The US Fish and Wildlife Service has recently published a set of recommendations for the process of wind energy project siting. The document outlines recommended guidelines for developers when assessing locations for future wind farms, in order to have no or as little impact possible on the natural surroundings, including fish and wildlide populations.

The 22 member committee called the Wind Turbine Guidelines Federal Advisory Committee came up with a science based tiered process which corresponds to all the various stages in developing a wind farm project. The stages range from preliminary assessments to impact studies after construction completion. This is meant to help wind farm developers assess the environmental footprint of their projects, but will also create an atmosphere of "voluntary" conformance with the goals and recommendations of the Fish and Wildlide Service, which should result in better environment preservation.

Some of the highlights of the recommended guidelines involve:

• A decision-making framework that guides all stages of wind energy development;
• Reliance on the best available science when assessing renewable energy projects and their potential environmental impact; and
• Use of landscape-scaled planning that recognizes the need to think long-term about protecting our nation’s economic and natural resources.

If you are interested to read further, here's the complete document.

[source: US DoE]