservation and clean energy development go hand in hand. Because climate action is conservation—and with it, we can protect the places and birds we hold dear.