The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee (APLIC) have released an updated guidance document titled "Reducing Avian Collisions with Power Lines: State of the Art in 2012." This manual, originally published in 1994, identifies best practices and provides specific guidance to help electric utilities and cooperatives, federal power administrations, wildlife agencies and other stakeholders reduce bird collisions with power lines.
The FWS worked with APLIC, a voluntary partnership among the utility industry, wildlife resource agencies, conservation groups and manufacturers of avian protection products, to revise the guidance using the most current published science and technical information.
"This updated guidance provides state-of-the-art guidance to help utilities and regulators site, design and operate power lines and other electrical infrastructure to reduce bird injury and mortality from power line and infrastructure collisions, ensure compliance with federal conservation laws and enhance the reliability of electrical energy delivery," says FWS Director Dan Ashe.
This newest guidebook was co-authored by several U.S. utilities and a Canadian utility; wildlife biologists from the FWS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service, and the U.S. Department of Energy; and representatives from the consulting firm Normandeau Associates.
More information about the guidebook can be found on APLIC’s website.
