By Robin Dornfest

[W]hile wind turbines themselves garner much of the focus, the access roads leading to the site can also be problematic when it comes to environmental impacts. The habitats of nearby animals, wetlands, surrounding waterways and stormwater drainage are all at risk. ...

Common impacts

The environmental impacts of wind developments include bird or bat kills, noise emissions, wetland and waterway disturbances, and encroachments on endangered species' habitat.

Because many wind farms are located in rural locations and on topographic highs, developers must build construction and maintenance roads. ...

Wildlife. One of the largest risks to a wind energy project is its potential to impact animal and plant habitat -- either directly or indirectly. The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), as well as specific state endangered species laws, spell out how to protect endangered and threatened animals. For example, in the Rocky Mountain West, protect species include the Preble's jumping mouse, the Ute ladies'-tresses orchid and the black-footed ferret.

Administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the federal ESA aims to protect, and recover and restore to ecological health[,] imperiled species and their ecosystems. As of 2008, more than 1,350 U.S. species were endangered, and two-thirds of them have at least some habitat on private land.

Under the ESA, it is illegal to take, harass, kill or harm and endangered or threatened animal without a permit. Wind farms run into problems with the act primarily as it relates to the definition of the term "harm," which includes modifying the animal's habitat and impairing its ability to breed, feed or gain shelter. ,,,

Migratory birds. Migratory birds have become one of the biggest challenges for wind farm developers.

Several years ago, the iconic Altamont Pass wind farm was forced to stop producing power after environmentalists threatened a lawsuit over the death of thousands of birds, including Golden Eagles.

Lesser known than the ESA, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to kill migratory birds without a permit. A similar law, the Golden Eagle Protection Act, makes it illegal to kill Golden Eagles[] as well. ...

Wetlands and waterways. Aside from wildlife and birds, developers should also be cautious if their project is sited near or around bodies of water, including lakes, ponds, streams or wetlands. ...

Stormwater. Federal and state environmental regulators are becoming increasingly strict about how construction sites and new developments handle and dispose of stormwater.

Stormwater is rain or snowmelt that normally, in small amounts, flows over soil into waterways. Construction can alter the land's natural hydrology, increasing the volume, velocity and temperature of runoff. That in turn, can lead to high volumes of water eroding stream banks and flooding streams which carry sediment, oil, garbage and chemicals into surrounding waterways, disturbing fish and aquatic life.

The Clean Water Act says that all developers involved in clearing more than one acre of land should obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for their stormwater discharges.