Obama-funded Minnesota wind project fined after bald eagle killed by turbine
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Editor’s note: This story includes graphic images of animal remains that some readers may find disturbing.
INTERMEDIATE: The University of Minnesota is facing proposed fines of more than $14,000 after it was discovered that a green energy program funded by an Obama grant was responsible for the tragic death of an American eagle.
The incident took place at the University of Minnesota’s Eolos Wind Energy Research Field Station in Dakota County, Minnesota.
Footage obtained by Fox News Digital shows the moment a University of Minnesota wind turbine struck an eagle, slicing it into three pieces and leaving a bloody carcass on the ground below.
The notice of violation says the university violated the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act by killing the eagles without a so-called “scene-taking permit.” As such, the university faces a proposed civil penalty of $14,536 for unlawfully killing what one Interior Department official called a “national treasure.”
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According to an Interior Department breach notice reviewed by Fox News Digital, the university knew bird strikes were dangerous and was in the process of testing its collision detection sensors when the incident occurred.
The remains of the eagle were found in pieces. The lower body and tail were found by experts first, while the head and wings were not found until more than a month later.
After the incident, the US Fish and Wildlife Service sent a letter to the university, urging the institution to review the device’s risks to eagles and consider applying for a long-term permit to take the eagles. However, the January violation notice issued by the DOI does not indicate that the university has received such permission.
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The Minnesota turbine is part of the university’s Eolos Wind Energy Research Consortium, a wind energy research collaboration. The construction of the turbine was funded by a $7.9 million grant from the Obama Department of Energy that was awarded in 2010, according to local outlet Minnesota Daily.
One of President Barack Obama’s first major legislative achievements was the passage of the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which, according to a report by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, allocated “$90 billion to lay the foundation for the clean energy economy of the future,” of which the US Department of Energy received $35 billion.
The Minnesota incident is not the only homicide that has occurred in recent years.
In November, Fox News Digital reported on FWS proposing hefty fines to renewable energy company Ørsted Onshore North America for killing bald eagles killed by wind turbines in Nebraska and Illinois. In January, FWS issued a notice of fines totaling $32,340 for two eagles killed by Ørsted wind turbines.
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Close up photos of a bald eagle killed by a power plant found dead in March 2024 at Ørsted’s Plum Creek in Wayne County, Nebraska. (Fox News Digital)
US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has criticized solar and wind projects, saying they “disrupt our infrastructure and drive up prices.”
“If you think about the new green scam, it was pro-China, and anti-American, and unaffordable and untrustworthy,” Burgum said. Jesse Watters Primetime in June.
Matthew Middleton, a spokesman for the DOI, commented on the killing, telling Fox News Digital that under President Donald Trump and Secretary Doug Burgum, the department is “enforcing the law to protect these iconic birds and demanding accountability from the industry that put these protected species at risk.”
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“American eagles are a national treasure, they’re not a co-op for expensive air testing,” Middleton said, adding, “Air companies will no longer get it for free as this program protects bald eagles and promotes energy policies that prioritize affordability and strengthen the American economy.”
A spokesperson for the University of Minnesota confirmed to Fox News Digital that the university has received the DOI notice and said it is “currently under review.”
Ørsted did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
