Animal Welfare Institute v. Beech Ridge Energy LLC

Opponents of a proposed wind farm in Greenbrier County, Maryland filed a lawsuit on June 10, 2009 in Maryland federal district court alleging that the proposed 124-windmill project will result in a "taking” of endangered Indiana bats in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The complaint alleges that the proposed project is located seven miles from the Lobelia Saltpeter Cave Preserve, a destination for hibernating and mating Indiana bats and that construction of the windmills is likely to result in deaths and injuries to the bats from turbine-bat collisions. The complaint seeks an injunction preventing construction of the windmills unless and until the project developers are granted permission to do so under the ESA.