The Myth of “Settled” Science

By Charles Krauthammer  National Post  February 21, 2014

Computer models of climate change have been dead wrong, yet alarmists aim to quell debate.

I repeat: I’m not a global-warming believer. I’m not a global-warming denier. I’ve long believed that it cannot be good for humanity to be spewing tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. I also believe that those scientists who pretend to know exactly what this will cause in 20, 30, or 50 years are white-coated propagandists.

“The debate is settled,” asserted propagandist-in-chief Barack Obama in his latest State of the Union address. “Climate change is a fact.” Really? There is nothing more anti-scientific than the very idea that science is settled, static, impervious to challenge. Take a non-climate example. It was long assumed that mammograms help reduce breast cancer deaths. This fact was so settled that Obamacare requires every insurance plan to offer mammograms (for free, no less).

Now we learn from a massive randomized study — 90,000 women followed for 25 years — that mammograms may have no effect on breast-cancer deaths. Indeed, one out of five of of those diagnosed by mammogram receives unnecessary radiation, chemo, or surgery.

So much for settledness. And climate is less well understood than breast cancer. If climate science is settled, why do its predictions keep changing? And how is it that the great physicist Freeman Dyson, who did some climate research in the late 1970s, thinks today’s climate-change Cassandras are hopelessly mistaken?  Read rest of article here.

Sad news Ostrander Point ERT Appeal Decision revoked by divisional court

Court favours wind turbines over Blanding’s turtle

An Ontario court has ruled that an environmental tribunal erred when it rejected a proposed wind farm that threatens the habitat of Blanding’s turtles.

By John Spears Toronto Star

Blanding’s turtle is in trouble again: An Ontario court has cleared the way for a wind farm that an environmental tribunal says will threaten the turtle’s habitat.

The modest reptile had stood in the way of a wind farm at Ostrander Point in Prince Edward County.

But a divisional court panel ruled Thursday that the environmental tribunal made six errors of law in reaching its conclusion that the wind farm would cause “serious and irreversible harm” to the turtle.

The court restored the decision by provincial officials, allowing Gilead Power to proceed with the project, which would erect nine big wind turbines on the site.

It was a bitter blow to local nature and conservation groups. They had argued the wind farm – and the increased traffic associated with it – would harm not just the turtles, but also birds, bats and the rare “alvar” ecosystem at Ostrander Point.

The court sided with Gilead.  Read rest of article.

Spain plans end to all pre-2004 subsidies

WindResistanceofMelancthon's avatarWind Resistance of Melancthon

SPAIN: The Spanish government said it plans to end all price subsidies for wind capacity online before end-2004, while slashing remuneration for younger capacity.

The full 1,700-page regulation, a summary of its long-awaited renewables regulation, was sent to regulator CNMC for a 20-day consultation period. It has not yet been made public.

The summary alone, nonetheless, discloses an act of institutional “retroactive looting”, Spanish wind association AEE told Windpower Monthly.

Investors behind all of Spain’s 22.6GW of online wind capacity were drawn by the state’s promise of maintaining feed-in tariffs for 20 years.

Just over 8.4GW was online by end-2004. Under the new regulation, all that capacity will now only receive the wholesale power market price.

The proposed regulation, to take immediate effect, establishes 1,600 parameters for calculating renewables remuneration. It fleshes out a June 2013 law replacing all renewables feed-in tariffs with a remuneration based, instead, on a “reasonable…

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Tim Hudak demands Energy Minister halt wind power approvals

freewco's avatarWIND CONCERNS ONTARIO: On WordPress

Opposition Leader Tim Hudak has issued an open letter to Energy Minister Chiarelli, demanding he halt wind power approvals.

Letter-HudaktoChiarelli-Feb192014

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PCs confirm vow to repeal Green Energy Act

freewco's avatarWIND CONCERNS ONTARIO: On WordPress

For Immediate Release

February 19, 2014

ONTARIO PC’S RE-AFFIRM COMMITMENT TO SCRAP GREEN ENERGY ACT

(Queen’s Park)- Ontario PC MPPs Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton) and Lisa Thompson (Huron Bruce) offered the following statement on the PC Plan to scrap the Green Energy Act:

“Ontario PC Party under Tim Hudak maintains its commitment to scrap the Green Energy Act.

“That means we would remove subsidies on wind and solar, we would restore locally based decision making and we would implement a moratorium on developments until health and environmental impacts are assessed.

“The Green Energy Act is disastrous for rural Ontarians who live near these intrusive developments and anyone paying a Hydro bill in Ontario is paying this $22 B boondoggle on their bills.

“Many people like Esther Wrightman of Middlesex County are relying on us to form a government and end this bad plan.

“The PC Party stands with Esther and everyone…

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MOE still ignoring red flag for setback distances?

Letter Response to Lois Johnson From MOE Febuary 12,2014

Lois replies back.

Ms. Garcia-Wright:

Re:  reply of February 12, 2014  (reply is attached)

Once again, you have managed to avoid my question.  I am not concerned about the proponent using the Noise Guidelines for Wind Farms.  I understand that NRWC is following the regulations by doing so.

My concern lies with NRWC saying they are noise compliant at distances less than 600 m while the Environmental Protection Act states that turbines with a sound power level of 106 and 107 dBA must be at least 950 m from a non-participating receptor.  In fact when there are more than 5 turbines clustered less than 3 km, the distance must be increased to 1200 m.

The EPA was written by the ministry.  I have to assume that it was written by staff with technical expertise.  How can the EPA be so different from the noise assessment that NRWC submitted?  This is my question.

This huge discrepancy in setback distances should raise a red flag for the MOE.  The difference is not just a matter of a few metres, it is several hundred metres.

Please reply to my concern.

Yours truly,

Lois Johnson

CALLING ALL WIND WARRIORS

PROTEST AT QUEENS PARK  IN TORONTO                                                                            11AM, FEBRUARY 24TH 2014

On FEB 24 we will let ALL politicians at Queens Park know that WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY and that existing and proposed industrial wind turbines have to be dealt with and will AGAIN be a major election issue.

Mothers Against Turbines is putting the challenge out there to show MPPs and Toronto that the years of abuse of provincial power has to stop!

Let’s rise to the occasion and send a very clear message to MPPs that industrial wind turbines cannot continue to desecrate our health, homes and communities.

Bring your signs! Bring your noisemakers! Bring your megaphones!

Plans are for a few speakers and a march to the Royal York/Fairmount Hotel to OGRA – Ontario Good Roads Association – handing out information along our way. March will be 30-40 minutes in length. Municipal and provincial elected reps will be at OGRA to see that this issue is not going away simply because the current govt. chooses to ignore it!

For that day, I am arranging for a coach bus to leave Chatsworth at approx. 8:00am with stops in Markdale, Flesherton, Dundalk, Shelburne and Orangeville. We will leave Toronto at 3:00pm. Cost of $35.00 per person covers bus and simple lunch, lunch to be supplied for the ride home.

Smithville Mall: 9:00

Fortinos Parking lot at Hwy 20 and Hwy 53: 9:15

Pick up: Chatsworth Arena: 8:00

Markdale, across from Foodland: 8:25

Flesherton, across from Munshaw’s: 8:35

Dundalk, Esso Station: 8:50

Shelburne, No Frills Parking Lot: 9:10

Orangeville, in FRONT of Walmart: 9:40

Let’s fill this and any other bus anyone takes the care and time to arrange to help you get to this event!

All actions count and the timing for this one will get a message to all running in the upcoming election. Let’s wake ’em up on Feb. 24th!

  

Wind turbines, more proof of lack of Liberal R & D

Hamilton, ON, Canada / AM900 CHML | Hamilton’s News Talk Leader
February 11, 2014 07:00 am

The West Lincoln Glambrook Wind Action Group has been fighting against wind turbines for years saying their interests are not being considered because the Liberal government has taken away powers at the local level leaving them unrepresented and vulnerable.

The result, many communities are unwilling hosts, but the turbines are built anyway.

Lots has been said about the distance or set back these turbines must be from residential buildings and property lines.

The action group says the current guidelines say the turbines must be back from properties lines at least the height of the turbine at its hub.

The Ministry of the Environment has measured, and three of the five turbines are in violation, against the wishes of the neighbouring properties.

The MOE says it will try to rectify the violation with the neighbours, which really means, we’ll write you a big cheque with taxpayer’s money to look the other way.

Whether you agree or disagree with the citizens, clearly there was not enough research done before these projects were started and there certainly isn’t any follow up inspection during construction or after the fact.

You think moving power plants was costly, wait ‘till we see what this Liberal screw up ends up costing us.

I’m Scott Thompson.

Listen to Scott talk to Tim Hudak regarding the West Lincoln wind turbines and wind energy in Ontario.

https://soundcloud.com/am900chml/tim-hudak-february-12-2014

Residents demand wind permit cancellation

Grimsby Lincoln News Amanda Moore Febuary 12, 2014

WEST LINCOLN — A discovery by a West Lincoln property owner has stalled operation of industrial wind turbines in West Lincoln — for now.

A spokesperson for Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley confirmed via email Monday the ministry is aware that three of the five HAF Wind Energy turbines are in violation of setback requirements. While the turbines are 550 metres from the closest home, three do not meet property line setbacks established by the ministry.

“It appeared to the blind eye that they were too close to my property,” said Anne Meinen, a Beamsville resident who owns property in West Lincoln.

Meinen took her concerns to the West Lincoln Glanbrook Wind Action Group, which helped her determine the distance of the turbine from her property.

Group chairman Neil Switzer said the group used a range finder to establish the setback distances to ensure they didn’t encroach on the host property. They found four setback infractions, with the largest affecting Meinen’s property.

The 95-metre tower is 27 metres too close to her property. Meinen said the ministry’s allowance for the three turbines to be built is unacceptable.

“This is not a pro or con wind turbine issue,” said Meinen. “The issue is that somebody built something contrary to regulations and encroaching on my property lines … there are regulations regarding the setback distance from property lines for a reason, including ensuring my ability to enjoy my property, for my safety and the protection of my property values, amongst others.  For this turbine to be constructed where it was, is completely unacceptable and I await word from (the ministry) on what they plan to do about it.”

Read rest of article here.