CESA Memo: Summary of National Research Council Report on Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects

This memo provides a briefing analysis of the May 2007 NAS National Resources Council Report on The Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Project that evaluates the trade-offs between the benefit of new wind-energy projects and the risk of adverse environmental impacts. The report urges federal and state agencies to take the environmental impacts of wind energy more seriously. The major findings of the report include:

1. lack of current guidance for reviewing wind energy proposals
2. environmental benefits of wind energy include offsetting approximately 4.5% of electricity generation by 2020
3. ecological impacts
4. human impacts
5. analyzing adverse and beneficial impacts in context
6. and framework for reviewing wind-energy proposals.