The Arizona Dept. of Game and Fish recently released guidelines for solar and wind energy projects to "assist energy developers in identifying potential impacts to wildlife and wildlife habitats from their proposed project development and potential alternatives to avoid, minimize, and/or mitigate for these negative impacts." The agency said they are responding to plans for over 80 wind and solar projects across Arizona. Concerns include turbine impacts on birds and bats, the amount of land disturbed, the amounts of groundwater consumed, and alteration of surface water flows. [right, Dry Lake wind farm preliminary layout, Navajo Co. Credit, BLM]
AZGF has not felt the need to prepare similar guidelines for geothermal energy development.