Renfrew County council would probably not stand in the way of any industrial wind farm project if a municipal council already has approved it, Warden Janice Visneskie says.
Visneskie, who is also mayor of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township, was speaking during that council’s Sept. 16 regular meeting. During a short presentation to council from industrial wind farm opponent Brian Tyrrell, Visneskie briefly donned her warden’s hat.
“I’ll tell you that … the process of the county is that we do not interfere in a local issue,” Visneskie said, explaining that this is because the county’s 17 member municipalities fought long and hard for the right not to have county council overturn their decisions on issues facing their communities.
“So now, when there’s a controversial decision, the municipalities can’t argue that they want to pass the buck to the county,” Visneskie said. It is they who “are going to have to make those tough decisions” on issues such as whether wind farms should be allowed.
The mayor added that she would soon be making a stop at an industrial wind farm near Goderich, Ont. “just to have a look-see” at the operation.
Several companies have proposed a series of industrial wind turbine projects for locations across the Madawaska Valley/Bonnechere Valley region. In the Township of Madawaska Valley, one proposal by SkyPower would see six of the massive turbines built in the hills north of Wilno.
Opponents of the projects, organized under the banner of Save Our Skyline, warn the turbines will cause health and environmental damage if politicians allow them to be built.
While as yet there are no wind turbine projects proposed for within the borders of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards, both council and citizens are concerned what sort of impact wind turbine construction will have on township roads and other infrastructure.
Visneskie, stressing that no proposal for road use by wind farm operators has come before her council yet, said the council has not made any decision either for or against wind farms, but councillors nonetheless will be vigilant.
“Our concern is the protection of our roads,” she said. “As a municipality, I will offer to you that we will do everything in our power to protect our roads because we owe that to our taxpayers.”
Tyrrell, who presented council with a study of the Point Petre wind power project, asked council that it ensure that any tour of wind farms by local politicians be independent, not one guided by wind power companies, and that councillors meet with people affected by the projects.
“That’s sort of what we intended to do,” Mayor Visneskie said.
Several municipal councils, including Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards and the Township of Madawaska Valley, are considering a joint tour of wind farms near Sault Ste. Marie.
Tyrrell also read to councillors from a passionate letter by a woman whose home was hard-hit by a massive wind turbine project at Mars Hill, Maine.
Meanwhile, SkyPower Corp., which is involved in several industrial wind farm projects proposed for the Bonnechere/Madawaska Valley region, including the Wilno Hills proposal, put out a news release last week saying it was not involved in the massive bankruptcy process at Lehman Brothers Holdings in the United States.
Lehman filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy laws. Barclays Bank in Britain has since announced that it will buy up some of Lehman Brothers U.S. businesses.
SkyPower bills itself as a Lehman Brothers company and has several Lehman executives on its board of directors. However, in a news release on Sept. 17, the company said it “remains focused on its business plan and committed to pursuing the renewable energy projects in its Canadian and international portfolios.”
Also last week, area newspapers including Barry’s Bay This Week published a required notice of an environmental review for SkyPower’s “Hardwood Hills Wind Project” near Eganville.
The notice says the corporation is proposing “the development of a wind energy project southwest of Eganville.” The Bonnechere Valley project would be located near Highway 60 east of Highway 515 and south of Clear Lake.
The company says an environmental screening of the project under the province’s Electricity Projects Regulation has commenced. Under the regulation, SkyPower is required to have a screening of the project and then, if appropriate, a more detailed environmental review. However, SkyPower says that it will undertake an environmental review right from the start. It adds that, “SkyPower is also consulting with federal agencies to determine whether the environmental review will follow the screening requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.”
SOS and other wind farm opponents – citing bird kills, loss of wildlife habitat, harmful low-intensity noise, visual pollution and a host of other environmental impacts linked to the massive industrial wind turbines – have called for a complete federal environmental assessment, not just a provincial review, for any and all proposed wind farm projects in the area.
By Douglas Gloin
Barry’s Bay This Week
24 September 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Know your rights regarding Enevironmental Screening Process
You Have the Right to Ask questions and to be Informed about the Wind Project Proposed for Your Community
Posted on September 22, 2008 by essexcountywind
Special Thanks to Frank Entwistle and Allen Lewis
This is intended to give some insight into the public’s right to participate in the environmental assessment process regarding this project. Our intention is to respond to an overwhelming number of requests from Ontario rural residents on this subject. Only the original document should be considered correct and complete. It is available on the internet at Guide to Environmental Assessment Requirements for Electricity Projects
http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/gp/4021e.pdf
This document contains part only of the 84 page Guide to Environmental Assessment Requirements for Electricity Projects March 2001 Ministry of the Environment Part A – Overview. It was created by computer Cut & Paste, along with our edits, insertions and comments for clarification. The authors do not assure accuracy or correctness.
WHAT IS CONSIDERED THE ENVIRONMENT UNDER THE ACT?
In the Act, “environment” means,
(a) air, land or water,
(b) plant and animal life, including human life,
(c) the social, economic and cultural conditions that influence the life of humans or a community,
(d) any building, structure, machine or other device or thing made by humans,
(e) any solid, liquid, gas, odour, heat, sound, vibration or radiation resulting directly or indirectly from human activities, or
(f) any part or combination of the foregoing and the interrelationships between any two or more of them,
in or of Ontario
WHY DOES THE PROPONENT (THE DEVELOPER) HAVE TO MAKE AN EFFORT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU?
Under The Environmental Assessment Act it is the proponent’s (developer’s) responsibility to design and implement an appropriate consultation program for the project. The consultation program must provide appropriate opportunities and forums for the public to participate in the screening process. Failure to carry out adequate public consultation or to address public issues or concerns may result in requests to elevate the project (see Elevation Requests below).
WHEN DOES THE PROPONENT (THE DEVELOPER) HAVE TO INFORM YOU?
Proponents (developers) are required to prepare a Notice of Commencement at the beginning of a Screening to formally announce the project is subject to the Environmental Screening Process and is commencing. The Notice of Commencement must provide basic information on the project including a description of the project (proponents must include all phases and components of the project), including construction, turbines, transmission lines, outbuildings, roads, etc., the proposed locations, the proponent’s (developer’s) name and a contact name, address and phone number, the operation, and retirement of the project (the specifics are described in Part B of the Guide).
It is inappropriate for proponents to break up or “piecemeal” a larger project into separate components or phases, with each part addressed as a separate project.
WHO MUST BE INFORMED BY THE PROPONENT (THE DEVELOPER)?
All notices must be mailed or delivered to households in the immediate vicinity of the project and to affected government agencies. The notices should also be mailed or delivered to other potentially interested parties. The proponent (developer) should also mail or deliver the notices to other potentially affected agencies, municipalities, First Nations and other Aboriginal communities, landowners, residents, businesses, and local interest groups, even if they have not previously expressed an interest.
HOW DOES THE PROPONENT (DEVELOPER) SEND YOU INFORMATION?
The proponent is required to mail or deliver all notices to all who have expressed an interest in the project. For this purpose, the proponent (developer) is required to maintain throughout the screening process a mailing list of all persons and agencies that provide comment and input to the process or otherwise express an interest in the project. Proponents (developers) must make supporting information and copies of all correspondence related to the Environmental Screening Process available for public or agency review if requested.
HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?
Conducting a Screening - The proponent (developer) then applies the screening criteria (found in Appendix C of the Guide) to the project as it has been described in the project description outlined above. This involves answering a series of questions, based on the screening criteria, to identify the potential for any negative effects on the environment. The screening criteria are presented in the form of a checklist with the option of a “Yes” or “No” response. The completed Appendix C will form part of the final Screening Report and will be available for public review. Extensive studies and reports must be completed to prove and mitigate all identified potential negative environmental effects.
Public Consultation - The purpose of public consultation in the Environmental Screening Process is to allow the proponent (developer) to identify and address public concerns and issues and to provide the public with an opportunity to receive information about and make meaningful input into the project review and development.
Consultation is necessary for the proponent (developer) to:
- properly notify potentially interested and affected stakeholders;
- identify and assess the range of environmental and socio-economic effects of the project; and
- address the concerns of adjacent property owners, interest groups, First Nations and other Aboriginal communities, and members of the public that may be directly affected by some aspect of the project.
The applicant’s (developer’s) public consultation program should:
- identify potentially affected stakeholders;
- describe how the project may affect the environment;
- provide appropriate notification to identified stakeholders;
- inform the public where, when and how they can be involved;
- identify public concerns and issues related to the project;
- address public concerns and issues raised during the program; and
- document how public input is taken into account in the screening process and in the project planning and development.
THE FINAL NOTIFICATION
Upon completion of a Screening, the proponent (developer) must prepare and distribute a Notice of Completion. This notice is intended to inform public, First Nations and other Aboriginal communities, and agency stakeholders that the proponent (developer) has completed a Screening under the Environmental Screening Process and that the minimum 30-Day Review Period is commencing. The notice must also indicate where copies of the Screening Reports can be obtained or reviewed during the 30-Day Review Period. The notice must be placed in a local newspaper with circulation in the vicinity of the project (or an appropriate equivalent means of notifying the public where no such newspaper exists). THIS IS THE PUBLIC’S OPPORTUNITY TO POINT OUT DEFICIENCIES AND TO INSIST ON CREDIBLE ANSWERS USING ELEVATION REQUESTS.
YOU HAVE THE LEGISLATED RIGHT RECEIVE CREDIBLE ANSWERS
ELEVATION REQUESTS
Members of the public, First Nations and other Aboriginal communities, or agencies with outstanding environmental concerns regarding a project undergoing the screening process should bring their concerns to the attention of the proponent (developer) as early in the process as possible. If concerns are not resolved, the concerned party can ask the proponent (developer) to voluntarily elevate the project, either before or during the 30-Day Review Period. If the proponent (developer) declines to voluntarily elevate the project during the 30-Day Review Period, the party may write to the Director of the EAAB to request that the project be elevated.
If one or more requests for elevation of the project are received within the 30-Day Review Period by the Director of the Environmental Assessment & Approvals Branch (EAAB) of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, the project cannot proceed until the Director makes a decision on the request(s) for elevation.
- Director, Certificates of Approvals - Environmental Assessment & Approvals Branch is Doris Dumais: doris.dumais@ontario.ca
- Director (Acting) - Environmental Assessment & Approvals Branch is Agatha Garcia-Wright: agatha.garciawright@ontario.ca
- Ontario Minister of the Environment: John Gerretsen: jgerretsen.mpp@liberal.ola.org
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Abandoned Farms and Hydro Upgrades
The following pictures were just recently captured of the effects wind development has on a small rural town. Here is a short explanation by the photographer of what he saw:
"A few weeks ago a friend of mine and I went out to take photos of the new wind turbines put up by Enbridge in Bruce Township, near Kincardine. It was the first time we had been back to his old neighbourhood and he kept remarking on the drastic change to the landscape. We visited a number of his old neighbours who now live beside turbines. Everyone will recall how nobly, and a great expense to themselves, some of the people of this township fought at the public MOD hearing where they were ridiculed and belittled by the Enbridge lawyer and obviously ignored by the chairman.
The photos are revealing in that they demonstrate the enormous number of transmission lines that have been added to these quiet country roads. The photo of the transformer station illustrates the huge footprint taken up by a wind turbine development on the landscape. With its interconnecting transmission lines, it fragments the natural habitat.
The photo from the screen door is taken at the house of a farmer who was forced to sell his farm at a considerable discount because of the arrival of the wind turbines. He feels fortunate, however, to have sold it at all. Many other houses in the district have been for sale without buyers for many months."
"A few weeks ago a friend of mine and I went out to take photos of the new wind turbines put up by Enbridge in Bruce Township, near Kincardine. It was the first time we had been back to his old neighbourhood and he kept remarking on the drastic change to the landscape. We visited a number of his old neighbours who now live beside turbines. Everyone will recall how nobly, and a great expense to themselves, some of the people of this township fought at the public MOD hearing where they were ridiculed and belittled by the Enbridge lawyer and obviously ignored by the chairman.
The photos are revealing in that they demonstrate the enormous number of transmission lines that have been added to these quiet country roads. The photo of the transformer station illustrates the huge footprint taken up by a wind turbine development on the landscape. With its interconnecting transmission lines, it fragments the natural habitat.
The photo from the screen door is taken at the house of a farmer who was forced to sell his farm at a considerable discount because of the arrival of the wind turbines. He feels fortunate, however, to have sold it at all. Many other houses in the district have been for sale without buyers for many months."
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Madawaska Valley Council addressed by S.O.S.
Look closely at wind farms, council urged
On Monday night, Genevieve Jones of the group Save Our Skylines (SOS) attended the Madawaska Valley council meeting with a list of questions submitted to SOS. Council has indicated it planned to visit a wind farm in the near future and Jones asked that members consider her questions while on the excursion.
“We’re concerned that wind companies are not giving full side of the story,” Jones said.
One question dealt with long-term effects of the wind farms on property values, health, tourism and the environment.
Councillor Phil Conway, who chaired the meeting, said he’d heard at the SOS public information meeting that property values would be lowered, but said he’d also heard that the lands where turbines are installed are often of low value anyway. Councillor Bonnie Mask said she had heard concerns about noise from the turbines and about the deer hunt.
Jones wondered about the safety of groundwater.
“We’ve heard that they will have to do blasting to put the foundations for the turbines in,” she said. “How will that impact groundwater and wells?’
Conway stated the township “has an agreement with these people that they can’t do anything until they report back to this council. That hasn’t happened yet.”
Councillor Sylvie Yantha said council would be better able to answer Jones’ questions after the wind farm tour. Jones asked if the community of Kincardine is on the tour.
The council’s original plans were to visit Shelburne; Councillor Shelley Maika asked why Jones mentioned Kincardine.
“We’ve heard of people who have had to leave their homes” because of the turbines, Jones responded.
CAO/Clerk Pat Pilgrim advised those at the table that the township has been invited to join other municipalities in a bus trip to the Prince Wind Farm near Sault Ste. Marie.
“Bonnechere Valley is organizing this trip; the consensus is that the terrain in that area is similar to ours,” she said.
In a telephone conversation with Bonnechere Valley CAO/Clerk Bryan Martin Tuesday morning, he said it made sense for the municipalities to combine forces.
“Several municipalities have been talking individually about visiting wind farms, so why not save money and go together?” he said.
“There is no sense looking at a wind farm in open farm land in southern Ontario,” he added. “The terrain in the Soo is similar to here.”
Martin said he is hoping those taking the trip will be able to talk to people who live close to the wind farm as well as see the turbines in action. The trip is expected to take place early in October. Madawaska Valley Township has yet to confirm whether it will join the trip to the Soo or visit the Shelburne area on its own.
By Heather Kendall
Barry’s Bay This Week
17 September 2008
On Monday night, Genevieve Jones of the group Save Our Skylines (SOS) attended the Madawaska Valley council meeting with a list of questions submitted to SOS. Council has indicated it planned to visit a wind farm in the near future and Jones asked that members consider her questions while on the excursion.
“We’re concerned that wind companies are not giving full side of the story,” Jones said.
One question dealt with long-term effects of the wind farms on property values, health, tourism and the environment.
Councillor Phil Conway, who chaired the meeting, said he’d heard at the SOS public information meeting that property values would be lowered, but said he’d also heard that the lands where turbines are installed are often of low value anyway. Councillor Bonnie Mask said she had heard concerns about noise from the turbines and about the deer hunt.
Jones wondered about the safety of groundwater.
“We’ve heard that they will have to do blasting to put the foundations for the turbines in,” she said. “How will that impact groundwater and wells?’
Conway stated the township “has an agreement with these people that they can’t do anything until they report back to this council. That hasn’t happened yet.”
Councillor Sylvie Yantha said council would be better able to answer Jones’ questions after the wind farm tour. Jones asked if the community of Kincardine is on the tour.
The council’s original plans were to visit Shelburne; Councillor Shelley Maika asked why Jones mentioned Kincardine.
“We’ve heard of people who have had to leave their homes” because of the turbines, Jones responded.
CAO/Clerk Pat Pilgrim advised those at the table that the township has been invited to join other municipalities in a bus trip to the Prince Wind Farm near Sault Ste. Marie.
“Bonnechere Valley is organizing this trip; the consensus is that the terrain in that area is similar to ours,” she said.
In a telephone conversation with Bonnechere Valley CAO/Clerk Bryan Martin Tuesday morning, he said it made sense for the municipalities to combine forces.
“Several municipalities have been talking individually about visiting wind farms, so why not save money and go together?” he said.
“There is no sense looking at a wind farm in open farm land in southern Ontario,” he added. “The terrain in the Soo is similar to here.”
Martin said he is hoping those taking the trip will be able to talk to people who live close to the wind farm as well as see the turbines in action. The trip is expected to take place early in October. Madawaska Valley Township has yet to confirm whether it will join the trip to the Soo or visit the Shelburne area on its own.
By Heather Kendall
Barry’s Bay This Week
17 September 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Wilno will experience this!
Small town ripe for Wind Developers and DESTRUCTION!
September 4, 2008
The Town of Barre is about to enter a growing club, comprised of communities that have said YES to wind development. With the passage of their law permitting wind turbines to be built anywhere in the town with minimal setback and noise protections, Barre is ripe for development.
What will Barre’s future look like? Well, now that the Spanish company Iberdrola has managed to bypass the major safeguards usually imposed on utility companies, they are eager to find places to build their tax shelters – er, wind farms. Erecting wind turbines, whether in windy areas or in places where they won’t generate a single kW of electricity (like Barre) will provide them with enough tax credits and subsidies to pay off their investment in a few short years and also shelter them from paying taxes on most of the income that Energy East will earn them in New York State. For some reason, those facts escaped our elected officials, and didn’t deter them from heavily promoting the deal as a good one for New Yorkers (huh?).
But back to Barre, a small, rural, mostly flat township 10 miles south of Lake Ontario in western New York. A few powerful farmers and quarry owners dominate the political landscape here, and soon their wind turbines will dominate the actual landscape. Neighbors are being enticed to sign leases and agreements for a few thousand dollars that will tie up their land for decades and prohibit them from complaining about any of the nuisances that the turbines generate, and from even saying anything to their friends or family members about what they have done. The strain is already starting to be felt: people avoiding one another, refusing to speak openly when asked, or just plain telling others “It’s none of your business.” Funny how putting up a 420 ft. tall machine that may make loud noises just a thousand feet from your home is considered none of your business, but in this community it is. People are afraid to speak out, for fear of severing life-long friendships. Wait until they see what the presence of those machines does to those relationships.
So now the law is passed and Iberdrola has been busy signing people up. Next will come the earth moving equipment to blast and dig holes for the bases, then the trucks carrying 50-ton loads of towers and nacelles and blades, and the giant cranes to erect them. It won’t take long. The parts have been stored off the Thruway at various locations, just waiting for the formality of approval from the Public Service Commission. Now that that charade is over, the trucks will roll!
If it’s not too windy, the towers will go up quickly, mostly by specialized crews from outside our area. Our little restaurants and delis will see a short boom in business while they are here. But before you know it, these workers will be gone, leaving us with several gleaming white towers supporting giant blades that will stand there. And stand there. Our wind in Barre is pretty fickle – too light to drive those giant blades most of the time and too strong for their hubs during times of high winds. So they will produce very little, if any, electricity that can be sold into the grid. We won’t know that, of course, because like the results of the meteorological towers that have been up for a couple years to measure our wind, we will never be allowed to see the results of their meters. The wind industry very carefully guards that information, claiming it is “proprietary” and that releasing it would somehow put them at a disadvantage against their competition. Except that they don’t have any competition. Before Thanksgiving, they will have gotten everyone who can be persuaded to part with their judgment for a few bucks to agree to permit the company to use their land for wind development for decades to come. Why an intelligent person would tie up their land, not only during their lifetime but for the lives of their children, is hard to understand. There is something about having money waved under your nose that makes otherwise good people do truly stupid – even harmful – things.
It probably wouldn’t matter if these greedy fools were the only ones who suffered the consequences. But the tragedy is that the ones who profit the most will probably move south in years to come, leaving everyone else to deal with the mess they have created.
What mess? Well, 60 or more turbines will march across our town in any direction that works for the developer. So expect them all over the most beautiful part of town where the open land and woods harbor all kinds of wildlife. When that room is used up, the turbines will be built 1000 ft. from homes and businesses, so that the maximum number of machines can be squeezed onto the land. If a property is needed for transmission lines, it will be taken by eminent domain and its owner minimally compensated for the loss. No one will be exempt, except those with large parcels who have agreements with the wind developer to keep the turbines away from their homes. Once again, the aristocracy comes out on top, and the rest of us suffer. I thought we lived in a democracy, but I must have been dreaming.
In a decade or two we will look very different from today. Now, we are a bucolic landscape with a few industrial intrusions. Tomorrow we will be an industrial wasteland, with perhaps a few corners of untouched beauty. The aging towers will stand idle, rusting and dripping hydraulic fluid all over the ground, contaminating what was supposed to be returned to farmland when the turbines were no more. But the money that built them will be long gone and its owners untraceable, and the locals will be stuck trying to find a way to finance the demolition of millions of dollars of aging equipment. The bonds and funds promised to pay for this will have proven to be worth no more than recycled paper. Anyone who could afford to leave the area and could manage to find a community where such degradation was not permitted, will have sold and moved away. Those left, the old, the poor, the family-bound, will not be able to deal with the costs. It will be a bleak and lonely landscape, indeed.
But never fear; a savior will rush in! The government of Abu Dhabi, providing Iberdrola with our oil dollars to build their turbines, will be happy to buy our farmland at fire-sale prices. The barren Middle East is facing a food crisis, and fertile farmland, even if somewhat polluted by wind turbines, is exactly what they need to feed their populations.
How will we feed ours, when we’ve industrialized our farmland and then given it away? Apparently nobody in power is concerned about that today. That will be a problem for the next generation to worry about. Our state agencies are more concerned about enriching farmers than they are with preserving farming, or they would never permit the industrialization of prime farmland like that in Barre. And our Barre farmers apparently aren’t very committed to farming, if they would sign deals that will bring such a future to their acreage.
As I read over what I just wrote, I think that I am a lunatic – and you probably do, too. I hope I’m dreaming and will soon wake up from this nightmare. But in case I don’t, hold on to this article for a couple decades and see how much of it comes true. I sincerely hope I am dead wrong, but I have an awful feeling that I have never been so right.
September 4, 2008
The Town of Barre is about to enter a growing club, comprised of communities that have said YES to wind development. With the passage of their law permitting wind turbines to be built anywhere in the town with minimal setback and noise protections, Barre is ripe for development.
What will Barre’s future look like? Well, now that the Spanish company Iberdrola has managed to bypass the major safeguards usually imposed on utility companies, they are eager to find places to build their tax shelters – er, wind farms. Erecting wind turbines, whether in windy areas or in places where they won’t generate a single kW of electricity (like Barre) will provide them with enough tax credits and subsidies to pay off their investment in a few short years and also shelter them from paying taxes on most of the income that Energy East will earn them in New York State. For some reason, those facts escaped our elected officials, and didn’t deter them from heavily promoting the deal as a good one for New Yorkers (huh?).
But back to Barre, a small, rural, mostly flat township 10 miles south of Lake Ontario in western New York. A few powerful farmers and quarry owners dominate the political landscape here, and soon their wind turbines will dominate the actual landscape. Neighbors are being enticed to sign leases and agreements for a few thousand dollars that will tie up their land for decades and prohibit them from complaining about any of the nuisances that the turbines generate, and from even saying anything to their friends or family members about what they have done. The strain is already starting to be felt: people avoiding one another, refusing to speak openly when asked, or just plain telling others “It’s none of your business.” Funny how putting up a 420 ft. tall machine that may make loud noises just a thousand feet from your home is considered none of your business, but in this community it is. People are afraid to speak out, for fear of severing life-long friendships. Wait until they see what the presence of those machines does to those relationships.
So now the law is passed and Iberdrola has been busy signing people up. Next will come the earth moving equipment to blast and dig holes for the bases, then the trucks carrying 50-ton loads of towers and nacelles and blades, and the giant cranes to erect them. It won’t take long. The parts have been stored off the Thruway at various locations, just waiting for the formality of approval from the Public Service Commission. Now that that charade is over, the trucks will roll!
If it’s not too windy, the towers will go up quickly, mostly by specialized crews from outside our area. Our little restaurants and delis will see a short boom in business while they are here. But before you know it, these workers will be gone, leaving us with several gleaming white towers supporting giant blades that will stand there. And stand there. Our wind in Barre is pretty fickle – too light to drive those giant blades most of the time and too strong for their hubs during times of high winds. So they will produce very little, if any, electricity that can be sold into the grid. We won’t know that, of course, because like the results of the meteorological towers that have been up for a couple years to measure our wind, we will never be allowed to see the results of their meters. The wind industry very carefully guards that information, claiming it is “proprietary” and that releasing it would somehow put them at a disadvantage against their competition. Except that they don’t have any competition. Before Thanksgiving, they will have gotten everyone who can be persuaded to part with their judgment for a few bucks to agree to permit the company to use their land for wind development for decades to come. Why an intelligent person would tie up their land, not only during their lifetime but for the lives of their children, is hard to understand. There is something about having money waved under your nose that makes otherwise good people do truly stupid – even harmful – things.
It probably wouldn’t matter if these greedy fools were the only ones who suffered the consequences. But the tragedy is that the ones who profit the most will probably move south in years to come, leaving everyone else to deal with the mess they have created.
What mess? Well, 60 or more turbines will march across our town in any direction that works for the developer. So expect them all over the most beautiful part of town where the open land and woods harbor all kinds of wildlife. When that room is used up, the turbines will be built 1000 ft. from homes and businesses, so that the maximum number of machines can be squeezed onto the land. If a property is needed for transmission lines, it will be taken by eminent domain and its owner minimally compensated for the loss. No one will be exempt, except those with large parcels who have agreements with the wind developer to keep the turbines away from their homes. Once again, the aristocracy comes out on top, and the rest of us suffer. I thought we lived in a democracy, but I must have been dreaming.
In a decade or two we will look very different from today. Now, we are a bucolic landscape with a few industrial intrusions. Tomorrow we will be an industrial wasteland, with perhaps a few corners of untouched beauty. The aging towers will stand idle, rusting and dripping hydraulic fluid all over the ground, contaminating what was supposed to be returned to farmland when the turbines were no more. But the money that built them will be long gone and its owners untraceable, and the locals will be stuck trying to find a way to finance the demolition of millions of dollars of aging equipment. The bonds and funds promised to pay for this will have proven to be worth no more than recycled paper. Anyone who could afford to leave the area and could manage to find a community where such degradation was not permitted, will have sold and moved away. Those left, the old, the poor, the family-bound, will not be able to deal with the costs. It will be a bleak and lonely landscape, indeed.
But never fear; a savior will rush in! The government of Abu Dhabi, providing Iberdrola with our oil dollars to build their turbines, will be happy to buy our farmland at fire-sale prices. The barren Middle East is facing a food crisis, and fertile farmland, even if somewhat polluted by wind turbines, is exactly what they need to feed their populations.
How will we feed ours, when we’ve industrialized our farmland and then given it away? Apparently nobody in power is concerned about that today. That will be a problem for the next generation to worry about. Our state agencies are more concerned about enriching farmers than they are with preserving farming, or they would never permit the industrialization of prime farmland like that in Barre. And our Barre farmers apparently aren’t very committed to farming, if they would sign deals that will bring such a future to their acreage.
As I read over what I just wrote, I think that I am a lunatic – and you probably do, too. I hope I’m dreaming and will soon wake up from this nightmare. But in case I don’t, hold on to this article for a couple decades and see how much of it comes true. I sincerely hope I am dead wrong, but I have an awful feeling that I have never been so right.
Monday, September 1, 2008
HERE'S THE ANSWER
When discussing the "cons" of Industrializing pristine landscapes with huge 400 foot Wind Turbines you always get the argument that "progress" has it's costs and the inevitable question: "So what's your answer?"
Here in a nutshell is THE ANSWER! CONSERVATION!
If the Government is offering up billions of taxpayers dollars to offer an "alternative renewable energy resource" instead of allowing a few multi national corporations to grab all that money and plop down a "destructive pile of wind monsters" onto virtually wild, beautiful rural landscapes; why not offer subsidies to individuals who are much more "caring" and responsible" with their own environment.
The following pictures will show what just one family have developed on their little piece of land to "get off the grid". They have used Solar, Wind and Water to generate electricity.
This is a cottage in our beautiful Madawaska Valley that has heated pressurized water for washing and showering. Their small and "green friendly power concept" supplies electricity for lights, TV, fans and small appliances. They use Propane for cooking and though they don't have enough power for things like a freezer or microwave, they enjoy a quality of life that many of us take for granted.
Of course the Government wouldn't want to see a reduction in Hydro Electric use off their grid as then the large Power Corporation would lose valuable revenue.
Somewhat the same problem could arise if everyone would stop buying gasoline. The huge Oil Companies would "lose their shirt!"
All in all this proliferation of Wind Turbine technology that is wiping out wildlife, destroying landscapes, destroying property values and is causing health concerns is all "profit driven" and has nothing to do with "Green Energy"
TRAGIC!
Here in a nutshell is THE ANSWER! CONSERVATION!
If the Government is offering up billions of taxpayers dollars to offer an "alternative renewable energy resource" instead of allowing a few multi national corporations to grab all that money and plop down a "destructive pile of wind monsters" onto virtually wild, beautiful rural landscapes; why not offer subsidies to individuals who are much more "caring" and responsible" with their own environment.
The following pictures will show what just one family have developed on their little piece of land to "get off the grid". They have used Solar, Wind and Water to generate electricity.
This is a cottage in our beautiful Madawaska Valley that has heated pressurized water for washing and showering. Their small and "green friendly power concept" supplies electricity for lights, TV, fans and small appliances. They use Propane for cooking and though they don't have enough power for things like a freezer or microwave, they enjoy a quality of life that many of us take for granted.
Of course the Government wouldn't want to see a reduction in Hydro Electric use off their grid as then the large Power Corporation would lose valuable revenue.
Somewhat the same problem could arise if everyone would stop buying gasoline. The huge Oil Companies would "lose their shirt!"
All in all this proliferation of Wind Turbine technology that is wiping out wildlife, destroying landscapes, destroying property values and is causing health concerns is all "profit driven" and has nothing to do with "Green Energy"
TRAGIC!
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