FCC Must Study Bird-Tower Collisions
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FCC Must Study Bird-Tower Collisions
From http://www.allaccess.com
Birds and towers are a deadly mix -- a fact that preservationists and policy makers agree to. But the role of the regulators in keeping the two apart has been up in the air. On TUESDAY, a federal court told regulators they need to do more.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Circuit on TUESDAY sided with conservation groups that claimed the FCC violated government rules by approving communications towers that threaten migratory birds. The court is requiring the agency to conduct at least the minimal analysis on the environmental effect of cell, radio, television and other towers built in the GULF COAST REGION, as the groups have requested.
"There is no real dispute that towers 'may' have significant environmental impact" to meet a certain threshold, according to the ruling.
An FCC spokesman declined to comment.
"This is a significant ruling... because the D.C. Circuit is directing the FCC for the first time to carefully assess the impact of communication towers on birds," said EARTHJUSTICE Attorney STEPHEN ROADY.
The groups, which have fought the FCC for 10 years over this issue, filed at least two lawsuits in court against the FCC. They again challenged the FCC in court in MAY 2006 after the agency dismissed the groups' petition, which claimed the agency violated the National Environmental Policy Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Endangered Species Act and refused to follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines.
Birds and towers are a deadly mix -- a fact that preservationists and policy makers agree to. But the role of the regulators in keeping the two apart has been up in the air. On TUESDAY, a federal court told regulators they need to do more.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Circuit on TUESDAY sided with conservation groups that claimed the FCC violated government rules by approving communications towers that threaten migratory birds. The court is requiring the agency to conduct at least the minimal analysis on the environmental effect of cell, radio, television and other towers built in the GULF COAST REGION, as the groups have requested.
"There is no real dispute that towers 'may' have significant environmental impact" to meet a certain threshold, according to the ruling.
An FCC spokesman declined to comment.
"This is a significant ruling... because the D.C. Circuit is directing the FCC for the first time to carefully assess the impact of communication towers on birds," said EARTHJUSTICE Attorney STEPHEN ROADY.
The groups, which have fought the FCC for 10 years over this issue, filed at least two lawsuits in court against the FCC. They again challenged the FCC in court in MAY 2006 after the agency dismissed the groups' petition, which claimed the agency violated the National Environmental Policy Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Endangered Species Act and refused to follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines.
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Re: FCC Must Study Bird-Tower Collisions
An excellent example of why you want and need people who understand the Constitutional basis of roles and laws appointing judges, not those willing to invent a law wherever and whenever a constituency needs a bone tossed at it.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Circuit....
Okay, here's my "study" -- "Towers give birds a place to west their poor, tired, 'ittle wings duwing wong twips!""This is a significant ruling... because the D.C. Circuit is directing the FCC for the first time to carefully assess the impact of communication towers on birds," said EARTHJUSTICE Attorney STEPHEN ROADY.
Big Media wrote:Birds are stupid. Extremely stupid.
Hence the term "bird brains!"genlock wrote:Bird lovers are dumber, even dumber.
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"Yes, you do; you just won't admit it!"
"Yeeee...it looks like a 'Belt Buckle & Ball Cap' convention in here......"
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- genlock
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We have a problem with turkey vultures roosting on (in) the tower.
These are big birds and they shit all over everything.
Is it legal to shoot these things, or are they protected by some stupid law?
I have seen dead small birds around the tower, not many tho.
These are big birds and they shit all over everything.
Is it legal to shoot these things, or are they protected by some stupid law?
I have seen dead small birds around the tower, not many tho.
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in the past while working at whtn-wowk i have picked as many as 300 dead birds off of the transmitter roof. we hade to do this as our water supply was water that ran off of the roof. we wanted to keep it as clean as we could. this was after a foggy night. a lot of birds made it to the ground and they looked like they were just setting there getting ready to fly. never on their sides or backs just setting. as the years went on the birds quit hitting the tower. you could also see them in the road near WSAZ's tower. don't remember when this started or stopped. ED Gurney was transmitter chief and we were still a maned transmitter don't know why ther stopped.
REV. ED
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