Wind Concerns Ontario News Release

News release


CANADIAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION MEETS WITH STRONGEST CRITICS:

WIND CONCERNS ONTARIO





September 11, 2009- John Laforet, president of Wind Concerns Ontario and a small delegation of mainly health specialists met with Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA). The Canadian Wind Energy Association represents and promotes the interests of industrial wind developers in Canada. The meeting, at Mr. Hornung’s request, was held in Ottawa at the offices of CanWEA.



During the meeting Wind Concerns Ontario asserted that CanWEA must recognize the real adverse health effects of industrial wind turbines which are now causing significant damage to peoples’ health and quality of life. Those affected are ill because these wind turbines have been installed too close to their homes.



Members of the Wind Concerns Ontario delegation urged CanWEA to establish much greater distances or setbacks from people’s homes in order to make sure that human health is protected. Mr. Hornung has stated publicly that although CanWEA is aware of reports of health issues due to industrial wind plants CanWEA’s assumption is that the cause is not industrial wind turbines. Wind Concerns Ontario could not disagree more and made that clear to Mr. Hornung at last week’s meeting.



Wind Concerns Ontario has been carrying out a health survey which exposes the fact that people have developed symptoms such as cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, nosebleeds, tinnitus, nausea and fatigue. Findings also show that those symptoms are gone once residents have left their homes for another location far away from the wind turbines.



In view of the adverse health effects being reported, the question was repeatedly asked whether CanWEA supported the conduct of an evidence-based health study including epidemiology to determine the adverse health affects of industrial wind turbines. The question was never answered



Wind Concerns Ontario reiterates its demand that a moratorium be placed on further wind development until such studies are done.



John Laforet stated, ‘We will continue to stand up and oppose irresponsible projects, until CanWEA and its members join us in supporting setbacks and regulations that protect human health.’





For more information contact:

Beth Harrington John Laforet

Media Relations President

Wind Concerns Ontario Wind Concerns Ontario

647 588-8647 416 879-2628

Tide, Wind Power PLANNING AND REGULATION

There's a planning process in other countries.

From RenewEngland.com

September 11, 2009
The Straw Proposal: Offshore Wind and Tidal Power Seek Surer Footing on Maine’s Submerged Lands
Maine’s Ocean Energy Task Force (OETF) Regulatory and Permitting Subcommittee met this Tuesday, September 8th, to discuss a Straw Proposal for a set of recommendations to the full OETF. The Subcommittee chair, State Planning Office (SPO) Director of Coastal Zone Management Planning, Kathleen Leyden, and SPO staffer Todd Burroughs reviewed the proposal with Regulatory Subcommittee members, accepting comments from members of the public. The Subcommittee meeting minutes will be posted at its page on the OETF website.

The Straw Proposal would establish that development of renewable ocean energy resources, including tidal and wind power, is an authorized use of state submerged lands. But some commenters noted that the proposed language requiring "due consideration" and even compensation to be provided by renewable developments for other existing commercial uses, such as fishing, gives commercial fishing a superior right to use of submerged lands, rather than putting renewable resource uses on equal footing with fishing interests. It was noted that the Subcommittee Recommendation to the OETF should include the option that renewable energy projects be recognized as an appropriate use of submerged lands, equal (or even higher) in priority to other uses, given the urgency of the need for renewable energy.

Tidal developers also pointed out that the straw proposal is focused exclusively on wind, and has not taken into account the unique aspects of tidal power projects. DEP and SPO staff indicated that they believe that the Maine Waterways Act is sufficient to regulate tidal power, and that only the submerged lands, tax, and federal state coordination provisions of this proposal would apply to tidal power. Members of the public were encouraged to provide more detailed commentary on this point, especially the unique aspects of the FERC Pilot Project process used for tidal projects.

The Subcommittee has been asked to complete its recommendation on legislation to the OETF by September 15, 2009.

For more information regarding the Straw Proposal or OETF, please contact Lib Butler, Sarah Verville or Chip Ahrens.

Tidal Power Generation

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Energy Minister Says Nova Scotia's Tidal Power Decisions Have No Impact on NB











(Energy Minister Jack Keir - file photo)

Energy Minister Jack Keir says Nova Scotia's decision on whether it will okay more development in tidal power generation will have no bearing on New Brunswick. An announcement between Ottawa and Nova Scotia is expected as early as this week on whether three companies will be approved to place turbines in the Bay of Fundy. Keir tells CHSJ news there would be no competition between the provinces.

Irving Oil and Huntsman Marine Science Centre are collecting data on how much energy can be generated in the Bay and what type of equipment should be used. Keir says it will be more than a year before that data is collected.
Posted by CHSJ News at 10:40 AM

The world’s very first floating fullscale offshore wind turbine has officially been inaugurated in the North Sea off the coast of Norway.
The turbine even has a name: Hywind. It measures 213 feet tall and weighs 5,300 tonnes, and it rests on a floating stand which is filled with water and rocks to provide balast. Three powerful cables anchor the stand to the seafloor.

» See also: Lights Out: EU Bans Inefficient, Incandescent Light Bulbs
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nowBuzz up!StatoilHydro, the corporate energy giant which owns Hywind, plans to use it as a test for the next two years before building any more floating wind turbines. But if everything runs smoothly, they hope to set up floating turbines around the world for international partners, locations which are likely to include California, Japan, South Korea and Spain.

The biggest advantage to floating turbines is that they can operate out at sea at depths between 120 and 700 metres, much deeper than conventional offshore turbines. Winds are usually much stronger in deeper seas, meaning the new technology could also generate a lot more power.

And for those people who find wind turbines aesthetically unpleasing, floating turbines put further out to sea also mean they’ll be out of sight.

Currently floating turbines are significantly more expensive to build, but due to their many advantages, StatoilHydro believes that the costs should come down over time. “Our goal is to bring down the price to the level of fixed wind turbines that are currently installed in waters some 60 metres deep,” said Anne Stroemmen Lycke from StatoilHydro.

Hywind should begin fanning over the North Sea and generating electricity within the next couple of weeks.

Source: Physorg

MLA Re: turbine issue

Subject: Re: Digby Wind Turbine project


Dear Mr. Mills,





Thank you for your messages regarding the wind turbine project in Digby.





As you are aware, the Environment Minister has approved the wind turbine
project on Digby Neck. The minister did include consideration of some
requests we made, specifically, requiring a mechanism for dealing with noise
complaints.

The minister did not approve three turbines deemed to be questionable in
terms of location relative to residences, although it is expected a new
application for these three turbines will be forthcoming in the coming
months with new locations.





As you are aware from your experience, the responsibility for zoning and
siting of turbines is a municipal one. I am disappointed that the current
government has not already engaged the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities
in establishing clear and uniform guidelines and planning legislation for
locating turbines. Consistency and clarity would benefit both residents, who
must deal with projects individually, and the renewable energy industry.





The Liberal Caucus met and discussed the Digby Wind Turbine project, and
other wind projects in general, on Wednesday afternoon. We are concerned
that the lack of clear guidelines and uniformity in regulations hurt both
residents and the industry. We also are concerned about the difficulty you
have had in getting information throughout this process.





I recognize that while we achieved some improvements through the EA, you and
many of the other residents, will still not be happy with the outcome. I am
prepared to bring any specific concerns or questions to the attention of the
company, to ensure any additional efforts the company can make to minimize
impact are given consideration even though the project is approved.





As the House of Assembly prepares to begin sitting for its fall session, I
will be calling on the government to do the necessary work and engage
residents and the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities in establishing clear
and consistent rules for wind turbine projects. I welcome any input you may
have.


Sincerely,



Andrew Younger

MLA Dartmouth East



Liberal Energy / Environment Critic

Oversight Agency for Wind Farms

Here is the real question. As shown there are real gaps in the HGC study
and there is more than enough basis for at the very least a "review" of the
HGC report and then mitigation should follow. "Where would a Canadian
Citizen go for such mitigation?" Simple question but can anyone supply an
answer?
From everything I have researched I can find absolutely not one agency, not
one single person in the Provincial or Federal Government where one can go
for help!
Our Provincial and Federal Governments have effectively dismantled any
oversight agency and eliminated any law or statute that would previously
have protected us from a "runaway" industry such as Wind.
The only law over development that we had left was at the Municipal level
under the Planning Act and now in Ontario that is gone!


Basically we are on our own with a huge industry all financed by our very
own hard earned tax dollars "putting the boots to us"..............What are
we going to do about it?...........there's another question that needs
answering.
Regards
Carl

Wind Concerns Coalition

Please welcome a new group to the coalition:

NVoIWT (Norfolk Victims of Industrial Wind Turbines)

E-mail: NVoIWT@live.com

Contact: Bert Seeliger - Clear Creek, Ontario