Event
Title: Christmas Craft Market
When: 05 Dec 09 10.00 AM - 04.00 PM
Where: Annapolis Royal Community Centre & Legion - Annapolis Royal
Category: Market Description
The Annapolis Royal Farmers & Traders Christmas Craft Market will be held this year on Saturday, December 5 at the Annapolis Royal Legion from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
If you are interested in registering as a vendor, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it the charming and talented Jane Fowler, this year's Christmas Market Manager.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
ADEDA Tourism Meeting
Category: Meeting Description
Attention Businesses in the Bay of Fundy & Annapolis Valley Region! Destination Southwest Nova Association invites you to a Discussion Session that will involve:
- Visitor Services
- Bed & Breakfast Experience in Southwest Nova Scotia
- Design and Development of the Bay of Fundy & Annapolis Valley Travel Guide
When: Monday, November 9, 2009 from 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Where: Conference Room of the Canex Mall on Ward Road, Greenwood (same building as Greenwood Military Aviation Museum)
Please RSVP by Monday, November 2, 2009, by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling (902) 634-8844.
Attention Businesses in the Bay of Fundy & Annapolis Valley Region! Destination Southwest Nova Association invites you to a Discussion Session that will involve:
- Visitor Services
- Bed & Breakfast Experience in Southwest Nova Scotia
- Design and Development of the Bay of Fundy & Annapolis Valley Travel Guide
When: Monday, November 9, 2009 from 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Where: Conference Room of the Canex Mall on Ward Road, Greenwood (same building as Greenwood Military Aviation Museum)
Please RSVP by Monday, November 2, 2009, by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling (902) 634-8844.
Labels:
Annapolis-Digby ADEDA tourism
As Ocean's Fall ILL...
from www.kansascity.com
As oceans fall ill, Washington bureaucrats squabble
By LES BLUMENTHAL
McClatchy Newspapers
Related:
http://www.noaa.gov
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/interimreport
http://tinyurl.com/3458h3
Off the coast of Washington state, mysterious algae mixed with sea foam have killed more than 8,000 seabirds, puzzling scientists. A thousand miles off California, researchers have discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling vortex roughly twice the size of Texas filled with tiny bits of plastic and other debris.
Every summer a dead zone of oxygen-depleted water the size of Massachusetts forms in the Gulf of Mexico; others have been found off Oregon and in the Chesapeake Bay, Lake Erie, and the Baltic and Black seas. Some studies indicate that North Pole seawater could turn caustic in 10 years, and that the Southern Ocean already may be saturated with carbon dioxide.
A recent bird kill off the coast of Washington state came without warning, said Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "There will be more surprises than that," she said.
The danger signals are everywhere, some related to climate change and greenhouse gases and others not:
-Every eight months, 11 million gallons of oil run off the nation's roads and driveways into waters that eventually reach the sea, the Pew Oceans Commission said in 2003. That's the equivalent of an Exxon Valdez-size oil spill.
-Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the oceans have absorbed 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide. They're now absorbing about 22 million tons of carbon dioxide a day. As that happens, the oceans become more acidic, threatening the marine food chain. The acidity could eat away the shells of such animals as the petropod, a nearly microscopic snail with a calcium carbonate covering that's eaten by krill, salmon and whales.
-More than 60 percent of the nation's coastal rivers and bays are moderately to severely degraded by nutrient runoff from products such as fertilizer, creating algae blooms that affect the kelp beds and grasses that are nurseries for many species of fish.
Even that doesn't tell the entire story, as competing uses for the sea multiply. Traditional ones such as fishing and shipping are competing with offshore aquaculture farms. On the energy front, it's no longer just oil and gas drilling. There are plans for deepwater wind farms and tidal and wave power-generating projects.
As the grim news mounts, a storm is brewing in Washington, D.C., over who should oversee oceans policies. A White House task force has recommended creating a National Ocean Council that would develop and implement national ocean policy and include the secretaries of state, defense, agriculture, interior, health and human services, labor, commerce, transportation and homeland security.
It also would include the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, the administrators of NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Plus the president's advisers on national security, homeland security, domestic policy and economic policy. The chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy would head the council.
However, NOAA, the nation's primary ocean agency, which includes the National Ocean Service, the nation's premier science agency for oceans and coasts; the National Marine Fisheries Service, which manages living marine resources; the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which studies climate, weather and air quality; and the National Weather Service - is missing from the task force's list.
Whatever its composition, one challenge for the council will be what's called "marine spatial planning," ocean zoning, or the marine equivalent of urban planning.
"It's going to be a difficult process," Nancy Sutley, the chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said during the Senate hearing. "We need to do it from the bottom up."
Native American tribes and groups such as those that represent sport fishermen warned that plans have to be developed regionally because a one-size-fits-all approach won't work.
A recent example of marine spatial planning involved the Coast Guard, NOAA and other agencies working to reroute shipping lanes near Cape Cod to minimize the chances of vessels colliding with North Atlantic right whales, but even that came with an unexpected twist.
"We were going to move the lanes into a site where there was an application for an offshore LNG plant," said Adm. Thad Allen, the Coast Guard commandant, referring to liquefied natural gas.
As oceans fall ill, Washington bureaucrats squabble
By LES BLUMENTHAL
McClatchy Newspapers
Related:
http://www.noaa.gov
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/interimreport
http://tinyurl.com/3458h3
Off the coast of Washington state, mysterious algae mixed with sea foam have killed more than 8,000 seabirds, puzzling scientists. A thousand miles off California, researchers have discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling vortex roughly twice the size of Texas filled with tiny bits of plastic and other debris.
Every summer a dead zone of oxygen-depleted water the size of Massachusetts forms in the Gulf of Mexico; others have been found off Oregon and in the Chesapeake Bay, Lake Erie, and the Baltic and Black seas. Some studies indicate that North Pole seawater could turn caustic in 10 years, and that the Southern Ocean already may be saturated with carbon dioxide.
A recent bird kill off the coast of Washington state came without warning, said Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "There will be more surprises than that," she said.
The danger signals are everywhere, some related to climate change and greenhouse gases and others not:
-Every eight months, 11 million gallons of oil run off the nation's roads and driveways into waters that eventually reach the sea, the Pew Oceans Commission said in 2003. That's the equivalent of an Exxon Valdez-size oil spill.
-Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the oceans have absorbed 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide. They're now absorbing about 22 million tons of carbon dioxide a day. As that happens, the oceans become more acidic, threatening the marine food chain. The acidity could eat away the shells of such animals as the petropod, a nearly microscopic snail with a calcium carbonate covering that's eaten by krill, salmon and whales.
-More than 60 percent of the nation's coastal rivers and bays are moderately to severely degraded by nutrient runoff from products such as fertilizer, creating algae blooms that affect the kelp beds and grasses that are nurseries for many species of fish.
Even that doesn't tell the entire story, as competing uses for the sea multiply. Traditional ones such as fishing and shipping are competing with offshore aquaculture farms. On the energy front, it's no longer just oil and gas drilling. There are plans for deepwater wind farms and tidal and wave power-generating projects.
As the grim news mounts, a storm is brewing in Washington, D.C., over who should oversee oceans policies. A White House task force has recommended creating a National Ocean Council that would develop and implement national ocean policy and include the secretaries of state, defense, agriculture, interior, health and human services, labor, commerce, transportation and homeland security.
It also would include the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, the administrators of NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Plus the president's advisers on national security, homeland security, domestic policy and economic policy. The chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy would head the council.
However, NOAA, the nation's primary ocean agency, which includes the National Ocean Service, the nation's premier science agency for oceans and coasts; the National Marine Fisheries Service, which manages living marine resources; the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which studies climate, weather and air quality; and the National Weather Service - is missing from the task force's list.
Whatever its composition, one challenge for the council will be what's called "marine spatial planning," ocean zoning, or the marine equivalent of urban planning.
"It's going to be a difficult process," Nancy Sutley, the chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said during the Senate hearing. "We need to do it from the bottom up."
Native American tribes and groups such as those that represent sport fishermen warned that plans have to be developed regionally because a one-size-fits-all approach won't work.
A recent example of marine spatial planning involved the Coast Guard, NOAA and other agencies working to reroute shipping lanes near Cape Cod to minimize the chances of vessels colliding with North Atlantic right whales, but even that came with an unexpected twist.
"We were going to move the lanes into a site where there was an application for an offshore LNG plant," said Adm. Thad Allen, the Coast Guard commandant, referring to liquefied natural gas.
Turbines and Birds
From TDN.com articles
Will wind farm project fly?
Sunday, November 8, 2009 11:49 PM PST
By Don Jenkins
A proposal to build the first wind farm in Western Washington may stall, and may even be doomed, because of concern that turbine blades would kill members of an endangered bird species, a state lawmaker says.
“I’m just not feeling real confident that this is going to grab hold and move forward very fast,” Rep. Dean Takko, D-Longview, said last week. “There are key players who aren’t very supportive, and I think it’s going to hold this up. Is it going to kill it? I don’t know.”
Public-power developer Energy Northwest and four utility districts in Pacific, Grays Harbor, Clallam and Mason counties propose installing as many as 32 wind turbines on Radar Ridge in Pacific County. The wind farm would generate enough electricity for 18,000 homes and help the utilities meet a voter-approved mandate to invest in renewable energy. The towers, however, would be in the flight path of the federally protected marbled murrelet.
Consultants hired by Energy Northwest concluded recently that in a worst-case scenario a marbled murrelet would collide with a rotor about once every 18 months. Deaths could be further reduced by shutting down the towers during the breeding season, according to the report, which prompted the utilities to declare that their project would cause minor or insignificant harm to the species.
Another study commissioned by the state Department of Natural Resources made no attempt to pinpoint how many birds would be killed, but warned that some 87 marbled murrelets a year would fly through the wind farm and that the likelihood for deaths was high.
Spokesmen for the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which enforces the Endangered Species Act, said their agencies will hire outside experts to review Energy Northwest’s study.
In the meantime, the utilities will host a series of public meetings this month on the project. The utilities say they want to collect comments and get ready to apply for a federal permit that would allow them to operate a wind farm that might occasionally kill a marbled murrelet.
The utilities also will need permission from the DNR, which owns Radar Ridge and would collect potentially lucrative lease payments from the utilities.
Takko and the area’s other two state legislators back the wind farm, but Takko said federal and state regulators are cool to the project and that the PUDs may have to “pull the plug” rather than continuing to spend money on what could be a dead-end. “I don’t think it’s time quite yet, but we’re getting close,” he said.
Grays Harbor PUD, the largest utility involved in the project, has no plans to pull out, utility spokeswoman Liz Anderson said. “We’re proceeding forward and hope to complete the project,” she said.
Although state and federal agencies haven’t rejected the project, they’ve warned the utilities that pursuing the wind farm won’t be quick, easy or cheap.
“We’ve never said Radar Ridge can’t be permitted. What we’ve said is, it’s going to be a real challenge,” Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Doug Zimmer said.
State Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, said the PUDs should press ahead. “I think it’s worth it until they get some ‘hell, no,’ at some point,” he said.
Hatfield said the agencies would “look ridiculous” to the public if they stopped the project.
“I’m still pretty confident they’ll be able to move forward,” Hatfield said. “I have to be confident because I think commonsense will win out.”
U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, has met with utility and government officials about the proposal, but he has neither endorsed nor opposed the project.
Baird said he would like to see the wind farm built, but not if it turns out to be “the world’s largest marbled murrelet blender.”
“From a wind-energy standpoint, the site has a lot of appeal,” Baird said Wednesday. “The challenge is that there is really a substantial difference in opinions about the potential risk to marbled murrelets.”
Hatfield criticized the DNR for deciding recently not to consider leasing state land for a wind farm in Skamania County because the project might harm spotted owls. The senator said the decision suggested the department will resist a wind farm on Radar Ridge. “I’m very disappointed with the new lands commissioner (Peter Goldmark) so far,” Hatfield said.
Goldmark “is committed to renewable energy, but the challenge is the Endangered Species Act,” DNR spokesman Aaron Toso said. “We need to be pragmatic about it, and it comes down to making sure we do no harm.”
The public meetings hosted by the utilities on the project will be Tuesday at Grays Harbor PUD in Hoquiam, Nov. 17 at Naselle High School, and Nov. 18 at Raymond High School. All of the meetings will be from 6 to 9 p.m.
Will wind farm project fly?
Sunday, November 8, 2009 11:49 PM PST
By Don Jenkins
A proposal to build the first wind farm in Western Washington may stall, and may even be doomed, because of concern that turbine blades would kill members of an endangered bird species, a state lawmaker says.
“I’m just not feeling real confident that this is going to grab hold and move forward very fast,” Rep. Dean Takko, D-Longview, said last week. “There are key players who aren’t very supportive, and I think it’s going to hold this up. Is it going to kill it? I don’t know.”
Public-power developer Energy Northwest and four utility districts in Pacific, Grays Harbor, Clallam and Mason counties propose installing as many as 32 wind turbines on Radar Ridge in Pacific County. The wind farm would generate enough electricity for 18,000 homes and help the utilities meet a voter-approved mandate to invest in renewable energy. The towers, however, would be in the flight path of the federally protected marbled murrelet.
Consultants hired by Energy Northwest concluded recently that in a worst-case scenario a marbled murrelet would collide with a rotor about once every 18 months. Deaths could be further reduced by shutting down the towers during the breeding season, according to the report, which prompted the utilities to declare that their project would cause minor or insignificant harm to the species.
Another study commissioned by the state Department of Natural Resources made no attempt to pinpoint how many birds would be killed, but warned that some 87 marbled murrelets a year would fly through the wind farm and that the likelihood for deaths was high.
Spokesmen for the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which enforces the Endangered Species Act, said their agencies will hire outside experts to review Energy Northwest’s study.
In the meantime, the utilities will host a series of public meetings this month on the project. The utilities say they want to collect comments and get ready to apply for a federal permit that would allow them to operate a wind farm that might occasionally kill a marbled murrelet.
The utilities also will need permission from the DNR, which owns Radar Ridge and would collect potentially lucrative lease payments from the utilities.
Takko and the area’s other two state legislators back the wind farm, but Takko said federal and state regulators are cool to the project and that the PUDs may have to “pull the plug” rather than continuing to spend money on what could be a dead-end. “I don’t think it’s time quite yet, but we’re getting close,” he said.
Grays Harbor PUD, the largest utility involved in the project, has no plans to pull out, utility spokeswoman Liz Anderson said. “We’re proceeding forward and hope to complete the project,” she said.
Although state and federal agencies haven’t rejected the project, they’ve warned the utilities that pursuing the wind farm won’t be quick, easy or cheap.
“We’ve never said Radar Ridge can’t be permitted. What we’ve said is, it’s going to be a real challenge,” Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Doug Zimmer said.
State Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, said the PUDs should press ahead. “I think it’s worth it until they get some ‘hell, no,’ at some point,” he said.
Hatfield said the agencies would “look ridiculous” to the public if they stopped the project.
“I’m still pretty confident they’ll be able to move forward,” Hatfield said. “I have to be confident because I think commonsense will win out.”
U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, has met with utility and government officials about the proposal, but he has neither endorsed nor opposed the project.
Baird said he would like to see the wind farm built, but not if it turns out to be “the world’s largest marbled murrelet blender.”
“From a wind-energy standpoint, the site has a lot of appeal,” Baird said Wednesday. “The challenge is that there is really a substantial difference in opinions about the potential risk to marbled murrelets.”
Hatfield criticized the DNR for deciding recently not to consider leasing state land for a wind farm in Skamania County because the project might harm spotted owls. The senator said the decision suggested the department will resist a wind farm on Radar Ridge. “I’m very disappointed with the new lands commissioner (Peter Goldmark) so far,” Hatfield said.
Goldmark “is committed to renewable energy, but the challenge is the Endangered Species Act,” DNR spokesman Aaron Toso said. “We need to be pragmatic about it, and it comes down to making sure we do no harm.”
The public meetings hosted by the utilities on the project will be Tuesday at Grays Harbor PUD in Hoquiam, Nov. 17 at Naselle High School, and Nov. 18 at Raymond High School. All of the meetings will be from 6 to 9 p.m.
Health Ministry Accounting Irregularity
JOINT STATEMENT
For immediate release
November 9, 2009 – Annapolis Valley Health, South Shore Health and South West Health have recently detected a significant accounting irregularity within their shared financial services impacting all three Districts.
The matter was reported to the Kentville Town Police Department and an investigation is ongoing. Criminal Charges are possible. The three Health Authorities are also together conducting their own forensic audit.
As a result of its own internal investigation, an employee based at Annapolis Valley Health has been dismissed for cause.
The full extent of these circumstances will not be known until the police investigation and audit are complete.
The three Health Authorities are cooperating fully with the police investigation and are unable to release any further detail pending completion of the investigation.
-30-
For clarification please call,
Tamara Gilley, AVH
(902) 538-3468
Theresa Hawkesworth, SSH
(902) 527-2266
Fraser Mooney, SWH
(902) 749-
For immediate release
November 9, 2009 – Annapolis Valley Health, South Shore Health and South West Health have recently detected a significant accounting irregularity within their shared financial services impacting all three Districts.
The matter was reported to the Kentville Town Police Department and an investigation is ongoing. Criminal Charges are possible. The three Health Authorities are also together conducting their own forensic audit.
As a result of its own internal investigation, an employee based at Annapolis Valley Health has been dismissed for cause.
The full extent of these circumstances will not be known until the police investigation and audit are complete.
The three Health Authorities are cooperating fully with the police investigation and are unable to release any further detail pending completion of the investigation.
-30-
For clarification please call,
Tamara Gilley, AVH
(902) 538-3468
Theresa Hawkesworth, SSH
(902) 527-2266
Fraser Mooney, SWH
(902) 749-
Excerpt from Redneck USA by Dominik Lawson UK Sunday Times
"...Nevertheless, there is one great merit in being a follower rather than a leader in renewable energy: we can see how other European countries have fared in the experiment. Germany has long been subsidising wind power to the extent of almost €5 billion a year. Yet recent German Green party internal e-mails leaked to Der Spiegel magazine show this has not led to a reduction of a single gram of CO2 emitted on the continent of Europe. The much-vaunted emissions trading system is one reason: Germany’s unused certificates were snapped up at negligible cost by coal producers in countries such as Poland and Slovakia, which were thus able to increase their output of greenhouse gases.
There is a second reason, which would remain even if the European emissions trading system were to be scrapped. Because the wind blows intermittently, and may be at its calmest at times of freezing weather, Germany has not been able to close a single one of its conventional power stations, despite its vast investment in wind power.
Indeed, Paul Golby, who runs the British operations of E.ON, Europe’s biggest wind-power producer, has told the government that a 90% fossil fuel or nuclear back-up will be needed for any of the National Grid’s future wind-power capacity. As Martin Fuchs, his German boss, pointed out: “The wind, sadly, does not blow where large quantities of power are required . . . on September 12 last year wind power contributed 38% of our grid power requirements at all times, but on September 30 the figure went down to 0.2%.”
The powerful wind-turbine lobby in Germany constantly harps on about the number of jobs “created” by its subsidised investment, quite ignoring the number of jobs destroyed by high-cost energy, or indeed the greater number of jobs that could be created if the same amounts were invested in more profitable activities. This is why the Bremen Energy Institute argues that “wind energy macro-economically has a negative employment impact”.
Given the run-down state of our conventional generating capacity, it is easy to see that the government’s suspiciously round number of a “£100 billion” expenditure on installing 7,000 offshore steel structures, each the height of Blackpool Tower, at a projected rate of more than two every working day over the next decade, does not begin to cover the real cost. This is why the overall price of wind energy is a multiple of that incurred by nuclear power, which is equally carbon-free but does not appeal to the moral vanity of politicians..."
"...Nevertheless, there is one great merit in being a follower rather than a leader in renewable energy: we can see how other European countries have fared in the experiment. Germany has long been subsidising wind power to the extent of almost €5 billion a year. Yet recent German Green party internal e-mails leaked to Der Spiegel magazine show this has not led to a reduction of a single gram of CO2 emitted on the continent of Europe. The much-vaunted emissions trading system is one reason: Germany’s unused certificates were snapped up at negligible cost by coal producers in countries such as Poland and Slovakia, which were thus able to increase their output of greenhouse gases.
There is a second reason, which would remain even if the European emissions trading system were to be scrapped. Because the wind blows intermittently, and may be at its calmest at times of freezing weather, Germany has not been able to close a single one of its conventional power stations, despite its vast investment in wind power.
Indeed, Paul Golby, who runs the British operations of E.ON, Europe’s biggest wind-power producer, has told the government that a 90% fossil fuel or nuclear back-up will be needed for any of the National Grid’s future wind-power capacity. As Martin Fuchs, his German boss, pointed out: “The wind, sadly, does not blow where large quantities of power are required . . . on September 12 last year wind power contributed 38% of our grid power requirements at all times, but on September 30 the figure went down to 0.2%.”
The powerful wind-turbine lobby in Germany constantly harps on about the number of jobs “created” by its subsidised investment, quite ignoring the number of jobs destroyed by high-cost energy, or indeed the greater number of jobs that could be created if the same amounts were invested in more profitable activities. This is why the Bremen Energy Institute argues that “wind energy macro-economically has a negative employment impact”.
Given the run-down state of our conventional generating capacity, it is easy to see that the government’s suspiciously round number of a “£100 billion” expenditure on installing 7,000 offshore steel structures, each the height of Blackpool Tower, at a projected rate of more than two every working day over the next decade, does not begin to cover the real cost. This is why the overall price of wind energy is a multiple of that incurred by nuclear power, which is equally carbon-free but does not appeal to the moral vanity of politicians..."
Labels:
U.K. wind turbines
Blog from Spain re:Turbines
Spains Wind Turbine RecordNovember 10th, 2009 - Chris Marshall
I wrote recently that on a recent trip to Granada it was noticeable how many Wind Turbines there were now in Spain.
What I hadn’t realised was that Spain has the third most wind turbine farms, with the USA leading the way followed (surprisingly for me) by Germany.
Well with the strong winds over the weekend it appears that more than half of Spain’s electricity was generated by these turbines over a five hour period last weekend, which is a new record, and the equivalent of eleven nuclear plants! This is one in the eye to the critics who doubted production would ever get over 14%.
Talking of wind turbines ………. slightly ironic that on the same day as I post this the UK has approved ten new sites for …………. new nuclear power stations, one of which may require a existing wind turbine farm to be destroyed!
I wrote recently that on a recent trip to Granada it was noticeable how many Wind Turbines there were now in Spain.
What I hadn’t realised was that Spain has the third most wind turbine farms, with the USA leading the way followed (surprisingly for me) by Germany.
Well with the strong winds over the weekend it appears that more than half of Spain’s electricity was generated by these turbines over a five hour period last weekend, which is a new record, and the equivalent of eleven nuclear plants! This is one in the eye to the critics who doubted production would ever get over 14%.
Talking of wind turbines ………. slightly ironic that on the same day as I post this the UK has approved ten new sites for …………. new nuclear power stations, one of which may require a existing wind turbine farm to be destroyed!
Labels:
Spain wind turbines
Inappropriate Placement of Turbines
From the Northern Echo U.K. News
Region's campaigners unite to fight wind farms
6:00am Tuesday 10th November 2009
By Joe Willis »
TOO many wind turbines are being built too tall and too close to homes, according to a growing number of campaign groups in the North-East and North Yorkshire.
In a bid to halt “inappropriate”
wind farm developments, activists in the region have pledged to work together to urge the Government to review its renewable energy policy.
One of the chief aims is to push for laws to stop new wind farms being built within 2km of homes.
Campaigners say the buffer zone – already in force in Scotland – is needed until more tests on the potential dangers of wind turbines can be carried out.
A conference is planned for early next year in Darlington to discuss the issues.
The event is being organised by Trish Pemberton, chairwoman of the Bolam Area Action Group, which is fighting plans for a seven-turbine wind farm near the County Durham village.
Mrs Pemberton, a member of the National Alliance of Wind Action Groups, said: “A lot of people are concerned that their interests are being ridden roughshod over to push through wind farms.
“They’re coming closer and closer to people’s homes and getting taller and taller.”
Campaigners say there is evidence that the noise, shadows and vibrations created by wind farms cause long-term health problems for those living nearby.
Steve Lindo is chairman of North Hambleton Windfarm Action Group, which is protesting against plans for nine turbines at Ingram Grange Farm, in Appleton Wiske, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.
He said: “We are branded as nimbys, but these things don’t work. They’re not doing as they say on the tin.”
According to the British Wind Energy Association website, 25 wind farms have been built or approved in the North-East and North Yorkshire, with at least another 13 proposed.
The figures mean the region has one of densest clusters of wind farms in Britain.
The groups are backing Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff’s Onshore Wind Turbines (Proximity of Habitation) Bill, which was put to Parliament last week, calling for limits on how close turbines can be built to homes.
Although the bill stands no chance of becoming law, campaigners feel it has given a national stage to their arguments.
The bill was supported by Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson and Dari Taylor, MP for Stockton South.
Mr Wilson said: “People say it’s nimbyism, but I don’t mind wind farms in my back yard – as long as there is room for something else.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Energy and Climate Change said it was “not constructive to impose generic constrictions on wind farms”.
She added: “Each wind farm is different from the next and we think you need to look at each application individually, taking into account the likely impacts of the particular wind farm and the characteristics of the particular location.”
A decision on the latest wind farm development planned for the region, at Bullamoor, near Northallerton, will go before councillors on Thursday.
Region's campaigners unite to fight wind farms
6:00am Tuesday 10th November 2009
By Joe Willis »
TOO many wind turbines are being built too tall and too close to homes, according to a growing number of campaign groups in the North-East and North Yorkshire.
In a bid to halt “inappropriate”
wind farm developments, activists in the region have pledged to work together to urge the Government to review its renewable energy policy.
One of the chief aims is to push for laws to stop new wind farms being built within 2km of homes.
Campaigners say the buffer zone – already in force in Scotland – is needed until more tests on the potential dangers of wind turbines can be carried out.
A conference is planned for early next year in Darlington to discuss the issues.
The event is being organised by Trish Pemberton, chairwoman of the Bolam Area Action Group, which is fighting plans for a seven-turbine wind farm near the County Durham village.
Mrs Pemberton, a member of the National Alliance of Wind Action Groups, said: “A lot of people are concerned that their interests are being ridden roughshod over to push through wind farms.
“They’re coming closer and closer to people’s homes and getting taller and taller.”
Campaigners say there is evidence that the noise, shadows and vibrations created by wind farms cause long-term health problems for those living nearby.
Steve Lindo is chairman of North Hambleton Windfarm Action Group, which is protesting against plans for nine turbines at Ingram Grange Farm, in Appleton Wiske, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.
He said: “We are branded as nimbys, but these things don’t work. They’re not doing as they say on the tin.”
According to the British Wind Energy Association website, 25 wind farms have been built or approved in the North-East and North Yorkshire, with at least another 13 proposed.
The figures mean the region has one of densest clusters of wind farms in Britain.
The groups are backing Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff’s Onshore Wind Turbines (Proximity of Habitation) Bill, which was put to Parliament last week, calling for limits on how close turbines can be built to homes.
Although the bill stands no chance of becoming law, campaigners feel it has given a national stage to their arguments.
The bill was supported by Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson and Dari Taylor, MP for Stockton South.
Mr Wilson said: “People say it’s nimbyism, but I don’t mind wind farms in my back yard – as long as there is room for something else.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Energy and Climate Change said it was “not constructive to impose generic constrictions on wind farms”.
She added: “Each wind farm is different from the next and we think you need to look at each application individually, taking into account the likely impacts of the particular wind farm and the characteristics of the particular location.”
A decision on the latest wind farm development planned for the region, at Bullamoor, near Northallerton, will go before councillors on Thursday.
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wind turbines buffer zones U.K.
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