New Mapping Project Shows Path to Green Energy Natural Resources Defense Council, April 1, 2009 http://www.nrdc.org/media/2009/090401a.asp The National Audubon Society and the Natural Resources Defense Council have joined forces, with support from Google.org Geo Challenge Grants, to create Google Earth maps of 13 states in the western United States. This new tool will provide industry, conservationists, policy-makers, and concerned citizens instant access to interactive wildlife, habitat and land management maps to guide appropriate site selection for renewable power generation and transmission facilities. Now accessible via Google Earth at www.nrdc.org/PathtoGreenEnergy , the maps identify areas where land use is legally restricted. Other data layers highlight areas that should be avoided in energy development, including habitats critically important to wildlife. Users exploring specific areas, such as those proposed for energy development, can easily see how little land is legally off-limits and which of the remaining areas have unique qualities that deserve special protection to avoid imperiling sensitive resources.