Friday Deadline

From: Tom Haynes-Paton
Date: 8/4/2009 11:06:36 AM
Subject: FRIDAY DEADLINE: Eight Reasons the Digby Wind Power Project is a bad fit for Digby Neck

Tom's note: I favor wind energy. But because of the serious potential health threats to residents, not when located in the midst of a residential community like Digby Neck.
And also for economic/environmental reasons not on Digby Neck, because it will seriously disrupt and damage our area's primary eco-tourism destination. My business dropped 50% for a 4-week period while they merely resurfaced the Digby Neck highway. Many tourists, told about the disruptions, went via the South Shore instead. The wind farm construction is to take more than a year. And worse, with permanent industrial wind installations, "The best kept eco-tourism secret Digby Neck" will become industrial-park Digby Neck.

Skypower Inc. is now trying to flood Nova Scotia Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau with a "I support the Digby Neck wind farm" form letter.

Please mail or email EA@gov.ns.ca your own concerns by this Friday's postmarked deadline to:
Environmental Assessment Branch
Nova Scotia Environment
PO Box 442
Halifax, NS B3J 2P8 Or phone the Review Manager at 902-424-7630




For further background information, see the helpful summation article below.






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From: fntp1@ns.sympatico.ca
To: fntp1@ns.sympatico.ca
Subject: Eight Reasons the Digby Wind Power Project is a bad fit for Digby Neck
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 11:42:01 -0300



Digby Neck needs your help again if it is to remain unmolested by thoughtless industrialization.



Perhaps you have heard that a 20 turbine wind farm, "Digby Wind Park", is proposed for the Gulliver's Cove/Rossway area of Digby Neck. Construction is scheduled to begin in September with an April 2010 "in service" date for the 30 megawatt facility.



The proponent is a partnership of Scotian WindFields Inc. of Nova Scotia and SkyPower Corp. of Toronto.



The project is currently undergoing a provincial Environmental Assessment (EA).



SkyPower's EA, prepared by Jacques Whitford Stantec Ltd., was filed on April 30, 2009. On June 19, the Deputy Minister of the Environment found it lacking and gave the proponent a year to come up with additional information.



Two weeks later on July 3, SkyPower filed their Addendum with most of the additional information in the form of a new turbine layout.



The deadline for comments on the Addendum, which can include comments on the original EA, is next Saturday August 8. All documents are available for review on the Department of Environment website www.gov.ns.ca/nse/ea



Please take the time to send your comments on this proposed project to the NS Department of Environment. Contact information is at the end of this email.

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Regardless of how you feel about the benefits of wind power, the Digby Wind Power Project should not be allowed to go ahead for the environmental and health reasons summarized below:



1) According to the Addendum, there are 113 residences within 2 km of a proposed turbine. Of these, 39 are within 1 km of a turbine - several are 600 to 700 metres away from a turbine even in the latest turbine layout.



There is peer-reviewed medical evidence that there are likely to be health effects among some of these residents. Current knowledge indicates that these health effects are caused by the low frequency noise (LFN) created by the 77 metre diameter rotors (rotating blades) slicing through the air, not from the mechanical noise of the gears in the nacelle. Dr. Nina Pierpont, a medical doctor in private practice in upstate New York has studied cases of people affected by large turbines. She suggests turbines be located a minimum of 2.4 km (1.5 miles) from occupied buildings.



Though the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) cites the opinions of acousticians to dispute Dr. Pierpont’s work, we know of no medical doctor who has reviewed her work and found her methods or conclusions to be unscientific. See www.windturbinesyndrome.com for more on Dr. Pierpont's work.



With the Addendum, the proponent submitted a paper prepared by CanWEA that "reiterates that peer-reviewed scientific literature have consistently found no evidence linking wind turbines to human health concerns."



2) Health Canada, in their submission on the EA, asked the proponent to Please ensure that the environmental assessment contains a discussion regarding the audibility of the turbines and it is advisable to also develop a communication strategy to accurately disclose the potential noise related to the project to nearby residents prior to project construction....Please provide a discussion of the potential for low frequency noise at the nearest residential receptors, and provide an assessment of whether or not monitoring for low frequency noise is warranted.



In the Addendum, the proponent responded there is no evidence that the wind turbine technology proposed for the Project presents any potential problems related to the generation of infrasound energy. Infrasound is generally accepted to be frequencies ranging from 0 to 20 cycles per second (Hz). Low frequency noise (LFN) is 20 to 200 cycles per second (Hz). They are clearly avoiding the question.



3) If any residents in the local communities of Gulliver's Cove, Rossway and Waterford do end up being affected by the 118 metre tall machines, the 35.4 kilovolt overhead connector lines running between them, the substation, or the new 69 kilovolt transmission line to be built to connect to the grid at Digby, the proponents offer no mitigation other than creating a registry for complaints.



4) If residents wish to sell their homes and move away, rather than live with the noise and annoyance of the machines, or the drastic change in their landscape, the proponents offer no guarantee that their homes won't have lost most of their current value by being within a wind farm. Many people will have no option but to continue living in what may become a very undesirable and disturbing place. Many local families have lived in the area for generations.



5) The proponent states that the project will have no significant negative effect on tourism in the area. NS Tourism, Culture and Heritage in their submission on the EA stated that the general area does have an extensive history and natural beauty which gives it tourism appeal and potential. The department has several concerns about the impact of the project on the area and its people. These concerns about the impact of the project on tourism in the area are not addressed in the Addendum as they were not specifically spelled out in the Deputy Minister's decision.



6) The new turbine layout creates a row of ten turbines along approximately 2500 metres of the ridge of the North Mountain, west of the village of Gulliver's Cove.



Digby Neck in this area is about 3 km wide and the turbines would occupy the northern half of the width for a distance of 2.5 km along the Neck. Digby Neck is a known bird migration corridor, particularly during the fall migration (flying north to south). Nearby Brier Island has the international designation "Important Bird Area".



There is no discussion in the Addendum of the impact of the latest turbine configuration on migrating birds or bats. The conclusions in the EA are that Although Digby Neck itself is considered to be an important bird migration corridor, no such importance has been identified for the Project area itself. The mitigation proposed, in the event of bird or bat fatalities, is that "it is likely" they will count the bodies for two years after construction.



7) Ecology Action Centre which, like many environmental groups, supports the development of this type of wind project expects that municipal land use by-laws will make sure they are sited in locally appropriate places.



In Digby Municipality, a draft by-law was developed over the past year by the Planning Advisory Committee with input from concerned residents. This by-law was then rejected by Council on July 20, after the proponent strongly voiced their objections to it during the final hearing on June 29. Incredible as it may seem, three of the four councillors who voted against the draft by-law also sit on the Planning Advisory Committee which developed it.



Though we participated in the municipal planning process in good faith we remain without any protection from a local land use by-law to regulate wind development in Digby Municipality.



8) Lease agreements for the lands to be used for the wind farm were negotiated in secret. There was no public consultation about the project by the proponent until months later.



Two members of council were informed of the proposal at a secret meeting in July 2007, reportedly after key lands had been secured through lease options. The ill-fated by-law process was begun the following spring as additional Lease Options were being signed.



The first public meeting, in open house format, was held by the proponent in November 2008. Between the Deputy Minister's decision on June 19, 2009 and the upcoming deadline for comments on the Addendum, August 8, there will have been three additional open houses.



Repeated requests from concerned residents for a formal, recordable public meeting to answer our questions have been rejected by the proponent. This lack of true public consultation during the planning stages of the project is unacceptable to us.



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We urge you to submit a short comment to the Department of Environment on or before the Saturday, August 8, 2009 deadline.



Please email your comments to EA@gov.ns.ca, phone the Review Manager at 902-424-7630, or mail them to Environmental Assessment Branch, Nova Scotia Environment, PO Box 442, Halifax, NS B3J 2P8 postmarked on or before August 8.



Thank you!



A Growing Number of Concerned Residents of Digby Municipality

Wind Farm telephone survey

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

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

Harnessing Tidal Power

by Malcolm

Harnessing Tidal Power

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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.

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.

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.

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.




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“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.


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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