After years of study, a federal agency is ready to use MidAmerican Energy to help protect wildlife from the effects of wind farms.
Spokesman Geoff Greenwood says about five years ago, MidAmerican began working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Iowa DNR to study how wind turbines and blades affect bald eagles and bats.
The utility submitted its resulting habitat conservation plan to the fish and wildlife service which has given it preliminary approval.
The plan includes specific practices MidAmerican will implement to reduce death or injury to four species of bats.
MidAmerican's habitat conservation plan also addresses the effects of wind farms on eagles. The utility is educating landowners about eagles' behavior, and to remove carcasses which tend to attract them.
The utility's plan also includes money for two conservation funds, one to help bolster the population of bats and the other for eagles.
The Fish and Wildlife Service plans to issue a final ruling about the conservation plan early next month. And the public is invited to comment.
