Subject: Wind Farm Telephone Survey today---Please participate if calledþ tomhaynespaton
To South West Nova Residents:
If you are called by a company carrying out a survey about "local issues",
please participate.
I have just been called by a New Brunswick company asking if I was willing
to participate in an 8 min. survey about issues affecting my local area. When I
asked details, she said the Digby local area. And then said energy issues.
Only after I agreed to participate and got into the interview did I realize
that the questions were specifically dealing with the "Digby Neck wind farm
issue".
The first question was, what is the most important issue facing Nova Scotia
as a province. Then, the most important issue facing "your local area".
It is a good survey, well balanced. There are even places when you can add
anything else that is important to you, a freely expressed opinion in addition
to multiple choice questions, (agree or disagree, strongly or not...) Also, she
let me go back and change answers when I heard the following questions.
Does anyone know who would be footing the bill for this survey?
Cheers,
Tom
Friday, July 31, 2009
A Visitor's Comments
Digby, July 29 2009
Dear Madam/Sir,
Yesterday I came especially to Digby Neck to do the whale watching tour: nature is so beautiful and unspoiled here. I live in Belgium, Europe where nature is gone.
I do not know if the people of Canada realize what a treasure they have: beautuful nature with lakes and rare animals.
I hope if I visit Canada again, it will still be there.
Best Regards,
Nicole De Laeter
Belgium
Europe
Dear Madam/Sir,
Yesterday I came especially to Digby Neck to do the whale watching tour: nature is so beautiful and unspoiled here. I live in Belgium, Europe where nature is gone.
I do not know if the people of Canada realize what a treasure they have: beautuful nature with lakes and rare animals.
I hope if I visit Canada again, it will still be there.
Best Regards,
Nicole De Laeter
Belgium
Europe
Monday, July 27, 2009
Harnessing Tidal Power
by Malcolm
Harnessing Tidal Power
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ocean has huge energy which needs to be harnessed properly for its usage. Tidal power is the most predictable and reliable source, that is based on tried & tested principles of hydrodynamics and electrical engineering. Tides occur reliably and predictably, irrespective of weather changes. Ocean power energy can be created using tides and ocean current.
Tides help in production of tidal energy through tidal dams and tidal turbines. In case of tidal dams, power is created using a barrage at a bay or estuary with large tidal range. Tidal turbines take advantage of fast-flowing ocean currents to create energy. The most prolific tidal turbines are horizontal axis turbines that in many ways are analogous to wind turbines. The main difference is size. Tidal turbines generating 1 MW of power can be up to one-third the size of a wind turbine with a similar generating capacity.
Ocean current also holds a great amount of strength and energy. The total power of waves breaking around the world's coastlines is estimated at 2-3 million megawatts, which can be captured directly from surface waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface.
Harnessing Tidal Power
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ocean has huge energy which needs to be harnessed properly for its usage. Tidal power is the most predictable and reliable source, that is based on tried & tested principles of hydrodynamics and electrical engineering. Tides occur reliably and predictably, irrespective of weather changes. Ocean power energy can be created using tides and ocean current.
Tides help in production of tidal energy through tidal dams and tidal turbines. In case of tidal dams, power is created using a barrage at a bay or estuary with large tidal range. Tidal turbines take advantage of fast-flowing ocean currents to create energy. The most prolific tidal turbines are horizontal axis turbines that in many ways are analogous to wind turbines. The main difference is size. Tidal turbines generating 1 MW of power can be up to one-third the size of a wind turbine with a similar generating capacity.
Ocean current also holds a great amount of strength and energy. The total power of waves breaking around the world's coastlines is estimated at 2-3 million megawatts, which can be captured directly from surface waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface.
Labels:
tidal power
Tidal Wave Energy
From Home Security Blog
The Tidal wave energy is an alternative energy source that has been in use for decades. Tidal mills were constructed by people who used it to grind grain, and this was the first use of tidal energy for power in olden days. The Tidal power generation is a clean process.
Another alternate energy source is Solar Energy that is used for generating electricity, heating water and it is also used to create fuel for your vehicles. Most of the countries are promoting and encouraging the use of solar power by giving rebates and tax credits on the solar panels purchased by people.
The burning or decomposition of corn, corn stalks, wheat, twigs,pine cones or bark generated biomass energy.This energy is used as fuel to run the vehicles or produce heat at homes. Over 100 years back only such technology of energy generation was practised. The biodiesel fuels that are used to run the vehicles are ethanol or methane.
Today,the hydrogen energy is considered as the future generation of alternate source of energy because of its availability in abundance. One can idealize driving their vechiles on pure water. It has been done as a matter of fact. Our vechiles will have an electrolysis unit that will generate HHO,this increaes the gas mileage by over 20-50% with a low-budget of less than $100.
The Tidal wave energy is an alternative energy source that has been in use for decades. Tidal mills were constructed by people who used it to grind grain, and this was the first use of tidal energy for power in olden days. The Tidal power generation is a clean process.
Another alternate energy source is Solar Energy that is used for generating electricity, heating water and it is also used to create fuel for your vehicles. Most of the countries are promoting and encouraging the use of solar power by giving rebates and tax credits on the solar panels purchased by people.
The burning or decomposition of corn, corn stalks, wheat, twigs,pine cones or bark generated biomass energy.This energy is used as fuel to run the vehicles or produce heat at homes. Over 100 years back only such technology of energy generation was practised. The biodiesel fuels that are used to run the vehicles are ethanol or methane.
Today,the hydrogen energy is considered as the future generation of alternate source of energy because of its availability in abundance. One can idealize driving their vechiles on pure water. It has been done as a matter of fact. Our vechiles will have an electrolysis unit that will generate HHO,this increaes the gas mileage by over 20-50% with a low-budget of less than $100.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tidal Power New York
From GreenPacks
by Martin
New York is one of the most glittering places in the United States, not just for its opulence, but for the glowing lights as well. What is hurting though is the large chunk of energy consumed on a daily basis to power those lights. With the judicious use of energy becoming a priority to help cool the earth it is mandatory to think of greener solutions in the Big Apple.
One such idea is the use of the tidal waters proposed by Richard Garber and Brain Novello in a project designed for the Metropolis magazine 2009 Next Generation Design Competition.
These two plan to power the street lamps using tidal power. The first requirement would be to create docking systems using modular and floating docks. These docks will use three vertical turbines to harness energy from the moving river currents, eventually producing electricity.
The power generated will then be used to lighten a network of LED lamps across the streets. Each of these modules on the docking station will be capable of producing 24 kilowatts of power from a 4 mph current moving in any direction.
The docks would also feature green spaces and tidal pools to support wildlife. The project concept did not win the competition but it is still an effective backup for the already in place tidal power stations.
by Martin
New York is one of the most glittering places in the United States, not just for its opulence, but for the glowing lights as well. What is hurting though is the large chunk of energy consumed on a daily basis to power those lights. With the judicious use of energy becoming a priority to help cool the earth it is mandatory to think of greener solutions in the Big Apple.
One such idea is the use of the tidal waters proposed by Richard Garber and Brain Novello in a project designed for the Metropolis magazine 2009 Next Generation Design Competition.
These two plan to power the street lamps using tidal power. The first requirement would be to create docking systems using modular and floating docks. These docks will use three vertical turbines to harness energy from the moving river currents, eventually producing electricity.
The power generated will then be used to lighten a network of LED lamps across the streets. Each of these modules on the docking station will be capable of producing 24 kilowatts of power from a 4 mph current moving in any direction.
The docks would also feature green spaces and tidal pools to support wildlife. The project concept did not win the competition but it is still an effective backup for the already in place tidal power stations.
Labels:
tidal power green power
Eco Awareness Society
Eco Awareness Society
408 Browns Mountain Rd., RR 1, Merigomish, NS B0K 1G0
902-926-2297
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Susan Overmyer, Media Relations, Eco Awareness Society
902-926-2297
sdovermyer@auracom.com
“ECO AWARENESS SOCIETY AND RESIDENTS OF DIGBY MUNICIPALITY JOIN FORCES”
Residents of Digby Municipality concerned about the Digby Wind Power Project have become affiliate members of the Eco Awareness Society. The groups have joined together to share information and resources on the impacts of industrial wind power plants on health, the environment and economy as well as quality of life. Having shared concerns, and by joining forces we feel we can better promote awareness of the true impacts of industrial wind power projects as well as speak with a stronger unified voice.
Both projects, Glen Dhu and Digby are in areas ranked “very high” for scenic quality value. This ranking, from Natural History of Nova Scotia, Volume 1, published by the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, is extremely rare for mainland Nova Scotia.
In information obtained through the freedom of information act, a government reviewer questioned why “the boundary of the [Glen Dhu] project site…extends considerably south of the area on which the wind turbines are proposed” and asked “Is there a future phase proposed for the project which is not addressed in the draft EA document?”
Indeed, phase two of the Glen Dhu project places 60 turbines in Marshy Hope, yet the cumulative impact of 90 industrial scale wind turbines on this area has never been considered by Nova Scotia Environment. The Marshy Hope area is already under consideration for protection under the provincial government’s program “of protecting 12 per cent of Nova Scotia’s land mass from development”. MLA Angus MacIsaac, who is seeking this protection for Marshy Hope has stated, “We can not take for granted that these areas will be there for generations to come” and “requested that the government take action to protect this ‘Nova Scotia gem’”. Unfortunately, the land in Marshy Hope is already under lease agreement with Shear Wind Inc.
MORE
“ECO AWARENESS SOCIETY AND RESIDENTS…” / ADD ONE
Similarly, Digby Neck is a unique geographical feature that exists nowhere else in the world. It is considered to be one of Nova Scotia’s most spectacular natural regions with a rich ecosystem. The area is famous for its whale and seabird watching tours as well as its striking panoramas. The Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, in response to the Digby Wind Power Project’s Environmental Assessment stated that the area has “an extensive history and natural beauty which gives it tourism appeal, and expressed concern that no “consideration [was] given to the potential issues” that their department had raised about this project.
As well, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS-NS), considered to be “the pre-eminent, science-based non-profit wilderness conservation organization in Canada” is in the early stages of working to protect Digby Neck and Islands as a National Marine Conservation Area. CPAWS stated that “industrial development would endanger the pristine nature and viewscapes of the region as well as put a growing ecotourism industry at risk.”
To destroy these rare and unspoiled areas with massive industrial wind power plants and infrastructure is difficult to comprehend. It is not just the tourist trade or the spectacular natural views; it is the whole culture and identity of Nova Scotia that is at risk.
# # # #
July 21, 2009
The Eco Awareness Society is a non-profit organization whose mission is to uphold these principles: that “a subset of society should not be forced to bear the cost of a benefit for the larger society”, that a landowner’s right to full use and enjoyment of their property be upheld and not taken or hindered for public or private use or development, without just compensation, and that any policy or development with regard to the environment and landscape of Nova Scotia be shown to be effective and based on the principals of environmental sustainability and stewardship of our precious resources.*
*Based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and the Fifth Amendment, U.S. Constitution
408 Browns Mountain Rd., RR 1, Merigomish, NS B0K 1G0
902-926-2297
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Susan Overmyer, Media Relations, Eco Awareness Society
902-926-2297
sdovermyer@auracom.com
“ECO AWARENESS SOCIETY AND RESIDENTS OF DIGBY MUNICIPALITY JOIN FORCES”
Residents of Digby Municipality concerned about the Digby Wind Power Project have become affiliate members of the Eco Awareness Society. The groups have joined together to share information and resources on the impacts of industrial wind power plants on health, the environment and economy as well as quality of life. Having shared concerns, and by joining forces we feel we can better promote awareness of the true impacts of industrial wind power projects as well as speak with a stronger unified voice.
Both projects, Glen Dhu and Digby are in areas ranked “very high” for scenic quality value. This ranking, from Natural History of Nova Scotia, Volume 1, published by the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, is extremely rare for mainland Nova Scotia.
In information obtained through the freedom of information act, a government reviewer questioned why “the boundary of the [Glen Dhu] project site…extends considerably south of the area on which the wind turbines are proposed” and asked “Is there a future phase proposed for the project which is not addressed in the draft EA document?”
Indeed, phase two of the Glen Dhu project places 60 turbines in Marshy Hope, yet the cumulative impact of 90 industrial scale wind turbines on this area has never been considered by Nova Scotia Environment. The Marshy Hope area is already under consideration for protection under the provincial government’s program “of protecting 12 per cent of Nova Scotia’s land mass from development”. MLA Angus MacIsaac, who is seeking this protection for Marshy Hope has stated, “We can not take for granted that these areas will be there for generations to come” and “requested that the government take action to protect this ‘Nova Scotia gem’”. Unfortunately, the land in Marshy Hope is already under lease agreement with Shear Wind Inc.
MORE
“ECO AWARENESS SOCIETY AND RESIDENTS…” / ADD ONE
Similarly, Digby Neck is a unique geographical feature that exists nowhere else in the world. It is considered to be one of Nova Scotia’s most spectacular natural regions with a rich ecosystem. The area is famous for its whale and seabird watching tours as well as its striking panoramas. The Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, in response to the Digby Wind Power Project’s Environmental Assessment stated that the area has “an extensive history and natural beauty which gives it tourism appeal, and expressed concern that no “consideration [was] given to the potential issues” that their department had raised about this project.
As well, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS-NS), considered to be “the pre-eminent, science-based non-profit wilderness conservation organization in Canada” is in the early stages of working to protect Digby Neck and Islands as a National Marine Conservation Area. CPAWS stated that “industrial development would endanger the pristine nature and viewscapes of the region as well as put a growing ecotourism industry at risk.”
To destroy these rare and unspoiled areas with massive industrial wind power plants and infrastructure is difficult to comprehend. It is not just the tourist trade or the spectacular natural views; it is the whole culture and identity of Nova Scotia that is at risk.
# # # #
July 21, 2009
The Eco Awareness Society is a non-profit organization whose mission is to uphold these principles: that “a subset of society should not be forced to bear the cost of a benefit for the larger society”, that a landowner’s right to full use and enjoyment of their property be upheld and not taken or hindered for public or private use or development, without just compensation, and that any policy or development with regard to the environment and landscape of Nova Scotia be shown to be effective and based on the principals of environmental sustainability and stewardship of our precious resources.*
*Based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and the Fifth Amendment, U.S. Constitution
Labels:
Eco awareness,
wind turbines Digby
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Bats and Wind Turbines
From MSNBC
by Charles Q Choi
Radar could save bats from wind turbines
Wind turbines inadvertently kill bats and other flying creatures
These images are of the noseleaf of a typical horseshoe bat species (left) vs. that of Bourret's horseshoe bat, the Rhinolophus paradoxolophus (right). Computer modeling indicates the extreme nose is used to create a highly focused sonar beam.
View related photos
Rolf Mueller
LiveScience
• Getting Fat? Blame the Recession
• Space Program, Going in Circles, Needs Bold Moves
• This Volcano Is Quiet Now, But �
• Huge Fossilized Dung Reveals a Hidden Ancient Ecosystem
• Tough Microbe Has The Right Stuff for Mars
Related stories What’s this?
Tiger moths can thwart bats by jamming sonar
Cannonballs really could sink ships, study finds
Cell phones allow everyone to be a scientist
Most popular
• Most viewed • Top rated • Most e-mailed
Scholar’s arrest is a signpost on road to equality
Dead shark abandoned on Miami street
Jackson’s ‘secret son’ no secret to family
Senate rejects concealed weapons measure
Obama takes health fight into prime time
Most viewed on msnbc.com
World’s oldest man, WWI veteran dies
Zoo keeper wears abandoned baby kangaroo
Airman lost legs after gallbladder surgery
Cemetery whistle-blower: ‘I ain’t a hero’
Susan Boyle: Sudden fame ‘like demolition ball’
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Scholar’s arrest is a signpost on road to equality
Senate rejects concealed weapons measure
Dead shark abandoned on Miami street
Adios, Chihuahua! Taco Bell dog dead at 15
E-cigarettes contain toxic chemicals, FDA says
Most viewed on msnbc.com
By Charles Q. Choi
updated 1:40 p.m. ET July 21, 2009
Bats use sonar to navigate and hunt. Many have been killed by wind turbines, however, which their sonar doesn't seem to recognize as a danger. Surprisingly, radar signals could help keep bats away from wind turbines, scientists have now discovered.
Although wind power promises to be a clean source of energy, some researchers have raised concerns that wind turbines inadvertently kill bats and other flying creatures. For instance, in 2004, over the course of six weeks, roughly 1,764 and 2,900 bats were killed at two wind farms in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, respectively. The bats might not be killed by the wind turbine blades directly, but instead by the sudden drop in air pressure the swinging rotors induce, which in turn cause their lungs to over-expand and burst surrounding blood vessels.
"Given the growing number of wind turbines worldwide, this is going to be an increasing problem, no question about that," said researcher Paul Racey, a bat biologist at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Scientists have tried keeping birds from colliding into wind turbines by making their rotors easier to see. And to discourage bats away from wind farms, researchers have tried white noise generators as deterrents. However, these "acoustic scarecrows" have not worked well, Racey said, probably because these sound systems are not strong enough to influence bats within the entire space that rotors sweep through.
A student at the University of Aberdeen first noticed that bats shied away from radar installations while driving past them. He was holding a bat detector out the window to scope out bat activity on the drive back home from out in the field. (Bat detectors are gadgets that scan for ultrasonic bat calls.)
Although bats use sound waves to steer in the dark by echolocation, radar employs radio waves, a form of light, so one might at first assume that radar would have no effect on bats. To see if radar could keep bats away from wind turbines, the scientists at the University of Aberdeen installed small portable marine radar units at 20 bat foraging sites in Scotland — woodland and riverbank areas where insect densities are high. The researchers monitored bat presence for 58 nights using bat detectors.
The researchers discovered that radar helped keep bats away, reducing bat activity by 30 to 40 percent. The radar did not keep insects away, which suggests that however the radar works as a deterrent, it does so by influencing the bats directly and not just their food.
So how does radar keep bats away? The researchers explained that a great deal of research suggests that people can actually hear radar pulses.
"This was noticed when radar arrays first started up during World War II," Racey said. "A portion of radar operators said they heard clicks in their ears when they were switched on."
Click for related content
Tiger moths can thwart bats by jamming sonar
Bat's fate after shuttle launch appears grim
Bat's wrinkly face improves sonar
Radar signals can lead to small but rapid spikes of heat in the head that generate sound waves, which in turn stimulate the ear.
"A bat's hearing is much more sensitive than ours," Racey noted. "It may be so sensitive that even a tiny amount of sound caused by electromagnetic radiation is enough to drive them out of there."
Future research can design a radar system optimized at deterring bats.
by Charles Q Choi
Radar could save bats from wind turbines
Wind turbines inadvertently kill bats and other flying creatures
These images are of the noseleaf of a typical horseshoe bat species (left) vs. that of Bourret's horseshoe bat, the Rhinolophus paradoxolophus (right). Computer modeling indicates the extreme nose is used to create a highly focused sonar beam.
View related photos
Rolf Mueller
LiveScience
• Getting Fat? Blame the Recession
• Space Program, Going in Circles, Needs Bold Moves
• This Volcano Is Quiet Now, But �
• Huge Fossilized Dung Reveals a Hidden Ancient Ecosystem
• Tough Microbe Has The Right Stuff for Mars
Related stories What’s this?
Tiger moths can thwart bats by jamming sonar
Cannonballs really could sink ships, study finds
Cell phones allow everyone to be a scientist
Most popular
• Most viewed • Top rated • Most e-mailed
Scholar’s arrest is a signpost on road to equality
Dead shark abandoned on Miami street
Jackson’s ‘secret son’ no secret to family
Senate rejects concealed weapons measure
Obama takes health fight into prime time
Most viewed on msnbc.com
World’s oldest man, WWI veteran dies
Zoo keeper wears abandoned baby kangaroo
Airman lost legs after gallbladder surgery
Cemetery whistle-blower: ‘I ain’t a hero’
Susan Boyle: Sudden fame ‘like demolition ball’
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Scholar’s arrest is a signpost on road to equality
Senate rejects concealed weapons measure
Dead shark abandoned on Miami street
Adios, Chihuahua! Taco Bell dog dead at 15
E-cigarettes contain toxic chemicals, FDA says
Most viewed on msnbc.com
By Charles Q. Choi
updated 1:40 p.m. ET July 21, 2009
Bats use sonar to navigate and hunt. Many have been killed by wind turbines, however, which their sonar doesn't seem to recognize as a danger. Surprisingly, radar signals could help keep bats away from wind turbines, scientists have now discovered.
Although wind power promises to be a clean source of energy, some researchers have raised concerns that wind turbines inadvertently kill bats and other flying creatures. For instance, in 2004, over the course of six weeks, roughly 1,764 and 2,900 bats were killed at two wind farms in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, respectively. The bats might not be killed by the wind turbine blades directly, but instead by the sudden drop in air pressure the swinging rotors induce, which in turn cause their lungs to over-expand and burst surrounding blood vessels.
"Given the growing number of wind turbines worldwide, this is going to be an increasing problem, no question about that," said researcher Paul Racey, a bat biologist at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Scientists have tried keeping birds from colliding into wind turbines by making their rotors easier to see. And to discourage bats away from wind farms, researchers have tried white noise generators as deterrents. However, these "acoustic scarecrows" have not worked well, Racey said, probably because these sound systems are not strong enough to influence bats within the entire space that rotors sweep through.
A student at the University of Aberdeen first noticed that bats shied away from radar installations while driving past them. He was holding a bat detector out the window to scope out bat activity on the drive back home from out in the field. (Bat detectors are gadgets that scan for ultrasonic bat calls.)
Although bats use sound waves to steer in the dark by echolocation, radar employs radio waves, a form of light, so one might at first assume that radar would have no effect on bats. To see if radar could keep bats away from wind turbines, the scientists at the University of Aberdeen installed small portable marine radar units at 20 bat foraging sites in Scotland — woodland and riverbank areas where insect densities are high. The researchers monitored bat presence for 58 nights using bat detectors.
The researchers discovered that radar helped keep bats away, reducing bat activity by 30 to 40 percent. The radar did not keep insects away, which suggests that however the radar works as a deterrent, it does so by influencing the bats directly and not just their food.
So how does radar keep bats away? The researchers explained that a great deal of research suggests that people can actually hear radar pulses.
"This was noticed when radar arrays first started up during World War II," Racey said. "A portion of radar operators said they heard clicks in their ears when they were switched on."
Click for related content
Tiger moths can thwart bats by jamming sonar
Bat's fate after shuttle launch appears grim
Bat's wrinkly face improves sonar
Radar signals can lead to small but rapid spikes of heat in the head that generate sound waves, which in turn stimulate the ear.
"A bat's hearing is much more sensitive than ours," Racey noted. "It may be so sensitive that even a tiny amount of sound caused by electromagnetic radiation is enough to drive them out of there."
Future research can design a radar system optimized at deterring bats.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Letter to Council- Sister Bonnie Bethany Place
To the Municipal Council of the District of Digby
And the Members of the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC)
July 15,2009
Dear Warden; Councilors, and PAC Members:
As you are aware, we at Bethany Place have a couple of concerns regarding the
placement of the wind turbines so near to our place of residence. One is the disturbance
of our source of water as we are on a gravity fed dug well.
Another concern is the continuous noise from the rotation of the blades on the turbines
2417. Our ministry at the house is one of , sponsoring Quiet Days and Retreat Days tor
individuals and small groups. The incessant whir from the turbines could significantly
interfere with a person's quiet and sense of peace and reflection. If this should happen
then our ministry of hospitality and prayer would virtually have to cease. Should this
happen we would have no other option but to try to sell our property at a reduced price as
real estate prices will drop considerably and relocate somewhere else in the province.
Should we have to move from this area that would mean the outreach and ministry that
eminates from the Bethany Bargain Bin at 125 First Avenue would conceivably cease to
function. This, I believe, would bave a significant impact on the surrounding community
of Digby and area as we exist to meet the needs of people that Society Services and other
agencies don't meet. People in need of furniture, household items, etc., are given these
items to assist them in settling into new residences/apartments. We help people cover
their rents, fuels bills, telephone bills, medications, dental work, glasses and food that
isn't available at the local food bank.
We also assist the food bank:financially; we assist Juniper House Outreach; we assist
people referred to us from Family Resources and Social Services and Mental Health. We
support the Breakfast program at the Digby Elementary School. Should our ministry and
outreach cease to exist these services would have to be picked up by others in the
community.
Last year the Bethany Bargain Bin generated $49,260,.50 into the local economy. Ijust
mention this as I feel it is worth consideration when decisions are being made at your
council meetings regarding the placement of these wind turbines in our area. We feel that
the two that have been allocated near our property are placed toeclose to our home.
Respectfully sumitted,
~~~\~~\f).
Sister Bonnie, S.L.S.M.
And the Members of the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC)
July 15,2009
Dear Warden; Councilors, and PAC Members:
As you are aware, we at Bethany Place have a couple of concerns regarding the
placement of the wind turbines so near to our place of residence. One is the disturbance
of our source of water as we are on a gravity fed dug well.
Another concern is the continuous noise from the rotation of the blades on the turbines
2417. Our ministry at the house is one of , sponsoring Quiet Days and Retreat Days tor
individuals and small groups. The incessant whir from the turbines could significantly
interfere with a person's quiet and sense of peace and reflection. If this should happen
then our ministry of hospitality and prayer would virtually have to cease. Should this
happen we would have no other option but to try to sell our property at a reduced price as
real estate prices will drop considerably and relocate somewhere else in the province.
Should we have to move from this area that would mean the outreach and ministry that
eminates from the Bethany Bargain Bin at 125 First Avenue would conceivably cease to
function. This, I believe, would bave a significant impact on the surrounding community
of Digby and area as we exist to meet the needs of people that Society Services and other
agencies don't meet. People in need of furniture, household items, etc., are given these
items to assist them in settling into new residences/apartments. We help people cover
their rents, fuels bills, telephone bills, medications, dental work, glasses and food that
isn't available at the local food bank.
We also assist the food bank:financially; we assist Juniper House Outreach; we assist
people referred to us from Family Resources and Social Services and Mental Health. We
support the Breakfast program at the Digby Elementary School. Should our ministry and
outreach cease to exist these services would have to be picked up by others in the
community.
Last year the Bethany Bargain Bin generated $49,260,.50 into the local economy. Ijust
mention this as I feel it is worth consideration when decisions are being made at your
council meetings regarding the placement of these wind turbines in our area. We feel that
the two that have been allocated near our property are placed toeclose to our home.
Respectfully sumitted,
~~~\~~\f).
Sister Bonnie, S.L.S.M.
An Open Letter from Tom
Digby Municipality: Kindly distribute a copy of this to all the councilors.
To Maritza Adams, District #2 Councilor, Municipality of Digby
Dear Maritza,
I thank you for your work on our behalf as our
elected municipal councilor. However, here in your District #2 on the
south shore of St. Mary's Bay, I have heard rumours
that you are not supportive of the Wind By-law. I do hope that these rumours
are without foundation.
As a District #2 resident, voter and
businessman, I respectfully ask that you support the Wind Energy By-law.
I make this appeal because of my support for quality of life and quality of the
environment within our larger area around St. Mary’s Bay and my ongoing active
support for the development of sustainable economic development, the type which
enhances rather than diminishes this quality of life within the beautiful but
delicate SW Nova Biosphere Reserve of which we are a part.
More specifically, this wind park on Digby Neck
will directly and negatively impact businesses in your district #2, despite
being far from the proposed Digby Neck site. So I also ask for your
support of the Wind By-law because of the impact that this wind farm blemish on
the Digby Neck environment will certainly have on my Japanese Art
Gallery business and many
other businesses in your district.
A high percentage of my gallery customers
drop in as they drive through Route 1 and 101 on their way to or from
Digby Neck and Islands, drawn here from around
the world to this area because of its natural beauty and accessibility and
because of its inclusion in the UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserve.
In past years, I have seen as much as a 50% drop in my
business caused by disruptions on Digby Neck such as resurfacing
the road down the Neck and/or Islands.
Thousands of tourists chose to avoid the St. Mary's Bay area entirely. They
chose the South Shore route when they learned from Nova
Scotia Tourist Bureau personnel of possible disruptions to traffic on Digby
Neck during that period of heavy equipment use on route 217.
The construction and maintenance of this
wind park will certainly impact businesses throughout your voter district here
on this south side of St. Mary's Bay in like manner but in a much more drastic
fashion and for a much more sustained period of time. As our local councillor
accountable
to us as voters, we ask your help in preventing this.
Digby Neck and Islands
is unique and will draw people through our district #2 for years to come IF not
blemished by industrial desecration and greed. This will happen if wise voters
and equally wise and visionary councilors choose by-laws to protect the
sustainability of our lands and coastlines and sea while promoting
environmentally sustainable industry and jobs.
I am not opposed to wind energy. I am opposed to wind energy located
purely for
reasons of maximizing corporate profit within people's dwelling space
when there is so much non-dwelling space where such equipment could be located,
for example, in the upper-Sissiboo
River watershed.
Based on your vote as my
representative on this By-law issue and subsequent decisions you will make on
environmentally sustainable economic growth during the rest of your term as
councilor, as a voter and activist seeking environmentally sustainable jobs for
our municipality I look forward to the possibility of promoting your candidacy
for re-election in my district in the next municipal election.
I do wish to hear your thoughts,
Maritza, on these issues and await your timely response to my views and to
my specific request for your support on this By-law issue on which so many have
worked for so long.
With kind regards,
Tom
Tom Haynes-Paton
Japanese Woodblock Prints & Antiques Gallery
PO Box 11, Barton, B0W1H0, Nova Scotia
902-245-2347 Japanesegallery@gmail.com
website japanesewoodblockprints.ca
To Maritza Adams, District #2 Councilor, Municipality of Digby
Dear Maritza,
I thank you for your work on our behalf as our
elected municipal councilor. However, here in your District #2 on the
south shore of St. Mary's Bay, I have heard rumours
that you are not supportive of the Wind By-law. I do hope that these rumours
are without foundation.
As a District #2 resident, voter and
businessman, I respectfully ask that you support the Wind Energy By-law.
I make this appeal because of my support for quality of life and quality of the
environment within our larger area around St. Mary’s Bay and my ongoing active
support for the development of sustainable economic development, the type which
enhances rather than diminishes this quality of life within the beautiful but
delicate SW Nova Biosphere Reserve of which we are a part.
More specifically, this wind park on Digby Neck
will directly and negatively impact businesses in your district #2, despite
being far from the proposed Digby Neck site. So I also ask for your
support of the Wind By-law because of the impact that this wind farm blemish on
the Digby Neck environment will certainly have on my Japanese Art
Gallery business and many
other businesses in your district.
A high percentage of my gallery customers
drop in as they drive through Route 1 and 101 on their way to or from
Digby Neck and Islands, drawn here from around
the world to this area because of its natural beauty and accessibility and
because of its inclusion in the UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserve.
In past years, I have seen as much as a 50% drop in my
business caused by disruptions on Digby Neck such as resurfacing
the road down the Neck and/or Islands.
Thousands of tourists chose to avoid the St. Mary's Bay area entirely. They
chose the South Shore route when they learned from Nova
Scotia Tourist Bureau personnel of possible disruptions to traffic on Digby
Neck during that period of heavy equipment use on route 217.
The construction and maintenance of this
wind park will certainly impact businesses throughout your voter district here
on this south side of St. Mary's Bay in like manner but in a much more drastic
fashion and for a much more sustained period of time. As our local councillor
accountable
to us as voters, we ask your help in preventing this.
Digby Neck and Islands
is unique and will draw people through our district #2 for years to come IF not
blemished by industrial desecration and greed. This will happen if wise voters
and equally wise and visionary councilors choose by-laws to protect the
sustainability of our lands and coastlines and sea while promoting
environmentally sustainable industry and jobs.
I am not opposed to wind energy. I am opposed to wind energy located
purely for
reasons of maximizing corporate profit within people's dwelling space
when there is so much non-dwelling space where such equipment could be located,
for example, in the upper-Sissiboo
River watershed.
Based on your vote as my
representative on this By-law issue and subsequent decisions you will make on
environmentally sustainable economic growth during the rest of your term as
councilor, as a voter and activist seeking environmentally sustainable jobs for
our municipality I look forward to the possibility of promoting your candidacy
for re-election in my district in the next municipal election.
I do wish to hear your thoughts,
Maritza, on these issues and await your timely response to my views and to
my specific request for your support on this By-law issue on which so many have
worked for so long.
With kind regards,
Tom
Tom Haynes-Paton
Japanese Woodblock Prints & Antiques Gallery
PO Box 11, Barton, B0W1H0, Nova Scotia
902-245-2347 Japanesegallery@gmail.com
website japanesewoodblockprints.ca
Friday, July 17, 2009
Letter to Council
Re: Society Of Our Lady Saint. Mary
To The Municipal Council of the District of Digby,
And to the Members of the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC).
July 14,2009 (Bastille Day)
Dear Warden, Councilors, and PAC Members:
When it comes to a discussion about The Wind Farm Project for Digby Neck, it is no secret that I am not on the same page as you- or most of you- seem to be. That’s what makes Canada the greatest country in the world in which to truly live: citizens are allowed to think, to question, to oppose, and nonetheless be in solidarity as a nation.
.Differ as we may, I find it hard to believe that we would differ on the work of the Society of Our Lady Saint Mary , better known to us as Bethany Place in Rossway, and the Bethany Bargain Bin in Digby. On August 15th., the Society will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary in the Municipality of the District of Digby. They deserve commendation and praise for that alone. (They are an Anglican Society with many lay members.)
These are no “Fly-By-Nighter Do-Gooders” by any means. Sister Bonnie has been here the full thirty years, and Sister Barbara for two decades or more. In the light of the work they have done and continue to do, they are the greatest gift to the economy of the people that we have in our midst- bar none! Whatever the situation may be, they are there in time of need with a compassionate ear and succor. Our paid institutions are not always so ready and available to respond on such short notice, if indeed at all.
You, perhaps better than I, know their history. When I returned to this place I embraced almost fifty years ago for the first time, they were caring for elderly and handicapped people. They operated a Shuttle Service for those on limited incomes and no transportation on the Neck until, I understand, insurance became cost prohibitive.
Their next caring Ministry began in a house in Conway with the establishment of the Bethany Bargain Bin where we can bring in our no longer needed items of clothing, pots
and pans, furniture and all and any clean and useful household items sparing them from the fate of the landfill, and offering them for minimal prices to all and any who need them.
It wasn’t long before a move to the larger facility was needed, a building which they bought a couple of years ago.
We know their work well. Many young people and not-so-young too, have learned an appreciation for music from Sr. Bonnie who offers piano lessons at her home. We know her dedication to choirs and congregations in area Churches where she offers her skills at the organ and in voice. School concerts, and whenever, she is there.
We know that she and Sister Barbara open their beautiful Chapel to women and men of all faiths and none for Retreats, Spiritual Conferences, Prayer Days, and times of reflection and meditation. We know that they have a small Hermitage on their property in the isolation and solitude of nature. People come from near and far and spend days, weeks, and months at times to stop and listen to God speaking to them in the silence.
The world is a noisy place; our minds are a noisy place; our homes are a noisy place; and the place and world in which we work, a cacophony! The pressure of the times on our lives in relationships ,families, at work, and in the community are ominous! Broken marriages, drug alcohol abuse, addictions, and spousal aberrations loudly testify to that. Respite is a rare commodity indeed!
Bethany Place in Rossway is indeed a haven for many. A place of spirituality and prayer, it draws men and women of all faiths and none to come and be alone with their God – a place to quell the noise a while and to come in touch Him/Her. The gift is the silence.
There are few if any places like it in our midst where one can participate in a directed
Spiritual retreat alone or with the many, or can experience the hermitage life style for a bit and wander the woodlands, or take to the orchards to the south on to St.Mary’s Bay.
The silence that alone can put men and women in touch with God is threatened now by the prospect of a four hundred foot wind blowing apparatus whizzing and whining and droning twenty four hours a day a mere six hundred meters away on a hillside, dropping down its monotonous din , it’s flicker, and even the risk of ice thrown off a blade on the retreatant wandering too closely to it.
To erect such a monstrous machine there is to kill the silence, and to drive our God away.
God does not speak in noise and confusion, but only to the quiet, settled heart. It is with
this in mind that I appeal to Council and to the PAC to invoke the utmost manifestation of respect, goodness, and decency for this holy gathering place and deny the proponent
such near proximity to Bethany Place.
In copying this to them, I too beg them to comply. “Man does not live on bread alone.”
I request this letter be on the agenda of the Meeting on July 20,2009.
Daniel Mills
9396 Waterford
RR 4, Digby NS
BOV 1AO
CC Linda Fraser CAO for circulation to Warden,Councilors, and PAC
Harold Theriault Jr. MLA
Darrell Dexter, Premier of NS
Hon.Sterling Belliveau, Minister of the Environment
To The Municipal Council of the District of Digby,
And to the Members of the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC).
July 14,2009 (Bastille Day)
Dear Warden, Councilors, and PAC Members:
When it comes to a discussion about The Wind Farm Project for Digby Neck, it is no secret that I am not on the same page as you- or most of you- seem to be. That’s what makes Canada the greatest country in the world in which to truly live: citizens are allowed to think, to question, to oppose, and nonetheless be in solidarity as a nation.
.Differ as we may, I find it hard to believe that we would differ on the work of the Society of Our Lady Saint Mary , better known to us as Bethany Place in Rossway, and the Bethany Bargain Bin in Digby. On August 15th., the Society will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary in the Municipality of the District of Digby. They deserve commendation and praise for that alone. (They are an Anglican Society with many lay members.)
These are no “Fly-By-Nighter Do-Gooders” by any means. Sister Bonnie has been here the full thirty years, and Sister Barbara for two decades or more. In the light of the work they have done and continue to do, they are the greatest gift to the economy of the people that we have in our midst- bar none! Whatever the situation may be, they are there in time of need with a compassionate ear and succor. Our paid institutions are not always so ready and available to respond on such short notice, if indeed at all.
You, perhaps better than I, know their history. When I returned to this place I embraced almost fifty years ago for the first time, they were caring for elderly and handicapped people. They operated a Shuttle Service for those on limited incomes and no transportation on the Neck until, I understand, insurance became cost prohibitive.
Their next caring Ministry began in a house in Conway with the establishment of the Bethany Bargain Bin where we can bring in our no longer needed items of clothing, pots
and pans, furniture and all and any clean and useful household items sparing them from the fate of the landfill, and offering them for minimal prices to all and any who need them.
It wasn’t long before a move to the larger facility was needed, a building which they bought a couple of years ago.
We know their work well. Many young people and not-so-young too, have learned an appreciation for music from Sr. Bonnie who offers piano lessons at her home. We know her dedication to choirs and congregations in area Churches where she offers her skills at the organ and in voice. School concerts, and whenever, she is there.
We know that she and Sister Barbara open their beautiful Chapel to women and men of all faiths and none for Retreats, Spiritual Conferences, Prayer Days, and times of reflection and meditation. We know that they have a small Hermitage on their property in the isolation and solitude of nature. People come from near and far and spend days, weeks, and months at times to stop and listen to God speaking to them in the silence.
The world is a noisy place; our minds are a noisy place; our homes are a noisy place; and the place and world in which we work, a cacophony! The pressure of the times on our lives in relationships ,families, at work, and in the community are ominous! Broken marriages, drug alcohol abuse, addictions, and spousal aberrations loudly testify to that. Respite is a rare commodity indeed!
Bethany Place in Rossway is indeed a haven for many. A place of spirituality and prayer, it draws men and women of all faiths and none to come and be alone with their God – a place to quell the noise a while and to come in touch Him/Her. The gift is the silence.
There are few if any places like it in our midst where one can participate in a directed
Spiritual retreat alone or with the many, or can experience the hermitage life style for a bit and wander the woodlands, or take to the orchards to the south on to St.Mary’s Bay.
The silence that alone can put men and women in touch with God is threatened now by the prospect of a four hundred foot wind blowing apparatus whizzing and whining and droning twenty four hours a day a mere six hundred meters away on a hillside, dropping down its monotonous din , it’s flicker, and even the risk of ice thrown off a blade on the retreatant wandering too closely to it.
To erect such a monstrous machine there is to kill the silence, and to drive our God away.
God does not speak in noise and confusion, but only to the quiet, settled heart. It is with
this in mind that I appeal to Council and to the PAC to invoke the utmost manifestation of respect, goodness, and decency for this holy gathering place and deny the proponent
such near proximity to Bethany Place.
In copying this to them, I too beg them to comply. “Man does not live on bread alone.”
I request this letter be on the agenda of the Meeting on July 20,2009.
Daniel Mills
9396 Waterford
RR 4, Digby NS
BOV 1AO
CC Linda Fraser CAO for circulation to Warden,Councilors, and PAC
Harold Theriault Jr. MLA
Darrell Dexter, Premier of NS
Hon.Sterling Belliveau, Minister of the Environment
An Appeal to the Community
The race is now a Marathon.....On Monday, July 20th. at 8 PM 3 of 5 Municipal Councilors will make a decision, or defer it to later, about the future of our Wind By-Law.....
We need prayers; we need e-mails; we need people to fill the hallowed chamber.
Yes, 3 people will decide the future for 8,000 people in the Municipality....The Warden is walking off the job for a 2 month Leave of Absence tomorrow; and Councilor Amero of Weymouth,(does he take a cut in pay?) is exempted for conflict of interest.....quite a kettle of stinky fiah 'ain't it?"
Attached a couple of letters from today's Digby Courier......both very timely and very good.
I am sure the Digby Courier would be pleaed to host your letters from wherever you are...If you have visited Digby Neck and/or live here full or part time, wouldn't it be good to fill a page with letters asking the Council/Planning Advisory Committee to stand up for Digby neck.....
Emails to Councilors@municipality.digby.ns.ca or editor@digbycourier.ca (by 10 AM tomorrow)
Councilor Linda Gregory will vote to pass the by-law built over the past year or so;
Jimmy MacAlpine will be acting warden, and would be called upon to break a tie.
Meritza Adams seems to favor letting the by-law fail.
No better time than now "to come to the aid of your country!"
If I am (starting) to bug you, let me know, but I've come to love the people of this place so much I don't want to see their way of life destroyed....There are many of us having sleepless nights. Small business'in Gullivers Cove could be in jeopardy; Bethany Place, with all it's apostolic work, may be forced to close and leave the area.( You can't operate a Centre of Spirituality with retreats etc.,etc. under constant noise, nor a hermitage......Their charitable works are well known over the past 30 years and as I've written to Council,
"noise could drive out our God because God cannot fill noisy,troubled hearts"...They are the best friend of the poor,the needy, those on the fringes of society and the bureaucratic entities and cliques.....
I'm 73; my years here have been wonderful. Being alone with no blood ties here, makes it easy for me to pack up and leave, but who would give me a return on my money on my home and lot with turbines whizzing relentlessly for the next 20 years? A million dollar view? Of course, and more, to wit, the bond of friendship and support I find in this community. But the thought of unrelenting noise obliterates all that.Rather than sell the place for next to nothing, I feel compelled to tear it down to make sure our Council derives no tax dollars from it in perpetuity.....save a pittance for the land....
Should the wind by-law die, then it will be open house until the slaughter is complete by competing Wind Developers all along the Neck. That's what Barry Zwicker, one of the Windfield Big Wigs had in mind when he told our Council that they screwed up; drop the by-law; "Let us come to help you!" Have you known such arrogance in your life?
It's the 11th hour. It's not too late to make a difference....
A hundred thousand apologies for ranting, but I am very angry.
If you need more info,get back to me on email or phone 902-245-5171...I'm in for the rest of the day.....
Please know, I am not a self-appointed representative of anyone. I'm doing my own gig here because I have to.I am dancing to my own drummer despite the Warden's statement to the contrary...danny
We need prayers; we need e-mails; we need people to fill the hallowed chamber.
Yes, 3 people will decide the future for 8,000 people in the Municipality....The Warden is walking off the job for a 2 month Leave of Absence tomorrow; and Councilor Amero of Weymouth,(does he take a cut in pay?) is exempted for conflict of interest.....quite a kettle of stinky fiah 'ain't it?"
Attached a couple of letters from today's Digby Courier......both very timely and very good.
I am sure the Digby Courier would be pleaed to host your letters from wherever you are...If you have visited Digby Neck and/or live here full or part time, wouldn't it be good to fill a page with letters asking the Council/Planning Advisory Committee to stand up for Digby neck.....
Emails to Councilors@municipality.digby.ns.ca or editor@digbycourier.ca (by 10 AM tomorrow)
Councilor Linda Gregory will vote to pass the by-law built over the past year or so;
Jimmy MacAlpine will be acting warden, and would be called upon to break a tie.
Meritza Adams seems to favor letting the by-law fail.
No better time than now "to come to the aid of your country!"
If I am (starting) to bug you, let me know, but I've come to love the people of this place so much I don't want to see their way of life destroyed....There are many of us having sleepless nights. Small business'in Gullivers Cove could be in jeopardy; Bethany Place, with all it's apostolic work, may be forced to close and leave the area.( You can't operate a Centre of Spirituality with retreats etc.,etc. under constant noise, nor a hermitage......Their charitable works are well known over the past 30 years and as I've written to Council,
"noise could drive out our God because God cannot fill noisy,troubled hearts"...They are the best friend of the poor,the needy, those on the fringes of society and the bureaucratic entities and cliques.....
I'm 73; my years here have been wonderful. Being alone with no blood ties here, makes it easy for me to pack up and leave, but who would give me a return on my money on my home and lot with turbines whizzing relentlessly for the next 20 years? A million dollar view? Of course, and more, to wit, the bond of friendship and support I find in this community. But the thought of unrelenting noise obliterates all that.Rather than sell the place for next to nothing, I feel compelled to tear it down to make sure our Council derives no tax dollars from it in perpetuity.....save a pittance for the land....
Should the wind by-law die, then it will be open house until the slaughter is complete by competing Wind Developers all along the Neck. That's what Barry Zwicker, one of the Windfield Big Wigs had in mind when he told our Council that they screwed up; drop the by-law; "Let us come to help you!" Have you known such arrogance in your life?
It's the 11th hour. It's not too late to make a difference....
A hundred thousand apologies for ranting, but I am very angry.
If you need more info,get back to me on email or phone 902-245-5171...I'm in for the rest of the day.....
Please know, I am not a self-appointed representative of anyone. I'm doing my own gig here because I have to.I am dancing to my own drummer despite the Warden's statement to the contrary...danny
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tourism and Turbines
Turbines
vs. tourism
WIND energy proponents continue their campaign
of "greenwashing" as evidenced by the
article "Wind power has big potential" in your July
10edition.
The "win-win" parties alluded to in the article
would not include those of us living in small rural
communities like Pugwash, where a proposed 17-
turbine complex has many residents up in arms
because ofthe threat it poses to the local economy.
One of the critical economic drivers for Pugwash
is "destination tourism." Thousands of cottagers
and retirees come here for the warm-water beaches,
championship golf course and beautiful surroundings.
Local businesses that provide essential services
to the community cannot survive without the profits
from this summer population spike.
Wind energy proponents deny that those seeking
beauty and serenity would be dissuaded from investing
in an area dominated by a noisy and intrusive
turbine complex.
Indeed, some even argue that turbines are themselves
tourist attractions, implying, incredulously,
that those wishing to invest in a recreation/retirement
property, or even a two -week vacation, would
seek out a wind turbine complex to maximize their
enjoyment.
Pugwash can have a wind turbine complex promising
two jobs or "destination tourism" promising
200jobs, but not both. There is no "win-win" here.
Richard M. Gray, Pugwash
------------~--,-~-~--------~~------
vs. tourism
WIND energy proponents continue their campaign
of "greenwashing" as evidenced by the
article "Wind power has big potential" in your July
10edition.
The "win-win" parties alluded to in the article
would not include those of us living in small rural
communities like Pugwash, where a proposed 17-
turbine complex has many residents up in arms
because ofthe threat it poses to the local economy.
One of the critical economic drivers for Pugwash
is "destination tourism." Thousands of cottagers
and retirees come here for the warm-water beaches,
championship golf course and beautiful surroundings.
Local businesses that provide essential services
to the community cannot survive without the profits
from this summer population spike.
Wind energy proponents deny that those seeking
beauty and serenity would be dissuaded from investing
in an area dominated by a noisy and intrusive
turbine complex.
Indeed, some even argue that turbines are themselves
tourist attractions, implying, incredulously,
that those wishing to invest in a recreation/retirement
property, or even a two -week vacation, would
seek out a wind turbine complex to maximize their
enjoyment.
Pugwash can have a wind turbine complex promising
two jobs or "destination tourism" promising
200jobs, but not both. There is no "win-win" here.
Richard M. Gray, Pugwash
------------~--,-~-~--------~~------
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Danny's Letter to the Editor
Bethany Place will soon celebrate its 30th.year of truly gracing not only the Municipality of the District of Digby, but environs near and far.An amazing grace indeed has befallen the people of Digby County.
The two Religious women minister unflappably in each and every situation- to all who come to their door:the poor,the destitute,the needy,the lonely,the body-broken, and the sick at heart.
What "fuels" them? Thirty years is a very long time. They are no "fly-by-nighters!" Of course, their nurture comes from God with Whom they unite themselves in prayer on-going. They are fed by the silDigby ence of the place where they live, the beauty of the planet just around them.
They too draw others into their prayer-life with members of all denominations or none from far and wide, and at home. They have spiritual retreats, a small hermitage on site, for those who seek solitude
in their search for meaning and for God. God is the source of their multifaceted ministry.
The solitude which many come to seek is threatened now by the prospect of a 400 foot wind turbine spinning behind their home- noisily day in and day out! That is hardly a gift from God!
I hope and pray that many who have come to know and love these dedicated women, and who have been graced by them over so many years, will write to our Municipal Council in protest, and write to the Dept. of the Environment before it is too late.
Daniel Mills
The two Religious women minister unflappably in each and every situation- to all who come to their door:the poor,the destitute,the needy,the lonely,the body-broken, and the sick at heart.
What "fuels" them? Thirty years is a very long time. They are no "fly-by-nighters!" Of course, their nurture comes from God with Whom they unite themselves in prayer on-going. They are fed by the silDigby ence of the place where they live, the beauty of the planet just around them.
They too draw others into their prayer-life with members of all denominations or none from far and wide, and at home. They have spiritual retreats, a small hermitage on site, for those who seek solitude
in their search for meaning and for God. God is the source of their multifaceted ministry.
The solitude which many come to seek is threatened now by the prospect of a 400 foot wind turbine spinning behind their home- noisily day in and day out! That is hardly a gift from God!
I hope and pray that many who have come to know and love these dedicated women, and who have been graced by them over so many years, will write to our Municipal Council in protest, and write to the Dept. of the Environment before it is too late.
Daniel Mills
Sunday, July 12, 2009
MIchigan turbine testimonial
Personal Stories
Life at 1500 feet
March 14, 2009 by Thumb Area Resident
Location:
The residents of Michigan's Thumb area have been writing about their experience living near industrial scale turbines. Their individual stories are remarkably consistent regarding noise, flicker, sleep interruptions, and feelings of helplessness. The testimony of one Thumb resident is included on this page. Many others can be found by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
My family and I live and farm in the Thumb area. We have three turbines within a half mile of our farm. The nearest is about 1500 ft. from our house. Since the turbines began turning this fall, we have been amazed at the amount of noise they create. The sound is like that of a distant jet. The sound can often be heard indoors- especially at night. The nature of the noise is so out of place it is hard to mask. When we're outside, the noise created by the turbine echoes off the buildings and seems to be amplified. When the wind is strong, the noise is masked, but about 75% of the time, the turbines are the dominant sound outside. A big concern we have at this time, is that as the weather improves (which we hope it will soon) windows will open, weather proofing will be removed and the noise that dominates the outdoors will intrude on the indoors even more. At 1500 ft, we thought we may be safe, but we were mistaken. I don't know what the answer is for setbacks, but 1500 ft. is to close.
The key to a successful wind farm is placement. Once these structures are erected, there is no turning back! If a turbine at 1500 ft. causes a disturbance when it's new, how much more will it disturb when the components begin to deteriorate. I know some have the view of "it's my land and I'll do what I want", but I'd like to believe the Thumb is different. We are all friends, neighbors and stewarts of the land. As farmers, we control erosion with cover crops, safely apply chemicals, plant filter strips, follow manure management guidelines to reduce the impact on our neighbors, etc.... all in an effort to care for the land and our community. As land owners we have a responsibility to our neighbors as well. We are all part of this peaceful area we call home. It is often said you don't know what you've got till it's gone. Be assured, you may not realize how peaceful this area is until one day, for what ever reason, the turbines aren't turning and you hear the quiet- it's a quiet we've become much more aware of in recent months. A quiet that is to rare.
We were all made promises during the development phase of this project. Two important ones were jobs and money. Jobs came- and then just as quickly went. Many of the jobs were from Wisconsin and other states. They took their paychecks and likely sent them home to their families. Some Michigan people were granted temporary construction jobs, but they have also gone back to their own areas too. There are only a handful of permanent jobs.
Money. Where to begin, Money is the driving force of wind development. It seems the only green part of wind development is the money. Subsidies and tax breaks are freely given to developers, and land owners are promised large payments. As for the actual benefit to the area- it remains to be seen. The minimum amounts promised to us (yes- we were offered a contract and after having it reviewed by a land use attorney decided not to sign it) were quite insignificant in the farm industry- less than $3000. Is the promise of more with a guarantee of so little worth the impact on our friends and neighbors? I know first hand of two homes that have been put on the market because of the windmills. Both homes are over a half mile away from the nearest turbine. Noise and other elements such as strobing and flicker are a concern, even at this distance, and has lead to their decision to sell.
Doctors are still learning about the effects windmills have on the human body. It seems quite clear that there is a direct link between health and the proximity of homes to turbines. There are so many questions and so few definitive answers. My experience with developers is that they use a lot of words like- shouldn't, we don't expect, probably, may, etc. Do you feel comfortable with these answers? Are you willing to sacrifice you peace and quiet and possibly your health for these types of answers?
Green energy may be critical to our future, but it needs to be done correctly. Families should not have to suffer because they don't own enough land to make the decision for themselves.
Web link: http://www.windturbinetestimonies.blogspot.com/
Life at 1500 feet
March 14, 2009 by Thumb Area Resident
Location:
The residents of Michigan's Thumb area have been writing about their experience living near industrial scale turbines. Their individual stories are remarkably consistent regarding noise, flicker, sleep interruptions, and feelings of helplessness. The testimony of one Thumb resident is included on this page. Many others can be found by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
My family and I live and farm in the Thumb area. We have three turbines within a half mile of our farm. The nearest is about 1500 ft. from our house. Since the turbines began turning this fall, we have been amazed at the amount of noise they create. The sound is like that of a distant jet. The sound can often be heard indoors- especially at night. The nature of the noise is so out of place it is hard to mask. When we're outside, the noise created by the turbine echoes off the buildings and seems to be amplified. When the wind is strong, the noise is masked, but about 75% of the time, the turbines are the dominant sound outside. A big concern we have at this time, is that as the weather improves (which we hope it will soon) windows will open, weather proofing will be removed and the noise that dominates the outdoors will intrude on the indoors even more. At 1500 ft, we thought we may be safe, but we were mistaken. I don't know what the answer is for setbacks, but 1500 ft. is to close.
The key to a successful wind farm is placement. Once these structures are erected, there is no turning back! If a turbine at 1500 ft. causes a disturbance when it's new, how much more will it disturb when the components begin to deteriorate. I know some have the view of "it's my land and I'll do what I want", but I'd like to believe the Thumb is different. We are all friends, neighbors and stewarts of the land. As farmers, we control erosion with cover crops, safely apply chemicals, plant filter strips, follow manure management guidelines to reduce the impact on our neighbors, etc.... all in an effort to care for the land and our community. As land owners we have a responsibility to our neighbors as well. We are all part of this peaceful area we call home. It is often said you don't know what you've got till it's gone. Be assured, you may not realize how peaceful this area is until one day, for what ever reason, the turbines aren't turning and you hear the quiet- it's a quiet we've become much more aware of in recent months. A quiet that is to rare.
We were all made promises during the development phase of this project. Two important ones were jobs and money. Jobs came- and then just as quickly went. Many of the jobs were from Wisconsin and other states. They took their paychecks and likely sent them home to their families. Some Michigan people were granted temporary construction jobs, but they have also gone back to their own areas too. There are only a handful of permanent jobs.
Money. Where to begin, Money is the driving force of wind development. It seems the only green part of wind development is the money. Subsidies and tax breaks are freely given to developers, and land owners are promised large payments. As for the actual benefit to the area- it remains to be seen. The minimum amounts promised to us (yes- we were offered a contract and after having it reviewed by a land use attorney decided not to sign it) were quite insignificant in the farm industry- less than $3000. Is the promise of more with a guarantee of so little worth the impact on our friends and neighbors? I know first hand of two homes that have been put on the market because of the windmills. Both homes are over a half mile away from the nearest turbine. Noise and other elements such as strobing and flicker are a concern, even at this distance, and has lead to their decision to sell.
Doctors are still learning about the effects windmills have on the human body. It seems quite clear that there is a direct link between health and the proximity of homes to turbines. There are so many questions and so few definitive answers. My experience with developers is that they use a lot of words like- shouldn't, we don't expect, probably, may, etc. Do you feel comfortable with these answers? Are you willing to sacrifice you peace and quiet and possibly your health for these types of answers?
Green energy may be critical to our future, but it needs to be done correctly. Families should not have to suffer because they don't own enough land to make the decision for themselves.
Web link: http://www.windturbinetestimonies.blogspot.com/
Britain and Wind Turbines
A view from David Derbyshire and Kirsty Walker
£120 Green FUEL Tax- “Wind Turbines” When Denmark Proves They Are No Use…NWO Coffers!!
July 11, 2009 · 2 Comments
Green fuel bill shock: Families face a charge of up to £120 to fund thousands of wind turbines
The levies – dubbed ‘green stealth taxes’ will help pay for the building of 7,000 wind turbines over the next 11 years
Millions of families face being hit with higher fuel bills to pay for a new ‘green energy revolution’ due to be unveiled by Labour next week.
The levies on the price of gas and electricity - dubbed ‘green stealth taxes’ by critics - will help pay for renewable energy to tackle climate change, including building 7,000 wind turbines over the next 11 years.
A White Paper unveiled by Climate Change minister Ed Miliband next week will outline the Government’s next steps for the expansion of green energy.
But industry experts warn the cost of subsidising renewables will increase household energy bills. At present the renewables element of the typical bill is an average £55 a
year, but this could increase to as much as £120 by 2014.
The respected UK Energy Research Centre has predicted that by 2050 the subsidy will cost the economy at least £17billion a year, the equivalent of an extra £700 a year per household.
The White Paper follows the Government’s pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 34 per cent within 11 years, and by 80 per cent within 40 years. Britain is the only country in the world with legally binding carbon dioxide targets.
The UK also faces tough European targets to ensure that at least 30 to 40 per cent of Britain’s electricity will be generated by wind, solar, wave and tidal power by 2020.
Currently, just three per cent of the UK’s electricity comes from renewable sources.
The Government says the shift away from fossil fuels towards wind, nuclear, tidal, solar and biomass power is essential to prevent dangerous climate change.
Ministers have warned that the country could face deadly heatwaves, rising sea levels and regular floods within 50 years unless urgent action is taken to ‘ decarbonise’.
But the Government’s advisers on climate change say the greenhouse-gas targets could push 1.7million into fuel poverty.
The White Paper is expected to propose ’social tariffs’ to ease the burden of higher energy bills on the poor and the elderly.
Energy companies will be told to subsidise the cost for the poor by adding extra to the bills of better-off customers.
It will also say that climate change targets can be reached only with a massive expansion of offshore wind farms.
The White Paper will introduce incentives for householders to produce their own energy from solar panels, ground source heat pumps and combined heat and power units.
Ministers will also back the introduction of smart meters - gadgets that help consumers monitor and cut power use - in an effort to improve energy efficiency.
Matthew Sinclair of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘The last thing that the Government should be doing right now is pushing up electricity bills even more to line the pockets of renewable energy firms.
‘Wind farms aren’t delivering reliable energy when we need it, and their massive subsidies are paid for by pushing up ordinary people’s bills.
‘It would be a complete betrayal if they were to add to that burden while families are struggling to cope in a recession. Action needs to be taken to reduce the burden of ineffective climate change policies, instead of ploughing blindly on and throwing even more money at the problem.
£120 Green FUEL Tax- “Wind Turbines” When Denmark Proves They Are No Use…NWO Coffers!!
July 11, 2009 · 2 Comments
Green fuel bill shock: Families face a charge of up to £120 to fund thousands of wind turbines
The levies – dubbed ‘green stealth taxes’ will help pay for the building of 7,000 wind turbines over the next 11 years
Millions of families face being hit with higher fuel bills to pay for a new ‘green energy revolution’ due to be unveiled by Labour next week.
The levies on the price of gas and electricity - dubbed ‘green stealth taxes’ by critics - will help pay for renewable energy to tackle climate change, including building 7,000 wind turbines over the next 11 years.
A White Paper unveiled by Climate Change minister Ed Miliband next week will outline the Government’s next steps for the expansion of green energy.
But industry experts warn the cost of subsidising renewables will increase household energy bills. At present the renewables element of the typical bill is an average £55 a
year, but this could increase to as much as £120 by 2014.
The respected UK Energy Research Centre has predicted that by 2050 the subsidy will cost the economy at least £17billion a year, the equivalent of an extra £700 a year per household.
The White Paper follows the Government’s pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 34 per cent within 11 years, and by 80 per cent within 40 years. Britain is the only country in the world with legally binding carbon dioxide targets.
The UK also faces tough European targets to ensure that at least 30 to 40 per cent of Britain’s electricity will be generated by wind, solar, wave and tidal power by 2020.
Currently, just three per cent of the UK’s electricity comes from renewable sources.
The Government says the shift away from fossil fuels towards wind, nuclear, tidal, solar and biomass power is essential to prevent dangerous climate change.
Ministers have warned that the country could face deadly heatwaves, rising sea levels and regular floods within 50 years unless urgent action is taken to ‘ decarbonise’.
But the Government’s advisers on climate change say the greenhouse-gas targets could push 1.7million into fuel poverty.
The White Paper is expected to propose ’social tariffs’ to ease the burden of higher energy bills on the poor and the elderly.
Energy companies will be told to subsidise the cost for the poor by adding extra to the bills of better-off customers.
It will also say that climate change targets can be reached only with a massive expansion of offshore wind farms.
The White Paper will introduce incentives for householders to produce their own energy from solar panels, ground source heat pumps and combined heat and power units.
Ministers will also back the introduction of smart meters - gadgets that help consumers monitor and cut power use - in an effort to improve energy efficiency.
Matthew Sinclair of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘The last thing that the Government should be doing right now is pushing up electricity bills even more to line the pockets of renewable energy firms.
‘Wind farms aren’t delivering reliable energy when we need it, and their massive subsidies are paid for by pushing up ordinary people’s bills.
‘It would be a complete betrayal if they were to add to that burden while families are struggling to cope in a recession. Action needs to be taken to reduce the burden of ineffective climate change policies, instead of ploughing blindly on and throwing even more money at the problem.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Local Rules for Turbines- U.S.
from Maureen Daly, Milwaukee Examiner
Local rules for residential wind turbine permits is becoming a concern
July 2, 12:34 PM
1 commentShareThisRSS Email Print
BWC Excel 10kW, Bergey WindpowerAs in many other states, the state of Wisconsin is looking to increase wind energy. Up until recently, much of the discussion has revolved around placement of large wind farms and their proximity to residential areas. There is considerable interest at the state level in coming up with a common standard for the entire state so that wind power developers have a much easier time getting their projects permitted across county lines.
Federal and state tax incentives have now helped stoke interest in smaller turbines that can work in residential applications. Manufacturers are creating systems that are more and more affordable offering a quicker return on investment. Small turbine systems can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $20,000. A word of caution to those anxious to go green and embrace wind power: do your homework.
To get the most energy bang for your buck, a wind turbine has to be between 80 to 120 feet tall. Obviously not everyone living on a one to two acre lot would like to see a neighbor install a huge tower next door. There are no local ordinances in the Milwaukee area on wind turbines to regulate size, location, power production or noise for that matter. Yet.
Menomonee Falls is one of the first Milwaukee area communities to try to come up with some zoning laws that make sense. Village staff suggested a 60-ft limit for tower height, which typically would make the turbine too low to be effective. Other ways to limit residential systems is to restrict turbine blade length or cap kilowatt generation.
Bumping up against vague local zoning restrictions is becoming common all across the country as early adopters of wind energy find plenty of wind turbines available for sale. For example a couple in Charlottesville, VA, with a home ideally located atop a wind swept hill found their county’s zoning regulations made it impossible for them to install it.
Balancing competing interests is not easy task. Finding the right balance to allow residential systems in residential areas without damaging the rural character of the area may be impossible in some locations. With Menomonee Falls taking the first step, residents of greater Milwaukee may expect more localities to review their ordinances.
Local rules for residential wind turbine permits is becoming a concern
July 2, 12:34 PM
1 commentShareThisRSS Email Print
BWC Excel 10kW, Bergey WindpowerAs in many other states, the state of Wisconsin is looking to increase wind energy. Up until recently, much of the discussion has revolved around placement of large wind farms and their proximity to residential areas. There is considerable interest at the state level in coming up with a common standard for the entire state so that wind power developers have a much easier time getting their projects permitted across county lines.
Federal and state tax incentives have now helped stoke interest in smaller turbines that can work in residential applications. Manufacturers are creating systems that are more and more affordable offering a quicker return on investment. Small turbine systems can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $20,000. A word of caution to those anxious to go green and embrace wind power: do your homework.
To get the most energy bang for your buck, a wind turbine has to be between 80 to 120 feet tall. Obviously not everyone living on a one to two acre lot would like to see a neighbor install a huge tower next door. There are no local ordinances in the Milwaukee area on wind turbines to regulate size, location, power production or noise for that matter. Yet.
Menomonee Falls is one of the first Milwaukee area communities to try to come up with some zoning laws that make sense. Village staff suggested a 60-ft limit for tower height, which typically would make the turbine too low to be effective. Other ways to limit residential systems is to restrict turbine blade length or cap kilowatt generation.
Bumping up against vague local zoning restrictions is becoming common all across the country as early adopters of wind energy find plenty of wind turbines available for sale. For example a couple in Charlottesville, VA, with a home ideally located atop a wind swept hill found their county’s zoning regulations made it impossible for them to install it.
Balancing competing interests is not easy task. Finding the right balance to allow residential systems in residential areas without damaging the rural character of the area may be impossible in some locations. With Menomonee Falls taking the first step, residents of greater Milwaukee may expect more localities to review their ordinances.
Labels:
wind turbine zoning restrictions
Health Study on Turbines
from Maureen Daly Milwaukee Environmental News Examiner
First study to determine health effects of wind turbines in Ontario
July 8, 11:00 AM
Opponents of wind farms will be happy to learn that researchers at Queen’s University have begun a study to determine the health effects of turbines on nearby residents.
Opponents of wind turbines have cited sleep disturbance, increased headaches, ear pressure, memory problems and even rapid heart rate as a result of living near industrial wind turbines. “Wind turbine syndrome” has been used to describe all the symptoms reported. It is the clinical name coined by Dr. Nina Pierpont.
As Wisconsin increases the number of wind farms, opponents are getting more vocal. WINDCOWS (Wisconsin Independent Citizens Opposing Windturbine Sites) is the most creatively named group, but plenty others exist.
Part of the problem is that the windy parts of our state, like the Fox Valley is also the most densely populated unlike the Great Plains. Our mishmash of local ordinances for set back are seen as an impediment to the wind industry but have been working in favor of opponents be delaying some projects.
By August the researchers will have collected baseline data and they intend to follow up on an annual or biannual basis for a few years to see if any effects crop up over time.
The wind industry is here to stay. One possible outcome will be better data on which to determine appropriate setbacks for future wind farms.
First study to determine health effects of wind turbines in Ontario
July 8, 11:00 AM
Opponents of wind farms will be happy to learn that researchers at Queen’s University have begun a study to determine the health effects of turbines on nearby residents.
Opponents of wind turbines have cited sleep disturbance, increased headaches, ear pressure, memory problems and even rapid heart rate as a result of living near industrial wind turbines. “Wind turbine syndrome” has been used to describe all the symptoms reported. It is the clinical name coined by Dr. Nina Pierpont.
As Wisconsin increases the number of wind farms, opponents are getting more vocal. WINDCOWS (Wisconsin Independent Citizens Opposing Windturbine Sites) is the most creatively named group, but plenty others exist.
Part of the problem is that the windy parts of our state, like the Fox Valley is also the most densely populated unlike the Great Plains. Our mishmash of local ordinances for set back are seen as an impediment to the wind industry but have been working in favor of opponents be delaying some projects.
By August the researchers will have collected baseline data and they intend to follow up on an annual or biannual basis for a few years to see if any effects crop up over time.
The wind industry is here to stay. One possible outcome will be better data on which to determine appropriate setbacks for future wind farms.
Labels:
wind turbines health effects
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Turbines in North Carolina
A state Senate committee on Tuesday sidestepped proposed mountain ridge protection rules that wind power advocates said would have crippled a promising new industry.
Senators from Western North Carolina had recently inserted language in a bill regulating the placement of wind-power generating equipment that would have forbid turbines more than 35 feet tall on high ridges.
But wind power advocates said the rules intended to protect mountain views would kill the industry because the best wind is on the ridges and turbines would have to taller to be worth building.
At a Tuesday hearing on the bill, the Agriculture Environment and Natural Resources Committee decided to put off the ridge top portion and change the language to make sure residential wind turbines would be allowed, Sen. Joe Sam Queen said.
“One of the reasons we didn't run the mountain segment of the bill today is we didn't have the language exactly the way we needed for residential wind,” said Queen, D-Haywood. “We want it so you can have one big enough to power a two-story house, not a subdivision.”
The mountain segment of the bill could be taken up as soon as today by a finance committee. A positive recommendation could put the bill for a vote before the Senate and House in a couple of weeks.
The committee did approve coastal wind farm regulations. They allow for wind farm permits to be blocked if they have a negative effect on navigation, wildlife or the views from any state or national park.
Viable residential turbines would probably need to be 60-120 feet tall, said Dennis Scanlin, a professor of technology at Appalachian State University in Boone.
Scanlin had criticized the language inserted by the mountain senators, saying it would cripple the industry and take away the power to decide on wind turbine placement by local governments, such as counties.
“All the experts I'm aware of recommend taller towers,” he said.
The American Wind Energy Association reported in January that the amount of electricity generated by wind turbines grew by 50 percent last year and 55 new manufacturing facilities were built to make turbine components.
Senators from Western North Carolina had recently inserted language in a bill regulating the placement of wind-power generating equipment that would have forbid turbines more than 35 feet tall on high ridges.
But wind power advocates said the rules intended to protect mountain views would kill the industry because the best wind is on the ridges and turbines would have to taller to be worth building.
At a Tuesday hearing on the bill, the Agriculture Environment and Natural Resources Committee decided to put off the ridge top portion and change the language to make sure residential wind turbines would be allowed, Sen. Joe Sam Queen said.
“One of the reasons we didn't run the mountain segment of the bill today is we didn't have the language exactly the way we needed for residential wind,” said Queen, D-Haywood. “We want it so you can have one big enough to power a two-story house, not a subdivision.”
The mountain segment of the bill could be taken up as soon as today by a finance committee. A positive recommendation could put the bill for a vote before the Senate and House in a couple of weeks.
The committee did approve coastal wind farm regulations. They allow for wind farm permits to be blocked if they have a negative effect on navigation, wildlife or the views from any state or national park.
Viable residential turbines would probably need to be 60-120 feet tall, said Dennis Scanlin, a professor of technology at Appalachian State University in Boone.
Scanlin had criticized the language inserted by the mountain senators, saying it would cripple the industry and take away the power to decide on wind turbine placement by local governments, such as counties.
“All the experts I'm aware of recommend taller towers,” he said.
The American Wind Energy Association reported in January that the amount of electricity generated by wind turbines grew by 50 percent last year and 55 new manufacturing facilities were built to make turbine components.
wind turbines news
wind turbines
GE Energy to Supply 57 Wind Turbines to Sweden's Arise Windpower
Industrialinfo.com (subscription) - Houston,TX,USA
... Connecticut), will supply 57 wind turbines to Arise Windpower AB (Laholm, Sweden), an independent wind power producer in the Swedish market, ...
Turbine compromise at hand
Asheville Citizen-Times - NC,USA
The American Wind Energy Association reported in January that the amount of electricity generated by wind turbines grew by 50 percent last year and 55 new ...
Pickens Scales Back Ambitious Wind Farm
New York Times - United States
For the huge wind farm he had planned in Texas, Mr. Pickens had already ordered 687 large wind turbines from General Electric, to be delivered starting in ...
See all stories on this topic
Pickens Temporarily Shelves Plans for Wind Farm
Washington Post - United States
In May 2008, Pickens ordered 667 wind turbines from General Electric for the first of four project phases. Mesa is scheduled to begin taking delivery in ...
Bath firm installs turbine
Akron Beacon Journal - Akron,OH,USA
The turbine captures and amplifies the wind while fitting in a much smaller ''footprint'' than traditional wind turbines. ''This is the first of several ...
Missouri Man Sues Over Wind Turbine Noise
KMBC.com - Kansas City,MO,USA
His 20-acre farm north of King City is surrounded by the giant wind turbines. "On a bad day, what does it sound like?" KMBC's Kris Ketz asked Porter. ...
Business Highlights
The Associated Press
... farm in the Texas Panhandle have been scrapped, energy baron T. Boone Pickens said Tuesday, and he's looking for a home for 687 giant wind turbines. ...
See all stories on this topic
The Associated Press
Pickens calls off massive wind farm in Texas
The Associated Press
Like most industries around the world, the recession has hurt wind turbine manufacturers and wind farm developers. Companies have shelved development plans ...
Pickens calls off massive wind farm in Texas
KTIV - Sioux City,IA,USA
... largest wind farm in the Texas Panhandle have been scrapped, and energy baron T. Boone Pickens says he's looking for a home for 687 giant wind turbines. ...
See all stories on this topic
WISH
Counties drape farmland with turbines
WISH - Indianapolis,IN,USA
"You see the economics coming in from the construction of the wind turbines, from the people working. Lots of times, these groups travel all across the ...
The Clinton Herald, Clinton, Iowa - Wind turbine ordinance altered
This amendment changes the setback for wind turbines and meteorological towers from the nearest residence, school, hospital, church or public library to 1200 feet, an increase from the originally-stated 1000 feet. ...
The Clinton Herald, Clinton,... - http://www.clintonherald.com/
ShortFormBlog » T. Boone Pickens has a lot of wind turbines to ...
By Ernie Smith
T. Boone Pickens has a lot of wind turbines to give away, guys · The sad fate of The Printed Blog, an idea loaded with optimism · Heartwrenching Urumqi riots quote of the day. A gut-punch. Great news! Pandora (and other 'net radio) gets ...
ShortFormBlog - http://shortformblog.com/
Spain's Gamesa to supply five wind turbines to Mexico ...
Spains Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica said on Monday it signed a contract with Turbo Power Baja Energy to supply five wind turbines for the Rumorosa wind farm in Mexicos Baja California state.
Surinenglish.com, the site for... - http://www.surinenglish.com/
N.C. lawmakers debate ban on mountaintop wind turbines | McClatchy
North Carolina state lawmakers are debating a proposed ban on wind turbines atop the Appalachian Mountains. extra description.
mcclatchydc.com: Environment - http://www.mcclatchydc.com/260/story/63486.html?mi_pluck_action=comment_submitted&qwxq=4430187
Wind turbines increasing in popularity in Bannock County | KIDK ...
In the last few months, County Commissioners have seen a big jump in the number of people wanting to put up residential wind turbines, and the county may soon make the process easier. Randy Chandler, Bannock County resident said, ...
KIDK RSS Feed - http://www.kidk.com/news
N.C. lawmakers debate ban on mountaintop wind turbines | McClatchy
Jul 7, 2009 ... North Carolina state lawmakers are debating a proposed ban on wind turbines atop the Appalachian Mountains. extra description.
GE Energy to Supply 57 Wind Turbines to Sweden's Arise Windpower
Industrialinfo.com (subscription) - Houston,TX,USA
... Connecticut), will supply 57 wind turbines to Arise Windpower AB (Laholm, Sweden), an independent wind power producer in the Swedish market, ...
Turbine compromise at hand
Asheville Citizen-Times - NC,USA
The American Wind Energy Association reported in January that the amount of electricity generated by wind turbines grew by 50 percent last year and 55 new ...
Pickens Scales Back Ambitious Wind Farm
New York Times - United States
For the huge wind farm he had planned in Texas, Mr. Pickens had already ordered 687 large wind turbines from General Electric, to be delivered starting in ...
See all stories on this topic
Pickens Temporarily Shelves Plans for Wind Farm
Washington Post - United States
In May 2008, Pickens ordered 667 wind turbines from General Electric for the first of four project phases. Mesa is scheduled to begin taking delivery in ...
Bath firm installs turbine
Akron Beacon Journal - Akron,OH,USA
The turbine captures and amplifies the wind while fitting in a much smaller ''footprint'' than traditional wind turbines. ''This is the first of several ...
Missouri Man Sues Over Wind Turbine Noise
KMBC.com - Kansas City,MO,USA
His 20-acre farm north of King City is surrounded by the giant wind turbines. "On a bad day, what does it sound like?" KMBC's Kris Ketz asked Porter. ...
Business Highlights
The Associated Press
... farm in the Texas Panhandle have been scrapped, energy baron T. Boone Pickens said Tuesday, and he's looking for a home for 687 giant wind turbines. ...
See all stories on this topic
The Associated Press
Pickens calls off massive wind farm in Texas
The Associated Press
Like most industries around the world, the recession has hurt wind turbine manufacturers and wind farm developers. Companies have shelved development plans ...
Pickens calls off massive wind farm in Texas
KTIV - Sioux City,IA,USA
... largest wind farm in the Texas Panhandle have been scrapped, and energy baron T. Boone Pickens says he's looking for a home for 687 giant wind turbines. ...
See all stories on this topic
WISH
Counties drape farmland with turbines
WISH - Indianapolis,IN,USA
"You see the economics coming in from the construction of the wind turbines, from the people working. Lots of times, these groups travel all across the ...
The Clinton Herald, Clinton, Iowa - Wind turbine ordinance altered
This amendment changes the setback for wind turbines and meteorological towers from the nearest residence, school, hospital, church or public library to 1200 feet, an increase from the originally-stated 1000 feet. ...
The Clinton Herald, Clinton,... - http://www.clintonherald.com/
ShortFormBlog » T. Boone Pickens has a lot of wind turbines to ...
By Ernie Smith
T. Boone Pickens has a lot of wind turbines to give away, guys · The sad fate of The Printed Blog, an idea loaded with optimism · Heartwrenching Urumqi riots quote of the day. A gut-punch. Great news! Pandora (and other 'net radio) gets ...
ShortFormBlog - http://shortformblog.com/
Spain's Gamesa to supply five wind turbines to Mexico ...
Spains Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica said on Monday it signed a contract with Turbo Power Baja Energy to supply five wind turbines for the Rumorosa wind farm in Mexicos Baja California state.
Surinenglish.com, the site for... - http://www.surinenglish.com/
N.C. lawmakers debate ban on mountaintop wind turbines | McClatchy
North Carolina state lawmakers are debating a proposed ban on wind turbines atop the Appalachian Mountains. extra description.
mcclatchydc.com: Environment - http://www.mcclatchydc.com/260/story/63486.html?mi_pluck_action=comment_submitted&qwxq=4430187
Wind turbines increasing in popularity in Bannock County | KIDK ...
In the last few months, County Commissioners have seen a big jump in the number of people wanting to put up residential wind turbines, and the county may soon make the process easier. Randy Chandler, Bannock County resident said, ...
KIDK RSS Feed - http://www.kidk.com/news
N.C. lawmakers debate ban on mountaintop wind turbines | McClatchy
Jul 7, 2009 ... North Carolina state lawmakers are debating a proposed ban on wind turbines atop the Appalachian Mountains. extra description.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Turbine News Clips
wind turbines
Ridge protections could endanger wind power
Asheville Citizen-Times - NC,USA
By Joel Burgess • July 7, 2009 12:15 AM Legislation to get consideration today would restrict wind turbines on ridge tops from being more than 35 feet tall, ...
Ocean plan curbs uses for Buzzards Bay
SouthCoastToday.com - New Bedford,MA,USA
To date, none of those communities has proposed a plan to build wind turbines offshore, he said. Smith said he plans to meet with other coastal planning ...
University should follow local lead on wind turbines
Daily Illini - Champaign,IL,USA
Invenergy, a Chicago-based company, has leased 25000 acres north of Route 74 with plans to build over 130 wind turbines next year. Local farmers have leased ...
Winds of change: Three-county wind farm project moves forward
Freeport Journal-Standard - Freeport,IL,USA
As of now, Navitas plans to build a 200 megawatt farm east of German Valley that includes approximately 100 wind turbines stretched across the three ...
More wind turbine talk at planning commission Monday night
Woodbury Bulletin - Woodbury,MN,USA
One of the items likely to get some attention is a chapter in the draft ordinance on wind turbines. The South Washington County School District has ...
Grants available for rural wind turbines
Northern Colorado Business Report - Fort Collins,CO,USA
The grants can be used to purchase and install small wind turbines or other renewable energy systems, covering up to 25 percent of the installed cost. ...
Pickens paring down wind farm project
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA
In May 2008, Pickens announced that his company, Mesa Power LP, would order 687 wind turbines, or 1000 megawatts of capacity, from GE for about $2 billion. ...
Green Energy Technologies' First WindCube(R) Rooftop Wind Turbine ...
PR Newswire (press release) - New York,NY,USA
The installation will be the first commercial rooftop wind turbine in Ohio to provide on-site supplemental power generation using net metering. ...
Duke plans Colorado wind farm
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte,NC,USA
It will feature 34 wind turbines. Duke doesn't have any wind-power projects in Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana. In May, the company acquired the 70-megawatt North ...
See all stories on this topic
Wind Watch: Wind turbines
Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson's concerns over the “excessive development” of wind farms in his constituency (Echo, June 26) presumably reflect the broad views of constituents likely to be adversely affected? South Durham, basically rural in ...
National Wind Watch: News - http://www.wind-watch.org/news/
DARTMOUTH HITCHING POST: Wind turbine ballons fly tomorrow July 7
By Bill Trimble
I just this minute learned that Atlantic Design will be hoisting two balloons tomorrow (Tuesday, July 7) at the proposed sites for the wind turbines. The balloons will mark the tip of the blades for 100-meter towers and they should be ...
DARTMOUTH HITCHING POST - http://dartmouthhitcingpost.blogspot.com/
Power supplier to electric co-ops in 4 Western states signs wind ...
By Colleen Slevin
Tri-State to buy power from new Colo wind farmDENVER — A company that supplies power to rural electric cooperatives in four Western states announced Monday that it will buy electricity from a new wind farm on Colorado's Eastern Plains.
Breaking News - http://blog.taragana.com/n/
Ridge protections could endanger wind power
Asheville Citizen-Times - NC,USA
By Joel Burgess • July 7, 2009 12:15 AM Legislation to get consideration today would restrict wind turbines on ridge tops from being more than 35 feet tall, ...
Ocean plan curbs uses for Buzzards Bay
SouthCoastToday.com - New Bedford,MA,USA
To date, none of those communities has proposed a plan to build wind turbines offshore, he said. Smith said he plans to meet with other coastal planning ...
University should follow local lead on wind turbines
Daily Illini - Champaign,IL,USA
Invenergy, a Chicago-based company, has leased 25000 acres north of Route 74 with plans to build over 130 wind turbines next year. Local farmers have leased ...
Winds of change: Three-county wind farm project moves forward
Freeport Journal-Standard - Freeport,IL,USA
As of now, Navitas plans to build a 200 megawatt farm east of German Valley that includes approximately 100 wind turbines stretched across the three ...
More wind turbine talk at planning commission Monday night
Woodbury Bulletin - Woodbury,MN,USA
One of the items likely to get some attention is a chapter in the draft ordinance on wind turbines. The South Washington County School District has ...
Grants available for rural wind turbines
Northern Colorado Business Report - Fort Collins,CO,USA
The grants can be used to purchase and install small wind turbines or other renewable energy systems, covering up to 25 percent of the installed cost. ...
Pickens paring down wind farm project
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA
In May 2008, Pickens announced that his company, Mesa Power LP, would order 687 wind turbines, or 1000 megawatts of capacity, from GE for about $2 billion. ...
Green Energy Technologies' First WindCube(R) Rooftop Wind Turbine ...
PR Newswire (press release) - New York,NY,USA
The installation will be the first commercial rooftop wind turbine in Ohio to provide on-site supplemental power generation using net metering. ...
Duke plans Colorado wind farm
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte,NC,USA
It will feature 34 wind turbines. Duke doesn't have any wind-power projects in Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana. In May, the company acquired the 70-megawatt North ...
See all stories on this topic
Wind Watch: Wind turbines
Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson's concerns over the “excessive development” of wind farms in his constituency (Echo, June 26) presumably reflect the broad views of constituents likely to be adversely affected? South Durham, basically rural in ...
National Wind Watch: News - http://www.wind-watch.org/news/
DARTMOUTH HITCHING POST: Wind turbine ballons fly tomorrow July 7
By Bill Trimble
I just this minute learned that Atlantic Design will be hoisting two balloons tomorrow (Tuesday, July 7) at the proposed sites for the wind turbines. The balloons will mark the tip of the blades for 100-meter towers and they should be ...
DARTMOUTH HITCHING POST - http://dartmouthhitcingpost.blogspot.com/
Power supplier to electric co-ops in 4 Western states signs wind ...
By Colleen Slevin
Tri-State to buy power from new Colo wind farmDENVER — A company that supplies power to rural electric cooperatives in four Western states announced Monday that it will buy electricity from a new wind farm on Colorado's Eastern Plains.
Breaking News - http://blog.taragana.com/n/
Labels:
wind power
Sunday, July 5, 2009
NW U.S wind power
July 5, 2009 • Opinions, Oregon, Washington
Northwest wind power a threat to raptors
[ Alternate short URL for linking • HOME ]
» Original source is provided at end of article «
The Columbia Gorge Audubon Society has monitored Northwest wind power for almost 20 years. We were not surprised by the recent eagle kill The Columbian reported May 18: “Washington wind turbines claim first known eagle victim.”
The Goodnoe Hills Wind Project that is responsible for the death of the golden eagle is sited in National Audubon Society’s designated Columbia Hills Important Bird Area in Klickitat County overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. The IBA program is Audubon’s attempt to identify and protect significant bird habitat. Gorge Audubon conducted bird counts in the Hills, and our nomination led to its IBA designation.
The main factor in securing the IBA designation was the intensive use of the area by raptors. It is well known that raptors commonly fly at an altitude that puts them at particular risk for collision with wind power blades.
Proper siting was touted as the key to green wind power. So why is wind power being sited in an Audubon Important Bird Area, and why is that Important Bird Area slated for border to border wind power development? The answer is simple. Instead of proper planning, Northwest wind power is being allowed to develop wherever infrastructure is available and politicians are agreeable.
Gorge Audubon believes wind power is already a disaster for Northwest birds. Who is responsible for this mess?
During years of reviewing wind power permits, we found that many significant omissions and deceptions were used to secure permits. For instance, The Columbian story reported that the proponent for the Big Horn Wind Energy Project in eastern Klickitat County had predicted the annual raptor mortality would be three to four birds, whereas follow-up monitoring suggests the actual raptor kill to be 31 to 49 birds per year. Drastically underestimating project bird kills is likely a common method for securing wind power permits.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to force the wind power industry to solve the bird kill problem on the Columbia Hills site years ago with a warning of criminal arrest. That problem was never solved.
Politics changed, and state and federal wildlife agencies have since stood by and watched the Northwest wind power disaster unfold. They protested but took no action. Now they are scrambling to “fix” the problem. If development is allowed to continue in the Columbia Hills IBA and other areas intensively used by birds, you will know that they have failed.
Lack of attention
Where are National Audubon Society and the environmental groups that authored voluntary siting standards for wind power back when the industry first arrived in the Northwest? The answer is that most of them have received Bullitt Foundation grants and hope to receive them again. The Bullitt Foundation of Seattle is a strong advocate of wind power. In fact, Denis Hayes, Bullitt Foundation Director, once wrote Audubon Washington not to “monkey wrench” wind power in the Gorge. Since then, National Audubon Society has written a few letters protesting wind power in their Important Bird Area, but they have ignored our pleas for the one thing that would save the Columbia Hills IBA: a publicity campaign exposing this siting disaster.
It’s time for a wind power reality check. Voluntary siting standards and wildlife guidelines may make the authors feel good, but they do not work. “Proper siting” has nothing to do with how wind power is actually sited. Phony mitigation measures offered by the wind power industry are unlikely to save even one bird. And the wildlife agencies need to find their spines.
The great hope of wind power is being squandered and turned into just another corporate money maker for the developers and equipment suppliers. Wind power will be joining the ranks of the other environmentally hazardous energy producers if our political leadership fails to make changes.
Governors Gregoire and Kulongoski, and President Obama, are you listening?
BY DAVE THIES
Dave Thies of White Salmon is president of the Columbia Gorge Audubon Society.
columbian.com
Northwest wind power a threat to raptors
[ Alternate short URL for linking • HOME ]
» Original source is provided at end of article «
The Columbia Gorge Audubon Society has monitored Northwest wind power for almost 20 years. We were not surprised by the recent eagle kill The Columbian reported May 18: “Washington wind turbines claim first known eagle victim.”
The Goodnoe Hills Wind Project that is responsible for the death of the golden eagle is sited in National Audubon Society’s designated Columbia Hills Important Bird Area in Klickitat County overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. The IBA program is Audubon’s attempt to identify and protect significant bird habitat. Gorge Audubon conducted bird counts in the Hills, and our nomination led to its IBA designation.
The main factor in securing the IBA designation was the intensive use of the area by raptors. It is well known that raptors commonly fly at an altitude that puts them at particular risk for collision with wind power blades.
Proper siting was touted as the key to green wind power. So why is wind power being sited in an Audubon Important Bird Area, and why is that Important Bird Area slated for border to border wind power development? The answer is simple. Instead of proper planning, Northwest wind power is being allowed to develop wherever infrastructure is available and politicians are agreeable.
Gorge Audubon believes wind power is already a disaster for Northwest birds. Who is responsible for this mess?
During years of reviewing wind power permits, we found that many significant omissions and deceptions were used to secure permits. For instance, The Columbian story reported that the proponent for the Big Horn Wind Energy Project in eastern Klickitat County had predicted the annual raptor mortality would be three to four birds, whereas follow-up monitoring suggests the actual raptor kill to be 31 to 49 birds per year. Drastically underestimating project bird kills is likely a common method for securing wind power permits.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to force the wind power industry to solve the bird kill problem on the Columbia Hills site years ago with a warning of criminal arrest. That problem was never solved.
Politics changed, and state and federal wildlife agencies have since stood by and watched the Northwest wind power disaster unfold. They protested but took no action. Now they are scrambling to “fix” the problem. If development is allowed to continue in the Columbia Hills IBA and other areas intensively used by birds, you will know that they have failed.
Lack of attention
Where are National Audubon Society and the environmental groups that authored voluntary siting standards for wind power back when the industry first arrived in the Northwest? The answer is that most of them have received Bullitt Foundation grants and hope to receive them again. The Bullitt Foundation of Seattle is a strong advocate of wind power. In fact, Denis Hayes, Bullitt Foundation Director, once wrote Audubon Washington not to “monkey wrench” wind power in the Gorge. Since then, National Audubon Society has written a few letters protesting wind power in their Important Bird Area, but they have ignored our pleas for the one thing that would save the Columbia Hills IBA: a publicity campaign exposing this siting disaster.
It’s time for a wind power reality check. Voluntary siting standards and wildlife guidelines may make the authors feel good, but they do not work. “Proper siting” has nothing to do with how wind power is actually sited. Phony mitigation measures offered by the wind power industry are unlikely to save even one bird. And the wildlife agencies need to find their spines.
The great hope of wind power is being squandered and turned into just another corporate money maker for the developers and equipment suppliers. Wind power will be joining the ranks of the other environmentally hazardous energy producers if our political leadership fails to make changes.
Governors Gregoire and Kulongoski, and President Obama, are you listening?
BY DAVE THIES
Dave Thies of White Salmon is president of the Columbia Gorge Audubon Society.
columbian.com
Massachusetts and wind farms
July 5, 2009 • Massachusetts
Cohasset keeps wind turbine bylaw
[ Alternate short URL for linking • HOME ]
» Original source is provided at end of article «
Cohasset’s bylaw governing industrial wind turbines will remain on the books despite an effort by a citizens group to have the ordinance “sundowned’’ to review and overhaul it.
Voters who turned out for the June 27 Special Town Meeting were told the Planning Board had not voted a recommendation on the proposed petition article. Under state law, the board must hold a public hearing, which it did the night before the meeting, and vote a recommendation. Instead, planners postponed action on a recommendation until mid-July.
Petition proponents tried to keep their effort alive by asking voters to continue the Special Town Meeting to September after the Planning Board took its vote. But a majority “did not have the appetite’’ to continue it, according to Conrad Langenhagen, one of those who had petitioned to have the bylaw sundowned.
“It’s unfortunate that the Town Meeting voters weren’t given a chance to vote on the article,’’ he said.
Selectmen chairman Paul Carlson motioned to “continue action on the petition article indefinitely,’’ and that was approved.
According to Town Clerk Marion Douglas, that killed any consideration of the article beyond the Special Town Meeting.
The citizens’ petition drive had been launched in May, shortly after the Planning Board defeated a request from CCI Energy in Plymouth to build two, 400-foot industrial turbines on top of the Graham Waste landfill property.
Neighbors of the site had attended the hearings and strongly urged planners to deny the request. When the May vote was taken, one of the four Planning Board members voted against CCI’s request, which needed approval by all four members considering the proposal.
By Christine Legere
Globe Correspondent
The Boston Globe
5 July 2009
Blog it:
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related
Cohasset keeps wind turbine bylaw
[ Alternate short URL for linking • HOME ]
» Original source is provided at end of article «
Cohasset’s bylaw governing industrial wind turbines will remain on the books despite an effort by a citizens group to have the ordinance “sundowned’’ to review and overhaul it.
Voters who turned out for the June 27 Special Town Meeting were told the Planning Board had not voted a recommendation on the proposed petition article. Under state law, the board must hold a public hearing, which it did the night before the meeting, and vote a recommendation. Instead, planners postponed action on a recommendation until mid-July.
Petition proponents tried to keep their effort alive by asking voters to continue the Special Town Meeting to September after the Planning Board took its vote. But a majority “did not have the appetite’’ to continue it, according to Conrad Langenhagen, one of those who had petitioned to have the bylaw sundowned.
“It’s unfortunate that the Town Meeting voters weren’t given a chance to vote on the article,’’ he said.
Selectmen chairman Paul Carlson motioned to “continue action on the petition article indefinitely,’’ and that was approved.
According to Town Clerk Marion Douglas, that killed any consideration of the article beyond the Special Town Meeting.
The citizens’ petition drive had been launched in May, shortly after the Planning Board defeated a request from CCI Energy in Plymouth to build two, 400-foot industrial turbines on top of the Graham Waste landfill property.
Neighbors of the site had attended the hearings and strongly urged planners to deny the request. When the May vote was taken, one of the four Planning Board members voted against CCI’s request, which needed approval by all four members considering the proposal.
By Christine Legere
Globe Correspondent
The Boston Globe
5 July 2009
Blog it:
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related
Ontario and wind farms
July 5, 2009 • Ontario, Press releases
Group fed up with Gerretsen’s lack of concern over wind-turbine health issues – Calls for resignation
[ Alternate short URL for linking • HOME ]
» Original source is provided at end of article «
The Coalition for the Protection of Amherst Island is so fed up with John Gerretsen’s lack of concern over the serious health problems being suffered by Ontarians living too close to wind turbines, that they have decided take out the advertisement set out below in the Whig Standard charging that Mr. Gerretsen, as Minister of the Environment, is ignoring the right of Ontarians to a ‘healthful environment’ as provided for under the Environmental Bill of Rights.
The advertisement also accuses the Ministry of the Environment of ruining people’s lives by allowing his Ministry to approve siting wind turbines too close to homes. Further, the ad. states that his Ministry has shown a chilling indifference to the harm caused by the 86 turbines now turning on Wolfe Island knowing that 266 dwellings would be located at or within 1 km of these turbines. The Coalition is calling for a moratorium on further construction of wind turbine farms while full independent medical and noise studies are conducted, and is asking Mr. Gerretsen how many more Ontarians may be put in harm’s way. The media are urged to seek answers to these questions.
The advertisement appeared in the Whig Standard on Saturday, July 4th.
About the Coalition to Protect Amherst Island. The Coalition to Protect Amherst Island was formed in 2006 in response to a proposal to build a 100-turbine wind power plant on Amherst Island. Amherst Island is one of the Thousand Islands in Lake Ontario
- 30 -
Contact: Coalition for the Protection of Amherst Island, General Delivery, Stella, Ont. KOH 2S0 — ProtectAi@kos.net.
Media Contact: Janet Grace – 613 389 8166
Further information and documents can be provided upon request
JOHN GERRETSEN
M.P.P., MINISTER OF THE ENVIRONMENT
HAS QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Group fed up with Gerretsen’s lack of concern over wind-turbine health issues – Calls for resignation
[ Alternate short URL for linking • HOME ]
» Original source is provided at end of article «
The Coalition for the Protection of Amherst Island is so fed up with John Gerretsen’s lack of concern over the serious health problems being suffered by Ontarians living too close to wind turbines, that they have decided take out the advertisement set out below in the Whig Standard charging that Mr. Gerretsen, as Minister of the Environment, is ignoring the right of Ontarians to a ‘healthful environment’ as provided for under the Environmental Bill of Rights.
The advertisement also accuses the Ministry of the Environment of ruining people’s lives by allowing his Ministry to approve siting wind turbines too close to homes. Further, the ad. states that his Ministry has shown a chilling indifference to the harm caused by the 86 turbines now turning on Wolfe Island knowing that 266 dwellings would be located at or within 1 km of these turbines. The Coalition is calling for a moratorium on further construction of wind turbine farms while full independent medical and noise studies are conducted, and is asking Mr. Gerretsen how many more Ontarians may be put in harm’s way. The media are urged to seek answers to these questions.
The advertisement appeared in the Whig Standard on Saturday, July 4th.
About the Coalition to Protect Amherst Island. The Coalition to Protect Amherst Island was formed in 2006 in response to a proposal to build a 100-turbine wind power plant on Amherst Island. Amherst Island is one of the Thousand Islands in Lake Ontario
- 30 -
Contact: Coalition for the Protection of Amherst Island, General Delivery, Stella, Ont. KOH 2S0 — ProtectAi@kos.net.
Media Contact: Janet Grace – 613 389 8166
Further information and documents can be provided upon request
JOHN GERRETSEN
M.P.P., MINISTER OF THE ENVIRONMENT
HAS QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Danny's Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor:
The experts in the field of medicine recommend a minimum set-back distance of one and one half miles (2400 m) of a Wind Turbine from a human habitation.That can be understood as a truth of medicine.
The proponents of a Wind Project on Digby Neck are proposing a 600 m.distance from homes in some instances. People, of which I am one, are upset about that. Well-meaning leaders tell us there must be compromise.I agree with that.However, it is at best unethical to compromise the truth.
Case in point: one partner in a committed relationship has been found to be unfaithful by the other.When the former is confronted by the other,the offer of a compromise is made. The paramour of the former wants the compromise,i.e.let him/her "be with me three nights a week and all day Sunday!" Dr.Phil would ask:"How's that gonna work for ya?" The truth about committed relationship is that is inclusive of two exclusively and permanent. There is no middle road. Compromise for less than that is a lie.
To compromise the truth of medical science is equally ludicrous and odious.
For this reason alone, aside from the detriment to tourism and small business in Gullivers Cove, the best compromise is that there be no turbines there. Place them a minimum of 2400 m from residences along highway 217 and strategically out of sight so as not to diminish the enjoyment of those who come here from the world over to enjoy the peace,beauty, and serenity for which this place is recognized.There aren't many left like it!
Daniel Mills
The experts in the field of medicine recommend a minimum set-back distance of one and one half miles (2400 m) of a Wind Turbine from a human habitation.That can be understood as a truth of medicine.
The proponents of a Wind Project on Digby Neck are proposing a 600 m.distance from homes in some instances. People, of which I am one, are upset about that. Well-meaning leaders tell us there must be compromise.I agree with that.However, it is at best unethical to compromise the truth.
Case in point: one partner in a committed relationship has been found to be unfaithful by the other.When the former is confronted by the other,the offer of a compromise is made. The paramour of the former wants the compromise,i.e.let him/her "be with me three nights a week and all day Sunday!" Dr.Phil would ask:"How's that gonna work for ya?" The truth about committed relationship is that is inclusive of two exclusively and permanent. There is no middle road. Compromise for less than that is a lie.
To compromise the truth of medical science is equally ludicrous and odious.
For this reason alone, aside from the detriment to tourism and small business in Gullivers Cove, the best compromise is that there be no turbines there. Place them a minimum of 2400 m from residences along highway 217 and strategically out of sight so as not to diminish the enjoyment of those who come here from the world over to enjoy the peace,beauty, and serenity for which this place is recognized.There aren't many left like it!
Daniel Mills
Labels:
Digby Neck wind park
Truth and Turbines
To: voice of the people halifaxherald
Cc: dan mills
Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2009 11:02 AM
Subject: Compromise
Dear Editor:
The experts in the field of medicine recommend a minimum set-back distance of one and one half miles (2400 m) of a Wind Turbine from a human habitation.That can be understood as a truth of medicine.
The proponents of a Wind Project on Digby Neck are proposing a 600 m.distance from homes in some instances. People, of which I am one, are upset about that. Well-meaning leaders tell us there must be compromise.I agree with that.However, it is at best unethical to compromise the truth.
To compromise the truth of medical science is equally ludicrous and odious.
For this reason alone, aside from ther detriment to tourism and small business in Gullivers Cove, the best compromise is that there be no turbines there. Place them a minimum of 2400 m from a residences along highway 217 and strategically out of sight so as not to diminish the enjoyment of those who come here from the world over to enjoy the peace,beauty, and serenity for which this place is recognized.There aren't many left like it!
Daniel Mills
Cc: dan mills
Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2009 11:02 AM
Subject: Compromise
Dear Editor:
The experts in the field of medicine recommend a minimum set-back distance of one and one half miles (2400 m) of a Wind Turbine from a human habitation.That can be understood as a truth of medicine.
The proponents of a Wind Project on Digby Neck are proposing a 600 m.distance from homes in some instances. People, of which I am one, are upset about that. Well-meaning leaders tell us there must be compromise.I agree with that.However, it is at best unethical to compromise the truth.
To compromise the truth of medical science is equally ludicrous and odious.
For this reason alone, aside from ther detriment to tourism and small business in Gullivers Cove, the best compromise is that there be no turbines there. Place them a minimum of 2400 m from a residences along highway 217 and strategically out of sight so as not to diminish the enjoyment of those who come here from the world over to enjoy the peace,beauty, and serenity for which this place is recognized.There aren't many left like it!
Daniel Mills
Labels:
wind turbines Digby Neck
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Latest News from National Wind Watch
Latest News
Massachusetts:
State wind power plans stir up local concerns
Ontario:
Wind farm neighbours say they had to move
Ontario:
Huron agricultural group seeks moratorium on wind power projects
Letters, Scotland:
Wind farm exhibition didn’t tell full story
Nova Scotia:
Towers on horizon for windfarm
Wyoming:
State requires marking towers
Ontario:
Backyard wind turbine rejected by Ontario Municipal Board
British Columbia:
Helicopter lift of blades to Grouse Mountain windmill delayed
Letters, Minnesota:
Evidence blows away wind farms
England:
Debate on wind farms in Northamptonshire
Scotland:
Wind farm group to go public
France:
Le développement de l'éolien en péril, selon Compagnie du Vent
Scotland:
Wind farm plans are gust not on
California:
TANC opponents decry meeting cancellation
Massachusetts:
Melrose wind turbine, expanded recreation explored at Mt. Hood
England:
Wind farm is a 'threat to tranquility'
Illinois:
Internet loss halts Farmersville wind generator
England, Press releases:
Silton Windfarm Unanimously Rejected
Massachusetts, Opinions:
An ill wind is blowing turbine issue in our state
British Columbia:
Installation of wind turbine delayed
Massachusetts:
State wind power plans stir up local concerns
Ontario:
Wind farm neighbours say they had to move
Ontario:
Huron agricultural group seeks moratorium on wind power projects
Letters, Scotland:
Wind farm exhibition didn’t tell full story
Nova Scotia:
Towers on horizon for windfarm
Wyoming:
State requires marking towers
Ontario:
Backyard wind turbine rejected by Ontario Municipal Board
British Columbia:
Helicopter lift of blades to Grouse Mountain windmill delayed
Letters, Minnesota:
Evidence blows away wind farms
England:
Debate on wind farms in Northamptonshire
Scotland:
Wind farm group to go public
France:
Le développement de l'éolien en péril, selon Compagnie du Vent
Scotland:
Wind farm plans are gust not on
California:
TANC opponents decry meeting cancellation
Massachusetts:
Melrose wind turbine, expanded recreation explored at Mt. Hood
England:
Wind farm is a 'threat to tranquility'
Illinois:
Internet loss halts Farmersville wind generator
England, Press releases:
Silton Windfarm Unanimously Rejected
Massachusetts, Opinions:
An ill wind is blowing turbine issue in our state
British Columbia:
Installation of wind turbine delayed
On National Wind Watch
filed: July 3, 2009 • Nova Scotia
Turbine strategy delayed; Wind farm calls Digby council’s draft bylaw ambiguous
[ Alternate short URL for linking • HOME ]
» Original source is provided at end of article «
DIGBY — Municipal councillors decided Monday to delay the passing of a municipal planning strategy to regulate wind turbines in the Municipality of the District of Digby.
Some senior executives of the proponent of a Digby Neck wind farm spoke out Monday at a public planning hearing in council chambers, urging councillors to kill a draft of the bylaw because they didn’t think it was council’s best work.
Corey Basel, vice-president of SkyPower Corp., said his company did not support passing the draft bylaw, which he said was ambiguous.
Barry Zwicker, vice-president of Scotian WindFields, said council should defer passing the document while it rethinks its position.
Scotian WindFields Inc. is a Nova Scotia company that has partnered with SkyPower Corp. in Ontario to operate the Digby Wind Park, officials announced in 2008.
Their 1,100-hectare wind park is planned for leased private land, said company officials.
A 30-megawatt wind park, comprising 20 big turbines, is proposed for Digby Neck. Each machine will produce 1.5 megawatts and will be installed in the Rossway/Gullivers Cove area of Digby Neck, about 15 kilometres west of Digby.
The wind turbine bylaw has been in the works since last year.
One interesting aspect of the draft bylaw is the tight control the municipality would have over backyard wind turbines.
The municipal document said council believes property owners should be permitted to erect wind turbines for home use on their land as long as they won’t create an unacceptable level of noise for the neighbours.
Council has determined that small windmills, which can’t exceed a 100-kilowatt generating capacity, should not create more than 45 decibels of noise at the property line.
A quiet unit could be as close as 4.5 metres from the property line, while a noisy one might have to be 892 metres back, engineering consultant Chris Millier said Monday evening.
But commercial wind turbines, which are called utility-scale turbines in the draft planning strategy, would be subject to individual development agreements that would establish setbacks from houses and public buildings.
The agreements would be negotiated between the municipality and a developer. But clearly stating what minimum setbacks should be would actually help developers by letting them know up front what they must deal with, said Scott Oldewening, SkyPower’s manager of permitting and planning.
“Any ambiguity in a bylaw could certainly affect future development,” said Mr. Basel. “It can signal to outside investors, banks or developers that there is not an opportunity for investment or development in a community.”
In the end, councillors voted to table the draft planning strategy and bylaw until they could discuss comments made Monday.
By BRIAN MEDEL Yarmouth Bureau
The Chronicle Herald
3 July 2009
Turbine strategy delayed; Wind farm calls Digby council’s draft bylaw ambiguous
[ Alternate short URL for linking • HOME ]
» Original source is provided at end of article «
DIGBY — Municipal councillors decided Monday to delay the passing of a municipal planning strategy to regulate wind turbines in the Municipality of the District of Digby.
Some senior executives of the proponent of a Digby Neck wind farm spoke out Monday at a public planning hearing in council chambers, urging councillors to kill a draft of the bylaw because they didn’t think it was council’s best work.
Corey Basel, vice-president of SkyPower Corp., said his company did not support passing the draft bylaw, which he said was ambiguous.
Barry Zwicker, vice-president of Scotian WindFields, said council should defer passing the document while it rethinks its position.
Scotian WindFields Inc. is a Nova Scotia company that has partnered with SkyPower Corp. in Ontario to operate the Digby Wind Park, officials announced in 2008.
Their 1,100-hectare wind park is planned for leased private land, said company officials.
A 30-megawatt wind park, comprising 20 big turbines, is proposed for Digby Neck. Each machine will produce 1.5 megawatts and will be installed in the Rossway/Gullivers Cove area of Digby Neck, about 15 kilometres west of Digby.
The wind turbine bylaw has been in the works since last year.
One interesting aspect of the draft bylaw is the tight control the municipality would have over backyard wind turbines.
The municipal document said council believes property owners should be permitted to erect wind turbines for home use on their land as long as they won’t create an unacceptable level of noise for the neighbours.
Council has determined that small windmills, which can’t exceed a 100-kilowatt generating capacity, should not create more than 45 decibels of noise at the property line.
A quiet unit could be as close as 4.5 metres from the property line, while a noisy one might have to be 892 metres back, engineering consultant Chris Millier said Monday evening.
But commercial wind turbines, which are called utility-scale turbines in the draft planning strategy, would be subject to individual development agreements that would establish setbacks from houses and public buildings.
The agreements would be negotiated between the municipality and a developer. But clearly stating what minimum setbacks should be would actually help developers by letting them know up front what they must deal with, said Scott Oldewening, SkyPower’s manager of permitting and planning.
“Any ambiguity in a bylaw could certainly affect future development,” said Mr. Basel. “It can signal to outside investors, banks or developers that there is not an opportunity for investment or development in a community.”
In the end, councillors voted to table the draft planning strategy and bylaw until they could discuss comments made Monday.
By BRIAN MEDEL Yarmouth Bureau
The Chronicle Herald
3 July 2009
Labels:
wind power
Bay of Fundy
Forwarded by Tom
Diane,chair of the Digby-Annapolis Tourist
Assoc. (DATA) is enlisting our support
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 7:52 PM
Subject: Fw: Bay of Fundy BACK in 7Wonders
The Bay of Fundy is very important to the Digby
area.
Please take time to vote.
Because of Dinosaur Park's pull out we have been
given a second chance.
This may bring more people to our region
this year.
Please vote.
Thanks,
Dianne
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:41 AM
Subject: Bay of Fundy BACK in 7Wonders
YAHOO!!
Bay of Fundy has just been invited back in the New7Wonders of Nature
contest as Canada's sole nominee....apparently Dinosaur Park has been
disqualified and, since Bay of Fundy was within a few votes in the last phase,
we have been reinstated!!
We only have three weeks left in this next phase of voting (ends July 7,
2009) when the top 77 sites will be declared so looking for all the help we can
get to boost the word out there. See press release below if you are able to
forward it to any of your email lists or facebook groups.... do let me know
if you have any questions...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 16,
2009
The Bay of Fundy is back on the
international stage in the New7Wonders of Nature contest. In an
unprecedented turn of events the Bay of Fundy, which placed
2nd in the first phase of the contest that concluded January 7,
2009 is now representing Canada!
The New7Wonders of Nature organization, based in
Brussels, reinstated the Bay of Fundy this week. "We can
confirm that Dinosaur Provincial Park did not meet the Phase II participation
requirements" said Tia Viering of the New7Wonders. "Therefore, it is with great
pleasure that we announce that the Bay of Fundy is now officially Canada's
national representative.”
“As 2008 came to a close, we knew we
were in an extremely close race to represent Canada in this phase of the
contest,” said Terri McCulloch, Manager Bay of Fundy Tourism. “We were honored
by the incredible number of votes the Bay of Fundy received in the first round
of the contest. We are very passionate about the Bay of Fundy and believe
it is truly a beautiful wonder of nature. We are privileged to represent
Canada and we hope everyone will be as enthusiastic again and vote for the Bay
of Fundy. We only have until July 7th to get as many votes as we
can for this next stage of the contest.”
The Bay of Fundy is best known for
the highest tides in the world and has been compared, in
marine biodiversity, to the Amazon Rainforest. The Bay is the summer feeding
area for half the world's population of endangered North Atlantic
Right whales and 12 other whale species. It is home
to the world's most complete fossil record of the "Coal
Age” (300 million years ago) as well as the world’s oldest reptiles
and Canada’s oldest dinosaurs. UNESCO recently recognized the
upper Bay of Fundy as a Biosphere Reserve and Joggins Fossil Cliffs as a World
Heritage Site.
Canadians from
coast to coast are encouraged to go online
to votemyfundy.com to place their vote before July 7, 2009,
when the top 77 international sites will be short listed. Between July 7
and 21, an independent committee will
select the top 21 to continue into the fourth and final stage of the
campaign. These top 21 sites will also be part of a 2010 New7Wonders world tour
bringing tremendous international attention to the selected sites. Phase four is
the last voting component of the New7Wonders of Nature campaign until the final
announcement is made on who has been selected the New7Wonders of Nature.
“We only have a few weeks left in this phase of
the contest so every vote is important and interested voters can go
to Votemyfundy.com. We are really excited to be back in the running
and we hope we can succeed in getting Canada’s Bay of Fundy into the next
international phase of the campaign,” said Terri McCulloch.
Terri McCulloch
Manager, Bay of Fundy Tourism Partnership
E: terri@bayoffundytourism.com
C: 902-254-4041
Diane,chair of the Digby-Annapolis Tourist
Assoc. (DATA) is enlisting our support
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 7:52 PM
Subject: Fw: Bay of Fundy BACK in 7Wonders
The Bay of Fundy is very important to the Digby
area.
Please take time to vote.
Because of Dinosaur Park's pull out we have been
given a second chance.
This may bring more people to our region
this year.
Please vote.
Thanks,
Dianne
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:41 AM
Subject: Bay of Fundy BACK in 7Wonders
YAHOO!!
Bay of Fundy has just been invited back in the New7Wonders of Nature
contest as Canada's sole nominee....apparently Dinosaur Park has been
disqualified and, since Bay of Fundy was within a few votes in the last phase,
we have been reinstated!!
We only have three weeks left in this next phase of voting (ends July 7,
2009) when the top 77 sites will be declared so looking for all the help we can
get to boost the word out there. See press release below if you are able to
forward it to any of your email lists or facebook groups.... do let me know
if you have any questions...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 16,
2009
The Bay of Fundy is back on the
international stage in the New7Wonders of Nature contest. In an
unprecedented turn of events the Bay of Fundy, which placed
2nd in the first phase of the contest that concluded January 7,
2009 is now representing Canada!
The New7Wonders of Nature organization, based in
Brussels, reinstated the Bay of Fundy this week. "We can
confirm that Dinosaur Provincial Park did not meet the Phase II participation
requirements" said Tia Viering of the New7Wonders. "Therefore, it is with great
pleasure that we announce that the Bay of Fundy is now officially Canada's
national representative.”
“As 2008 came to a close, we knew we
were in an extremely close race to represent Canada in this phase of the
contest,” said Terri McCulloch, Manager Bay of Fundy Tourism. “We were honored
by the incredible number of votes the Bay of Fundy received in the first round
of the contest. We are very passionate about the Bay of Fundy and believe
it is truly a beautiful wonder of nature. We are privileged to represent
Canada and we hope everyone will be as enthusiastic again and vote for the Bay
of Fundy. We only have until July 7th to get as many votes as we
can for this next stage of the contest.”
The Bay of Fundy is best known for
the highest tides in the world and has been compared, in
marine biodiversity, to the Amazon Rainforest. The Bay is the summer feeding
area for half the world's population of endangered North Atlantic
Right whales and 12 other whale species. It is home
to the world's most complete fossil record of the "Coal
Age” (300 million years ago) as well as the world’s oldest reptiles
and Canada’s oldest dinosaurs. UNESCO recently recognized the
upper Bay of Fundy as a Biosphere Reserve and Joggins Fossil Cliffs as a World
Heritage Site.
Canadians from
coast to coast are encouraged to go online
to votemyfundy.com to place their vote before July 7, 2009,
when the top 77 international sites will be short listed. Between July 7
and 21, an independent committee will
select the top 21 to continue into the fourth and final stage of the
campaign. These top 21 sites will also be part of a 2010 New7Wonders world tour
bringing tremendous international attention to the selected sites. Phase four is
the last voting component of the New7Wonders of Nature campaign until the final
announcement is made on who has been selected the New7Wonders of Nature.
“We only have a few weeks left in this phase of
the contest so every vote is important and interested voters can go
to Votemyfundy.com. We are really excited to be back in the running
and we hope we can succeed in getting Canada’s Bay of Fundy into the next
international phase of the campaign,” said Terri McCulloch.
Terri McCulloch
Manager, Bay of Fundy Tourism Partnership
E: terri@bayoffundytourism.com
C: 902-254-4041
Labels:
Bayof Fundy Seven Wonders
Open Letter from Danny
Friday, June 26, 2009 2:03 PM
Subject: Fw: OPEN LETTER TO ALL WHO HAVE EYES TO SEE
Over two years ago, Municipal Councilor,Linda Gregory and Warden Jim Thurber indicated a desire to meet with the people in the Rossway Hall.She and Warden Jim Thurber were primarily concerned with building and restoring community in what was not unlike a war torn country- having been put through the indignity of battle at the hands of mercenary forces bent on hauling away pieces of the mountain for fifty years from the Little River area, and draining the Gullivers Cove aquifer in exchange for one ($1.00) dollar to property owners for their water rights.
What could be done to bring about healing where neighbour had been pitted against neighbour, family against family,family members against family members? There was a meaningful discussion, but what seemed the preferable option in which everyone could participate was the very ordinary Pot Luck Supper.
Since then, there have been regular on-going Pot Luck Suppers in halls,on decks, and lake-side all along the Neck.A steady group of co-ordinators from the villages signed up for a year and successfully passed the torch to a new group last fall.(They are enlisting a new group for the coming fall season.) The last Supper for this season will take place at the beautiful Lake Medway in July. Everyone is welcome!
It's only in the hearts of people that one could verify any healing, but from the celebratory tone which each Supper fosters, there is clearly evident a positive and appreciative spirit and joy in peoples' coming together as one, from every community and village along the Neck- and beyond.
It was again in July 2007 that secret talks took place at the Municipal Council Building with the same Warden, same Councilor, and the CAO where the seed was planted that would grow to divide and rip apart anew.This time the people were not invited.I guess they didn't need us this time.
We know well the menace the latest scheme may effect. It's doing its share of dividing people in families,homes,villages,and even churches- and that is enough! But this time there is the very real danger of illness being inflicted by run-a-way Wind Blowing Machines as close as 600 meters to peoples homes.The medical people- the only ones in this whole scenario who I can trust - warn that this is much too close even on level ground. In a walled-in village like the beautiful Gullivers Cove,with Big Rigs lowing and blowing at each other from both sides, it may well be a prescription for disaster!
I understand the concerns expressed to me by Ms.Kristi Herron, the Chair of the local Board of Trade.Her fear that people like me who speak out on issues like this may deter industry and business from coming to town is indeed well-founded.But it doesn't have to be that way! People get what they give!
There indeed is an antidote (short of mayhem on my person) and it is this: 1) The Board of Trade is not an elected body. They must find a vehicle of communication to confer with people upon whom they wish to inflict money-making ventures to their detriment or not. 2) That should be through our elected representatives at whatever level of government called for. 3) Despite the authoritarian approach these would take with us, our battle is for justice.
That includes preventing these subtle home invasions upon a people as they are so inclined to do. Justice and truth are virtues well beyond the mandate given to peers elected to office. When any government or any business drops in unexpectedly to superimpose their will without the human courtesy of consultation, especially in rural agrarian and seafaring areas,with no introduction and genuine explanation, involvement and input,what do you expect? The option to lay down and play dead is no longer acceptable.
I have known this area a lot longer than many of you have been alive. When I came back to live here, I stepped forward to involve myself in the local community. I am not a leech, nor are the many CFA's I know out here.
When I took up quill in hand to speak out on the quarry, an old friend outside awakened anew what I had heard away back in the 1960's: "It's only Digby Neck!" I hear it still, and read it between many-a-line.
We are never consulted when these totally extraordinary baseballs are batted across the Town of Digby line! That's the heart and crux of the problem!
Now let me cite a proposal for you- one which I wrote to Ms.Herron recently and to which I received no reply.
Between Shore Road and Lighthouse Road, there is a strip of treed land which I saw for the first time in 1962 as I entered Digby on the Ferry. How beautiful I thought! In recent years I have learned that I was undoubtedly looking at what was a fine patch of the highest quality of basalt. I have learned that that strip of land would be a remarkable place for Wind Machines as well! Now I cannot say with certitude, but there is likely a wonderful and bountiful supply of ancient waters just below- enough to creat a water-bottling industry, and jobs,jobs,jobs.
A Quarry for half a century; wind machines for a minimum of twenty years; and potential for a water supply until the well runs dry!
How do you think that would go over in that more affluent corner of the Municipality? And yet that is the very stuff which has been hanging over the tiny Gullivers Cove in the past and so continues to this very day.
I humbly rest my case.
Daniel Mills
Subject: Fw: OPEN LETTER TO ALL WHO HAVE EYES TO SEE
Over two years ago, Municipal Councilor,Linda Gregory and Warden Jim Thurber indicated a desire to meet with the people in the Rossway Hall.She and Warden Jim Thurber were primarily concerned with building and restoring community in what was not unlike a war torn country- having been put through the indignity of battle at the hands of mercenary forces bent on hauling away pieces of the mountain for fifty years from the Little River area, and draining the Gullivers Cove aquifer in exchange for one ($1.00) dollar to property owners for their water rights.
What could be done to bring about healing where neighbour had been pitted against neighbour, family against family,family members against family members? There was a meaningful discussion, but what seemed the preferable option in which everyone could participate was the very ordinary Pot Luck Supper.
Since then, there have been regular on-going Pot Luck Suppers in halls,on decks, and lake-side all along the Neck.A steady group of co-ordinators from the villages signed up for a year and successfully passed the torch to a new group last fall.(They are enlisting a new group for the coming fall season.) The last Supper for this season will take place at the beautiful Lake Medway in July. Everyone is welcome!
It's only in the hearts of people that one could verify any healing, but from the celebratory tone which each Supper fosters, there is clearly evident a positive and appreciative spirit and joy in peoples' coming together as one, from every community and village along the Neck- and beyond.
It was again in July 2007 that secret talks took place at the Municipal Council Building with the same Warden, same Councilor, and the CAO where the seed was planted that would grow to divide and rip apart anew.This time the people were not invited.I guess they didn't need us this time.
We know well the menace the latest scheme may effect. It's doing its share of dividing people in families,homes,villages,and even churches- and that is enough! But this time there is the very real danger of illness being inflicted by run-a-way Wind Blowing Machines as close as 600 meters to peoples homes.The medical people- the only ones in this whole scenario who I can trust - warn that this is much too close even on level ground. In a walled-in village like the beautiful Gullivers Cove,with Big Rigs lowing and blowing at each other from both sides, it may well be a prescription for disaster!
I understand the concerns expressed to me by Ms.Kristi Herron, the Chair of the local Board of Trade.Her fear that people like me who speak out on issues like this may deter industry and business from coming to town is indeed well-founded.But it doesn't have to be that way! People get what they give!
There indeed is an antidote (short of mayhem on my person) and it is this: 1) The Board of Trade is not an elected body. They must find a vehicle of communication to confer with people upon whom they wish to inflict money-making ventures to their detriment or not. 2) That should be through our elected representatives at whatever level of government called for. 3) Despite the authoritarian approach these would take with us, our battle is for justice.
That includes preventing these subtle home invasions upon a people as they are so inclined to do. Justice and truth are virtues well beyond the mandate given to peers elected to office. When any government or any business drops in unexpectedly to superimpose their will without the human courtesy of consultation, especially in rural agrarian and seafaring areas,with no introduction and genuine explanation, involvement and input,what do you expect? The option to lay down and play dead is no longer acceptable.
I have known this area a lot longer than many of you have been alive. When I came back to live here, I stepped forward to involve myself in the local community. I am not a leech, nor are the many CFA's I know out here.
When I took up quill in hand to speak out on the quarry, an old friend outside awakened anew what I had heard away back in the 1960's: "It's only Digby Neck!" I hear it still, and read it between many-a-line.
We are never consulted when these totally extraordinary baseballs are batted across the Town of Digby line! That's the heart and crux of the problem!
Now let me cite a proposal for you- one which I wrote to Ms.Herron recently and to which I received no reply.
Between Shore Road and Lighthouse Road, there is a strip of treed land which I saw for the first time in 1962 as I entered Digby on the Ferry. How beautiful I thought! In recent years I have learned that I was undoubtedly looking at what was a fine patch of the highest quality of basalt. I have learned that that strip of land would be a remarkable place for Wind Machines as well! Now I cannot say with certitude, but there is likely a wonderful and bountiful supply of ancient waters just below- enough to creat a water-bottling industry, and jobs,jobs,jobs.
A Quarry for half a century; wind machines for a minimum of twenty years; and potential for a water supply until the well runs dry!
How do you think that would go over in that more affluent corner of the Municipality? And yet that is the very stuff which has been hanging over the tiny Gullivers Cove in the past and so continues to this very day.
I humbly rest my case.
Daniel Mills
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
