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Dec. 23, 2010
Save Western Maryland, a group of local residents that formed soon after ground was broken in Garrett County for the erection of the first wind turbines in the state, has filed a federal lawsuit against Constellation Energy Group and its affiliate for violation of the Endangered Species Act. The group describes the actions of the company as “an intrusive installation and operation of an industrial wind power facility on the ridgetop of Backbone Mountain which will result in the killing, injury, and other forms of harm to the endangered Indiana bat.”
According to the lawsuit, the Indiana bat is one of the most imperiled land mammals in the world. Considered as “invaluable” members of their ecosystems for their insect control capabilities, they are characterized by scientists as a keystone species.
The lawsuit alleges that wind turbines pose a grave threat to Indiana bats in terms of collisions and barotrauma – which is described as a bloody explosion of the lungs of bats caused by passage through the low pressure zones created by the movement of the huge turbine blades.
