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Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling

economist.com

31–40 of 413 posts

Re: Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling

#31
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Incredibly false. A typical "large" rig will need a 100m x 100m drill pad, roads to access which are often highly controlled during the design phase. A drilling rig will remain on location for MAYBE 30-40 days if it is a deep well (2000m-7000m). A completions rig (aka service rig) will come out afterwards to complete the well (install downhole equipment / frac / get the well ready for production). Lease may be a bit…

So 2-1/2 acres plus roads, instead of 5 acres, and you address how long, which OP didn't mention, in no way disputing him. Not a basis for leading with "incredibly false."

Seriously, every hole results in an eventual dump, tank, yard, road, or some other dang thing and the net land wrecked per operation is five acres.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/sKfYNokGcidWLGTQ7

Re: Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling

#34
post #21
post #19

[flagged]

Incredibly false. A typical "large" rig will need a 100m x 100m drill pad, roads to access which are often highly controlled during the design phase. A drilling rig will remain on location for MAYBE 30-40 days if it is a deep well (2000m-7000m). A completions rig (aka service rig) will come out afterwards to complete the well (install downhole equipment / frac / get the well ready for production). Lease may be a bit…

I don’t like oil drilling but even without your experience it’s clear GP’s assertion is nonsense. There are still oil wells all over Los Angeles in parking lots and tucked between buildings, which is a contradicting existence proof.

I can imagine in a big oil field like in Midland, TX they have a lot of sprawling operations that take up a lot of room. But that doesn’t have to be the only way.

Re: Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling

#35
post #20
post #5

I wish a proper study on this could get some real funding. The cited study is certainly better than nothing but it's based on a volunteer reported survey with significant response bias (eg. maybe the drop in bird sightings near oil and gas drilling is because people don't want to go birdwatching near an oil field).

You want a "proper study" instead of an annual time series, comparable for over a century, conducted by millions of individuals? What a goofy comment. This is gold-standard data. The paper even explains why this is superior to nerd bullshit like eBird.

Whoa whoa whoa. Whoa! Watch what are you calling nerd bullshit. ;-)

Re: Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling

#37
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Incredibly false. A typical "large" rig will need a 100m x 100m drill pad, roads to access which are often highly controlled during the design phase. A drilling rig will remain on location for MAYBE 30-40 days if it is a deep well (2000m-7000m). A completions rig (aka service rig) will come out afterwards to complete the well (install downhole equipment / frac / get the well ready for production). Lease may be a bit…

So 2-1/2 acres plus roads, instead of 5 acres, and you address how long, which OP didn't mention, in no way disputing him. Not a basis for leading with "incredibly false."

Perhaps you are correct - I had hectares in my mind for some reason while reading his original comment. My bad.

Re: Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling

#39

[flagged]

"Cool, where is his study published?" The answer you seek is in the second (short!) paragraph. > But a new analysis of American data, published in Environmental Science & Technology...

Not that I have any problem with people seeking to advance the scientific method but one wonders from this commenter’s other posts whether this was a legitimate desire for truth or someone just looking to poke holes in the post…

Re: Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling

#40
post #7

[flagged]

Not a strawman: older windmills not on stalks did kill birds, particularly raptors.

It’s seemed pretty clear that since the stalk approach was adopted (probably not even with birds in mind, I suppose, people being people) that the birds were doing better: you could tell by just walking under them. But it’s worth doing studies like this to move from anecdote to data. And even better when they refute obsolete knowledge.

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