Communication towers throughout the country, such as cell phone and radio towers, are to blame for millions of migratory bird deaths each year. Now, an environmental group has filed a complaint against the Federal Communications Commission in an attempt to cut down on bird deaths. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Ashley McGovern reports:
Transcript
Communication towers throughout the country, such as cell phone and radio
towers, are to blame for millions of migratory bird deaths each year. Now,
an environmental group has filed a complaint against the Federal
Communications Commission in an attempt to cut down on bird deaths. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Ashley McGovern reports:
The Federal Communications Commission requires lights on communication
towers two-hundred feet and taller.
Environmental groups say these towers pose a threat to migratory birds.
They say in bad weather birds mistake lights on towers for stars they use to
navigate when flying.
The FCC requires an environmental impact study to be conducted whenever
towers like these are built.
But environmental groups say the FCC rarely follows this regulation.
The National Wildlife Federation filed a complaint against the FCC after the
Michigan State Police built a one-hundred-eighty-one-tower communication
system.
Michelle Halley is an attorney for the NWF.
“The Michigan State Police applied to register their towers and to build their towers, and they were
allowed by the FCC to do that, without conducting the proper environmental review.”
Halley says these reviews can help position towers outside of migratory bird
flyways.
She also says lowering some towers would eliminate the required lighting.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Ashley McGovern.