Feds Won't Prosecute SoCal Wind Farm If Turbine Blades Kill Endangered Condors

MOJAVE (AP) — Federal authorities say they won't prosecute a Southern California wind farm if the company's whirring turbine blades kill any endangered California condors.

The Los Angeles Times reports the Tehachapi Mountain wind farm operated by Alta Windpower Development has been granted a right-of-way by land management and wildlife officials.

That means the 2,300-acre wind farm is protected from prosecution if a condor is fatally killed for the next 30 years.

Officials believe the likelihood of a condor being killed at the wind farm is low because the area is devoid of the type of updrafts that carry the scavengers, which can have a 10-foot wingspan.

The farm also plans to install a detection system to turn off its 456-foot turbines when condors are spotted near them.

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