Category Archives: Environment

Adverse Health Effects, Animals and turbines, Environment, ERT Appeal, Green Energy, Health, legal challenges

Bat remedy hearing concludes

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brown-bat

Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson demands to know why wind power developers get a remedy hearing on endangered bats when harm has been proven. Minister Murray replied he would have to resign if he intervenes in the independence of the Environmental Tribunal process but it is the Green Energy Act that allows wind projects to be approved. Under the Green Energy Act the Minister has authority to intervene.  The Minister to resign over the harm caused by wind projects?  What an interesting idea!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Turbine Hearing Concludes

Collingwood | by Catherine Thompson  

yet more submissions in long-running case

A hearing to do with a wind turbine proposal near Stayner took one day instead of three.

The Environmental Review Tribunal allowed WPD Canada to have a Remedy Hearing to present ways to reduce harm to natural heritage, mainly the Little Brown Bat.

The hearing, held in Collingwood council chambers, was originally to start on Monday, but that day was cancelled because a witness was unavailable. The hearing, on Tuesday, heard from three witnesses.

Dr. Scott Reynolds, presenting for WPD Canada, via Skype, says they would slow down the turbine speed when bats are in the air in an effort to decrease the number of bat deaths.

The second witness, Susan Holroyd, a wildlife biologist specializing in bats, appeared by Skype, on the appellant, Preserve Clearview’s side.

The third and last witness was Ecologist Sarah Mainguy, also for the opponent’s side. She told the hearing there are huge uncertainties in this application such as the number of bats and their exact route in the areas of the turbines. She added that the mitigation suggestions from WPD Canada are not good enough.

Witnesses and lawyers could not comment on the hearing proceedings, but Chuck Magwood of Preserve Clearview, was in the audience.  He says he agrees with their witnesses that one dead Little Brown Bat, which is an endangered species, is too many.

WPD has until March 31st to make written submissions, the opponents have four weeks to reply and then another two weeks for WPD to rebut the reply, taking the latest round in the turbine discussions to May 12th.

Magwood says he expects a decision by the Environmental Review Tribunal in June.

READ AT: http://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=91434

 

Adverse Health Effects, Animals and turbines, Aviation, Environment, fighting big wind., harm to wildlife

Remedy Hearing – Little Brown Bats take centre stage

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brown-batWE THOUGHT IT WAS OVER! TURBINE FIGHT STILL GOING! REMEDY HEARING FEB. 28TH!

Wind project developer  (WPD) have been granted another chance that could allow them to install wind turbines at Clearview.  They lost at the Tribunal on the grounds the project would cause serious harm to human health due to the wind turbines interfering and creating risks for safe aviation movements at the adjacent Collingwood airport.  Serious harm to bats was proven.  collingwood_airport_12

ON TUESDAY, FEB. 28. LITTLE BROWN BATS ARE CENTRE STAGE!

A REMEDY HEARING has been granted to allow WPD to present their mitigations measures which need to prove that the mortalities caused by the wind turbines will not cause irreversible  harm to the critically endangered bat population which is facing possible extinction.

Hearing
(28-Feb-17, 10:30 AM)
Hearing
(01-Mar-17, 10:00 AM)

WHERE? Council Chambers, Collingwood, Town Of Collingwood, P.O. Box 157, 97 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

To confirm dates and times look up case number 16-036 under hearings section on the Environmental Review Tribunal website: http://elto.gov.on.ca/ert/hearings/

[220] The Tribunal finds that over the lifespan the Project, it is more likely than not that the Project will cause serious harm to the local population of little brown myotis from which it will not recover and cannot be reversed. Therefore, without additional mitigation measures in place, the Tribunal finds that engaging in the Project in accordance with the REA will cause irreversible harm to little brown myotis.

16-036 WIGGINS V. ONTARIO(MOECC): http://elto.gov.on.ca/ert/hearings/

DECISION:

Children Affected, Environment, Health, Noise

Looking for Noise Solutions at Port Ryerse Wind

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Port Ryerse Wind is located on the shores of Lake Erie in southern Ontario and is owned by Boralex: (http://www.boralex.com/projects/portryerse) The project has been allowed to be built, operated  and continues to faces strong opposition.  Four Siemens SWT 3.0 113 wind turbine generators began operating in December 2016.  The project already has generated multiple noise complaints from the villagers. Even one of the lease holder hosting a turbine has admitted the noise was louder than anticipated.  READ HERE: https://mothersagainstturbines.com/2017/02/17/boralex-faces-angry-port-ryerse-residents/ 

The project was granted approval by the Ontario government to disturb and intrude upon the first documented nesting site of barn owls in Ontario known in over 5 years. The turbine blades sweep perilous close to an eagle pair and their established nesting territory.  It is just a matter of time for the next Eagle death in Ontario due to wind turbines to occur.  The time is now to stop harming human health and the environment from wind project installations.

February 25, 2017

In response to the media reports of the February 15, 2017 Community Liaison Committee meeting…

As a participant to filling-out Boralex Noise Complaint Forms, there is a serious need to strive toward a solution with the noise generated by the Port Ryerse wind-farm.

One has to give their head a shake as to why four wind turbines were plunked in the middle of the communities of Avalon, Hay Creek and Port Ryerse. As reported, depending on weather and where one lives, the annoying turbine noise in these communities is constant, loud, with serious and confusing audible phasing in certain areas. Residents are quite upset, as they fought against the Ontario Government and lost, and now they are faced with the frustrations experienced by the day-and-night-time noise.

As reported in the media, there was hate witnessed and expressed toward Boralex, their turbine partners, and the Ontario Government at this meeting. An invasion of any sort can spur hatred, and hatred will eat people up inside. Especially over time!

Hate is a powerful word, but in this case it can hold true, as there is a medical term that can be attributed to this hatred; “MISOPHONIA” HATRED of NOISE. Clear test results show that it affects the anterior insula, which physically affects amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex creating permanent brain changes by an increase in the myelin wrapping of neurons. In other words, (hard wiring) of the brain to the noise which created this condition.

Think what damage can be done to a child’s brain, when that child grows-up in the environment of wind turbine noise.

This growing psychosis within our communities was created firstly, by those who dreamed of a financial coup by offering up their land to wind turbines. Secondly by a government that took away the voice of the people in order to obtain their objective by implementing the now “halted” Green Energy Act, and thirdly by a company which capitalized on the opportunities presented.

After 500 people had signed a petition, and fought for five years at the Tribunals against the proposal, the communities are now left only with the noise invasion and the reduction in property values.

What SOLUTIONS can be achieved to reduce the noise? Start monitoring right now, when the leaves are off the trees. Not later. Return the voice of the people to our municipal government, by partnering municipal support with concerned residents in an independent monitoring study with clear lines-of-sight to receptors in order to refute, or agree with government findings. The objectives would be to reduce noise to levels agreed upon by the community rate-payers and to enforce the municipal noise bylaws by trimming the pitch on the turbine blades to lessen their impact against the wind, thus reducing the levels of noise and hate. The Provincial Government would then compensate Boralex for their financial loss in energy production, as found in… (Hansard page G-518, last paragraph) “The study found problems and the closest turbine at 456m shut down permanently, the next nearest turbine at 700m, along with three others now run at low rpm so that they’re not emitting as much noise, and then they shut them down at night”.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources the Port Ryerse Wind Farm is allowed to kill 2 Raptors in one year and no more than 10 bats per turbine in the same year before adjustments to slow down the turbines would ever take place. Another plus for trimming the pitch on the turbines is that it would provide a measure of safety for the immature Bald Eagles within the wind farm if we act soon enough! One Bald Eagle killed will destroy the chances of future successful nestings!!

RW Goodlet
Port Ryerse

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ADAM GOODLET

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Canada Wind, Environment, Green Energy

Federal Government abandons wind project on Nova Scotia’s Sable Island

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sable-island-horsesThe harsh environment of wind swept Sable Island located off the shores of Nova Scotia famed for its wild horses has claimed the demise of wind turbines. The turbines  are coming down. Sharing a place in the history of the island known as a graveyard for hundreds of shipwrecks  on the Atlantic. The toll now includes five failed wind turbines.

SableIsland postcards2.indd

By Aly Tomson   The Canadian Press    Sunday February 19. 2017

HALIFAX—The harsh conditions and extreme isolation of Sable Island has forced Ottawa to abandon a wind project on the iconic crescent-shaped sandbar — more than 15 years after it launched the initiative.

Parks Canada said wind turbines do not meet the needs of the windswept Nova Scotia island, famous for the wild horses that have roamed there since the 18th century.

“The wind turbines were part of a … project to reduce Sable Island’s dependence on fossil fuels, and were chosen based on the renewable energy technology that existed at that time,” the department said in an email statement about the million-dollar, overbudget initiative.

“Since then, there have been considerable advancements in the field of renewable energy systems.”

Dubbed the Graveyard of the Atlantic, some 350 vessels have wrecked on the island’s shores and hidden reefs since the mid-1700s. It is home to hundreds of namesake horses that have become synonymous with its romantic and untamed image.

Environment Canada launched the pilot project in 2000 — which would have seen the five wind turbines generate energy onto the grid of the island known for its shifting sand dunes and fragile environment.

But when Parks Canada took over management of the 40-kilometre-long island when it became a national park reserve in 2013, the wind turbines were not functioning.

“The project faced several delays due to the environmental sensitivity of the site and wildlife concerns, as well as the isolated and harsh conditions,” the department said, adding that the turbines were fully installed and running in 2006.

“Unfortunately, technical problems continued due to the harsh conditions and the inability to adapt the technology to the operations of the other infrastructure at the site.”

sable-island-horses-2

READ MORE  AT: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/02/19/federal-government-abandons-wind-energy-project-on-nova-scotias-sable-island.html

Destruction from turbines, Environment, Green Energy, Uncategorized

Tree Cutting Penalty. A Licence to Kill?

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Cedar-Point-Trees-cut-3-1024x768.jpg
Site of unauthorized clear cutting that occurred during construction of Cedar Wind. Lambton County, Ontario

Taking down trees even those under provincial protection is occurring in multiple wind projects and punitive fines are less than a tap on the wrist for offenders.  Cedar Wind construction removed trees and the cost was a mere pittance.

Niagara Wind destroyed well over 7 000 trees including individual trees  estimated to be centuries old including tree species at risk.

1297813168809_ORIGINAL
Old growth tree one of many removed for Niagara Wind. West Lincoln, Ontario

Presentation on trees removed  at Niagara Wind:  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1widGvicaK-VA1XXB4xC1OBtMlWopYG281sa94LKdktY/edit#slide=id.p3

WPD Wild Turkey Road
Clear cutting for wind development on ecological sensitive and protected Oak Ridges Moraines (head waters location supplying greater Toronto area)

 

Lambton landowner handed $6,000 fine in high- profile woodlot clearing case

By: Barbara Simpson  Sarnia Observer  Published: February 15, 2017

If trees are illegally cut in a woodlot and a fine of a few thousand dollars is handed out, is that enough to deter a landowner from clear-cutting again?

That’s the question several Lambton County politicians are raising after learning the details of the penalty the county leveled at a landowner for removing more trees than permitted during the construction of a Cedar Point wind turbine in 2015.

The high-profile case of clear-cutting – which involved an acre of trees in Lambton Shores – resulted in a fine of $6,000 for the private landowner. That amount was paid in full to the county in early 2016.

While mistakes are bound to happen, Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said Wednesday the dollar amount of the penalty was not “punitive.”

“In James Bond, they say it’s a licence to kill. This is a licence to cut.”

READ AT: http://www.theobserver.ca/2017/02/15/lambton-landowner-handed-6000-fine-in-high-profile-woodlot-clearing-case

Adverse Health Effects, Animals and turbines, Environment, harm to wildlife, Health, Health effects from wind turbines

Hoosac Wind- We are prisoners in our house

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hoosac-wind-turbineHoosac Wind has destroyed a wild place and created ongoing community division.  Initially supportive of wind power  Larry Lorusso shares his experience of living adjacent to the project.  His goal is to protect the environment from the dangers of wind power.  Using his talents for storytelling and photography he conveys the  negative impacts of the wind project and illustrates how noise from the wind turbines has impacted his health and that of his family.

To learn more  visit Hoosac Wind Watch  https://www.facebook.com/HoosacWindWatch/ 

By MATT LINDSEY

PARISHVILLE — A Massachusetts photographer warned about 60 St. Lawrence County residents last night about what he sees as the potential dangers and disadvantages of the North Ridge Wind Farm, which has divided the community.

Presenter Larry Lorusso, who lives about one mile from Hoosac Wind Farm, located in Massachusetts, said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the turnout last night, even though a storm dropped about a foot of snow over much of the North Country. The meeting was held at the town hall.

Avangrid, the developer of the proposed North Ridge Wind Farm between State Rts. 11B and 72 in Parishville and Hopkinton, is looking to install around 40 wind towers — as high as 500 feet tall from the bases to the blade tips. Dozens of people have signed leases to allow the windmills on their land.

The controversial wind towers have created rifts between family and friends in Hopkinton, Parishville and the surrounding areas. When he heard about the proposed product he reached out to locals and wanted to educate people, he said.

Lorusso will present a slideshow at the county Legislature’s Services Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the county courthouse. He has been allotted 20 minutes for his presentation.

“I have nothing to gain,” he said, about why he travelled to the North Country to speak about wind towers. “Who better to know what is going on than someone who has them in their backyard?”

Lorusso said he supported the wind towers based on what Iberdrola, an energy company based in Spain, had told him. Avangrid, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, is heading the project in Hopkinton and Parishville.

“They told us it was going to help the environment – it doesn’t,” Lorusso said. “Wind towers are not the answer to green energy.”

Based on his experience living one mile from wind turbines, Lorusso became a community activist and documented through photography and stories and is sharing that with other communities considering installing wind towers.

“These are being sold to us that they are saving the environment,” he said. “I am not anti-wind, I am pro-environment.”

Lorusso documented the land prior to the installation, the installation process and what has come of it since wind towers were installed.

He describes his land as an “enchanted forest” with “little impacts from humans.”

“There were mountain alterations of beautiful land – they wrecked it,” Lorusso said. “There used to be wildlife sign and wildlife – all gone.”

Lorusso said the noises range from ringing in ears, to the sound of a helicopter hovering or a jet engine that never takes off. But, he says the vibrations are the worst part.

“The worse is not what you see or hear, it’s what you feel,” he said. “I can feel my head pulsing — I can put my hand on my windows and feel them vibrating.”

Lorusso said he, his wife and neighbors developed several medical issues since the towers were installed near his home about four years ago. He says the issues include heart problems, high blood pressure, and sinus issues.

“They have not been able to determine the source of my wife’s sinus issues,” he said, noting that it was not a sinus infection.

He says he has sleepless nights at home, but slept well during his stay in St. Lawrence County.

“I wake up in a state of anxiety – on the edge of fear,” he said. “Yesterday and today were the first days in months that I haven’t woken up anxious.”

And then there is the ringing in the ears.

“It’s never quiet, even when it’s quiet,” he said.

Lorusso said the issues have driven some people away from their homes. “People abandoned their homes, they just left.”

Lorusso is determined to stay and fight against the wind tower company.

“We are prisoners in our own house – it’s sad,” he said.

Published in NCNowNews on February 13, 2017:  http://northcountrynow.com/news/massachusetts-photographer-travels-st-lawrence-county-warn-officials-and-locals-concerning

 

Environment, Green Energy, Property Rights

Take Care of the Land.

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clinton-county-wind

“Take care of the land, because they aren’t going to make anymore.”

Dear Editor:

Wendell Berry, an American environmental activist, cultural critic and farmer says it best: “The economy of money has infiltrated and subverted the economies of nature, energy and the human spirit.” Berry is an educated farmer who is the sum of what he believes. Government, he believes, should take its sense of reality from the ground beneath our feet and from our connections with our fellow human beings.

Last summer, The Clinton County Planning and Zoning Board held a series of hearings as to whether or not industrial (skyscraper sized) wind turbines be allowed to be built in Clinton County. These hearings presented (under-oath) testimony from expert witnesses from all over the country (and Canada) on both sides of the issue.

One of the topics discussed and testified to in a 6-hour session was the question of property values. I am going to refer to research done and testified to in the hearings by Mike McCann of Mike McCann Appraisers, LLC. Mr. McCann has done decades of studies and appraisals of properties located near wind turbine developments. His studies indicate that losses in value can be up to 40% where turbines are up to 3 miles from homes. He referred to a current study by the Economic Financial Studies School of Business at Clarkson University. The Clarkson study clearly shows value impacts out to three miles…..and clearly shows the closer the turbine, the greater the impact.

I found it most interesting that some of the loss of value happens when communities get “wind” of a turbine project coming to their areas and even greater when the project gets built. The value continues to go down when people hear of pending and increased wind turbine projects coming to their areas or neighboring communities. These can be staggering, in my opinion, and cause a no-growth epidemic in counties with potential wind turbine project growth. I can only guess that is why you see abandoned farms and homes in the middle of turbines.

Lastly, but not surprising, I want to list a small portion of the reasons these will affect your property values. They cannot be disputed.

1. Audible sound and low frequency sound.

2. Health concerns and widely reported adverse effects at sites.

3. Sleep deprivation due to noise and flashing red lights.

4. Aesthetic impact due to introduction of large industrial-scale turbines into immediate neighborhoods, which affects perception of compatibility and view from residential property values.

On the last day of the hearings in Clinton County, over 40 residents got up and gave compelling testimony of their own. I will always remember when Clinton County resident Mindy Masters quoted her dad John Thompson with a phrase he always told her as a young child. “Take care of the land, because they aren’t going to make anymore.”

Leslie Dyer,

Stewartsville, USA

Published February 9, 2017: http://www.clintoncountyleader.com/opinion/article_4679d38e-eede-11e6-8e2d-0bc83cdc0d07.html#.WJ39ffGaJLg.twitter

Adverse Health Effects, Animals and turbines, Environment, fighting big wind., Noise, Ontario Wind, Turbines & Property Devalue

Port Ryerse Wind CLC #4 Meeting

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Do you hear the wind turbine noise?

How are you affected by the noise?

Are you concerned about the noise in the summer months when our windows will be open?

Please come to the Community Meeting next Wednesday, February 15th.

We are looking for solutions to the noise levels.

We need “them” to understand that we are concerned so bodies are needed to support our concerns. 

If you have been filling out the Boralex Noise Complaint form please bring that along as well.

Hope to see you there!

snowy-owl
This is the project where the nesting Barn Owls (& Eagles) along with the human residents were denied protection.

Wednesday February 15th, 2017 | 6pm
Simcoe Recreation Centre (Norfolk Room) 182 South Drive, Simcoe, ON N3Y 1G5

The purpose of the CLC is to facilitate two-way communication between Boralex and CLC members with respect to issues relating to the construction, installation, use, operation, maintenance and retirement of the facility. All CLC meetings are open to the general public for observation. Questions can be submitted in advance up until February 8th to Karla Kolli, CLC Chair and Facilitator at kkolli@dillon.ca or by phone at 416-229-4647 ext. 2354. For more information about the project please visit the website at: http://www.boralex.com/projects/portryerse

 

Adverse Health Effects, Direct Effects, Environment, Green Energy, Health

Prove Your Wind Turbines are Safe

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Water droplet with the earth in it.Regarding the Courier Press story, Otter Creek says there’s no proof that wind turbines are responsible for dirty water.

The headline of that story captures the essence of what’s wrong with Ontario’s Green Energy Act. Rather than providing proof that their turbines won’t harm well water, the developers are quite content with casting doubt about harm because they know the government will approve their project if they can create the slightest hint of doubt… the precautionary principle be damned.

This is perhaps the biggest flaw in the Green Energy Act that wind developers are only too happy to exploit — the burden of proof for proving harm rests with the individual residents. 

This is an impossible barrier for individuals with limited resources. The onus rightfully belongs on the Otter Creek developers to prove their turbines will not cause harm to the wells, rather than engage a consultant to review another consultant’s report, which in turn was based on other reports from other consultants; none of whom have bothered to actually test the water in the Dover wells.

This statement by Otter Creek project manager Marc Weatherill is one example of wind developers attitude towards local residents when he stated: “A lot of the claims have been based on anecdotal evidence or experience.”

The “experience” of residents in Dover, after nearby turbines have been installed, has been turbid well water that reeks of hydrocarbons. Their experience has been that they must buy bottled water for drinking and cooking, and some make regular trips to laundromats to wash their clothing.

Their experience has been that their horses would rather drink water at roadside ditches instead of the well water.

Their experience has been that the filters provided to some have not been effective in providing them with clean water.

Perhaps Mr. Weatherill should visit some of the well owners in Dover and taste their water before he dismisses their claims as merely “anecdotal” and not worthy of further investigation.

Mr. Weatherill also claims that if the Water Wells First group provided scientific data that proves their claims, they would be grateful and happily review the information and details.

He also states that, “What we said to them is, look we want to understand your concern, we want to understand the issue but we need to see it laid out for us.”

Seriously, he wants the residents to do his work for him.

Otter Creek’s selected turbine model, the Enercon 141, with a nominal output of 4.2 MW, will be the largest deployed in Ontario with a nacelle height of 129 metres and a rotor diameter of 141 meters.  There’s enormous potential for vibration, and yet Adam Rosso, project development director for Boralex, said there are no plans on doing baseline testing on water wells in and around the Otter Creek Wind Farm area. And Mr. Weatherill added: “If that’s something that is required of us then we will, but as of right now we don’t have any plans to do that.”

I would point out that the Otter Creek developers hope to vacuum about $218 million directly out of the ratepayers’ pockets over the 20-year life of the contract. Since the Minister of Energy has acknowledged that Ontario has a “robust supply” of generating capacity for the next decade, we will pay the Otter Creek owners about $100 million over the next 10 years in exchange for exactly zero net benefit. The cost of baseline and ongoing water testing pales in comparison to the potential profit.

Confirming “there’s no proof that wind turbines are responsible for dirty water” is as simple as installing an in-line turbidity meter and data logger at several wells in key locations before construction and continuing past start-up. This would confirm the water quality throughout the entire process. If there was an increase in turbidity, the data logger would be able to pinpoint the exact time it occurred, which could then be compared with any activity such as pile driving for turbine bases or when the turbines are operating. If there’s no change in the water turbidity, it would be definitive proof that the turbines are not causing any problems with the wells.

This so obvious, that refusing to perform such simple and low-cost testing would result in the public perception that the developers are engaging in willful blindness, perhaps out of fear of the results.

Santo Giorno

Camlachie

Published: http://www.wallaceburgcourierpress.com/2017/02/03/letter-no-reason-why-otter-creek-cant-do-more-tests 

 

Adverse Health Effects, Animals and turbines, Environment, Green Energy, The problem with Wind Turbines

Wind Turbines: Huge Profits at expense of residents and Nature

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Too Much and Absurd.

Wind turbine battles are being fought globally.  In North America Germany’s use of renewable energy projects are often looked to as an ideal to strive for in power generation systems.  Wind turbines are facing increasingly stiff opposition from residents who had once strongly been in favour of wind power.  The following documentary explores how opinions change once the wind turbines go up and begin operations.  Ideals for a better future face a harsh and ugly reality.  The film was shown on the German television channel ARD – Das Erste  on August 1, 2016.   Original is in German but video has English subtitles.