The horse needs to be put in front of the cart

The rules have to be changed to make it easier for wind developers to "harvest" the wind, but not be constrained by where they interconnect to the grid. If the perfect wind is in the hills, then send the transmission line into the hills!

Currently, the process is so competitive, developers take the easiest and cheapest way - by looking for transmission lines and then for land and then for wind.

The horse is behind the cart.

Wind energy developers should be looking for the wind, then land and community support (if there even is a community nearby) and then go harvest the wind by putting in transmission lines. The Province has to understand this and help NSPI and wind developers to install the required infrastructure.

That is a Provincial matter that could take years to implement. Therefore the Municipalities have a place in this by meanwhile having reasonable setbacks that protect the area residents from the impact of wind turbines.

As things now stand, any future tax income from turbines is increasingly in peril as more and more people realise that these things are not desirable in close proximity. Instead of losing any future wind development, it behoves Council to set out better land use bylaw that allows wind development, protect existing economic structures and protect the health and lifestyle of the people of Cumberland County.

Summerside, PEI council delays vote on wind farm zoning

Summerside Council heard resident's concerns last night and agreed to postpone a vote on zoning parts of the city that would allow turbines as close as 400m from residences. Just as we told our Councilors, they are not opposed to wind turbines, but they should not be located too close to residences.

Spokesperson, Keith Tanton asked Council to consider that they consider the setback used by countries with a long history of wind energy that have increased their setbacks away from residences. He cited that Germany, a country with a high population density and with the world's greatest number of turbines, has setbacks of 1.6km.

Perhaps with some new Councilors at Cumberland County, there's a chance that the dozens of people who sent their concerns to Council 1.5 years ago will also now be heard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From CBC this morning:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2008/10/21/pe-sside-windmills.html

Residents' concerns delay vote on wind farm

Summerside city council has decided to wait a month before voting on a wind-energy farm planned for the western P.E.I. city.

Council was set Monday night to make the changes needed to rezone a part of the city for turbines, but people living near the proposed wind farm were able to temporarily push back plans. Some of the about 40 residents at the meeting were clearly angry about the proposal.

"Now we're getting windmills? Like, what the," said Roland Perry. "I better stop. Thank you very much."

Keith Tanton, official spokesperson for the group, said council needs to reconsider plans for the wind farm in the North Drive area of Summerside.

"There seems to be a huge rush to chase the money surrounding wind energy, but please remember this project will forever change our community," said Tanton.

"Before you spend millions of dollars on a wind farm, let's make sure you get it right."

Provincial guidelines require a buffer zone for wind turbines — no homes within a distance equal to three times its height. In this case, that's 400 metres. The four turbines proposed for Summerside would meet that requirement, but Tanton points to Europe, where buffer zones of 1.5 to two kilometres are in place.

After hearing the residents' arguments, Coun. Garth Lyle, asked that the vote be postponed for a month.

"I think for the slowdown this is going to cause, it's also going to give peace of mind to the residents in the area that we're not going to ram this through, and that they're going to be looking at windmills before they even have a further say on the situation," said Lyle.

Council asked city staff to research the health effects of wind turbines so they can make an informed decision when the matter comes back for a vote next month.

The wind project in Summerside is part of the city's plan for the local utility, and separate from a $1 billion wind-energy development plan announced by the province on Friday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From yesterday's Journal Pioneer:

Wind turbine opponents to make pitch to council tonight

STAFF
The Journal Pioneer

Keith Tanton and a delegation of concerned neighbours want Summerside City Council to reconsider plans to build a new windfarm development in the city’s North Drive area.

Tanton, representing his parents who live in the area, and other residents opposed to the development, will be appearing before council at tonight’s meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

There are simply too many health and property issues for the plan to go ahead in its present form, said Tanton.

Minimum setback distances for wind turbines in countries such as France range from 1.6 km to two km., he said.

The distances being considered by the City in its plan are 400 to 500 metres, “less than a third” of recommended distances, said Tanton.

“I’ve also confirmed that Germany, with more wind turbines than any other country, has a setback of 1.6 km.”

In other jurisdictions where giant wind farms have taken root, including parts of the Island, residents have complained of sleep problems, headaches, dizziness and other health issues, he said.

Residents within the 2 km. area proposed for Summerside's development number in the hundreds, estimated Tanton.

“I am asking Mayor and Council not to vote in favour of the proposed rezoning. Please revisit the selection process and come up with a plan that does not situate this development in an area that will impact residents,” wrote Tanton, in a recent letter to council.

http://www.journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?sid=181862&sc=118

N.S. wants more info on Shear Wind farm

Neighbours worry about noise

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter, Chronicle Herald

Nova Scotia’s environment minister wants more information about a proposed $150-million wind farm in Pictou County before he will give it the go-ahead.

Mark Parent sent a letter last week to Shear Wind, developer of the Glen Dhu wind farm near Merigomish, Pictou County, asking for details on the proximity of the wind turbines to nearby homes and the anticipated noise levels.

"During the review, many local residents expressed concern about the potential for noise from the wind farm," Mr. Parent wrote last Wednesday in a two-page letter to Ian Tillard, Shear Wind’s chief operating officer.

Kristen Overmyer, of Baileys Brook, was heartened by Mr. Parent’s action.

"My wife and I feel the minister’s decision demonstrated his department’s commitment to protecting the environment and residents by following the process and responding to our concerns," he said in an e-mail Tuesday.

During the review process, Mr. Overmyer discovered his house would be closest to the wind turbines, less than a kilometre from the nearest one.

The company explained that one turbine had to be moved closer to Mr. Overmyer’s house to avoid the flight patterns of raptors, including vultures, hawks, eagles and osprey.

Shear Wind must tell the government exactly where the turbines will be located and the number of residences — along with any other "sensitive receptors" such as daycares, hospitals or seniors residences — within two kilometres.

Shear Wind, founded in 2005, submitted its environmental studies in late August for its proposed 60-megawatt Glen Dhu Wind Park.

It hopes to start producing wind-generated electricity as early as December 2009 and sell it to Nova Scotia Power.

Residents have complained that the wind turbines would be closer to their homes than Shear Wind first indicated.

Besides location and noise issues, Mr. Parent said there are other "outstanding concerns."

"Shear Wind must address potential impacts of the proposed development on the local population of mainland moose," the minister wrote.

Shear Wind has a year to provide the requested information and the minister then has 50 days to approve or reject the wind farm project.

Mr. Parent also said Fisheries and Oceans Canada wants to visit the site to review the proposed water crossings.

Shear Wind has said the environmental studies, which took two years to complete, focused on soil, water, animal life and socio-economic conditions.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1084741.html

Shear Wind must provide more information on Glen Dhu project to NS Government

http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/ea/glen.dhu.wind.farm/glen.dhu.wind.farm_MinDecision.pdf

The environmental assessment of the proposed Glen Dhu Power-Wind Project, Pictou and
Antigonish Counties, Nova Scotia, has been completed.

This letter is to advise that, pursuant to Section 13 (1)(a) of the Environmental Assessment
Regulations, I have determined the registration information is insufficient to allow me to
make a decision and that I require additional information.

During the review many local residents expressed concern about the potential for noise
from the wind farm. The Registration Document failed to provide the necessary information
about the proximity of nearby residents to the turbines and anticipated noise levels. This
information is required in order to determine the potential for noise-related concerns. Shear
Wind Inc. must, therefore, provide a description of the proximity of the proposed project
to affected communities including the number of residences and sensitive receptors such
as day cares, hospitals, or seniors’ residences, within intervals of 640 m, 1 km, 1.5 km and
2.0 km.

In addition, although Estimated Turbine Sound Levels are presented in Figure 5.5 of the
Registration Document, there is no discussion of the model used or model inputs used in
determining the noise levels from the proposed wind turbines. Shear Wind Inc. must
provide a discussion of the noise simulation model used and provide mitigation measures
that will be taken to reduce public exposure to noise, in accordance with the requirements
of the Proponent’s Guide to Wind Power Projects. Shear Wind Inc. must also demonstrate
that consideration has been given to project-related sources of electric and magnetic fields
and potential health effects.

Shear Wind Inc. must provide the details of all issues and concerns raised by local
residents and how the company proposes to address them.

There are outstanding concerns regarding mainland moose and the potential for adverse
effects within and around the proposed project footprint. Shear Wind Inc. must
address potential impacts of the proposed development on the local population of mainland
moose. Specific attention should be directed at clarifying what, if any, changes in moose
distribution, habitat use and/or behavior have been documented at wind farms after they
have become operational.

Provide any other studies or information pertinent to the assessment.

This information shall be submitted by Shear Wind Inc., within one year, as an addendum
to the original registration information. Pursuant to Section 13(1) of the Environmental
Assessment Regulations decision options available to me are: additional information is
required; approval with conditions; focus report is required; environmental assessment
report required; or, rejection. Upon submission of the information I will have 50 days to
make my decision. Shear Wind Inc. is also required to notify the public of the submitted
addendum through notices in the paper pursuant to Section 10 of the Environmental
Assessment Regulations.

In addition, during the review, Fisheries and Oceans Canada requested that Shear Wind
Inc. contact Mr. Charles MacInnis, Habitat Protection Chief, Antigonish Office, as soon as
possible, in order to plan a site visit to different proposed water crossings. Mr. MacInnis can
be reached at (902) 863-5670.

Shear Wind Inc. must not commence the undertaking or any part thereof until the
undertaking has been approved under Part IV of the Environment Act.

Original Signed By
Mark Parent
Minister

PEI Tourism Survey cannot be applied to the Gulf Shore

The Tourism Research Centre of UPEI conducted a paper and web based survey http://www.trc.upei.ca/files/Wind_Energy_Report.pdf of 1,676 residents and visitors to "capture perceptions of wind energy production and wind farms, and their perceived effects on the landscape."

Given there were 1.4 million visitors to the Island last year, a survey number of 1,313 visitors this summer seems rather small to be truly representative. Only 363 residents were surveyed, with a stated sampling error of 4.8% at 95%, these results verge on being barely statistically significant.

There is no indication as to whether the visitors surveyed were day trippers or cottagers. 145 (11%) of the surveys were conducted at Visitor Information Centres (VIC). These centres are mostly frequented by day trippers, not cottagers. The people who return year after year rarely require the services of a VIC. Also, the visitors are often referred to as "travelers". From this, one has to suspect that most of the non-resident people surveyed were short stay or day-trippers.

What we do know is the demographic composition of the travelers (mostly families and couples), whether they had been to the Island before (80.4% were repeat visitors) and what areas they visited. The report states: "Charlottetown and Anne’s Land are the two most popular areas to visit while on PEI. Fewer visitors travel to the eastern and western regions of PEI. Since these are the locations on PEI where the wind farms are located, it is expected that a bare majority, at best, would have seen a wind farm on PEI. " The report later states that only 51% of visitors had even seen a wind farm, while 83.3% of residents had seen one.

There were questions as to how energy should be produced and how much one would be prepared to pay for greener energy. There were more negative comments about wind turbines from residents than visitors.

Residents and long term seasonal residents are more likely to have experienced the positive or negative effects than day trippers. This is reflected when asked that the perception that PEI is "Canada's Green Province" where residents did not believe this to be true but visitors did.

The appendices A to E of verbatim and written comments appear to be unavailable for review.

One finding of the report was that "44% of both residents and visitors either agreed or strongly agreed that a wind farm adds to the attractiveness of the area it is based." In other words, 56% disagreed that they add to the attractiveness. The majority believed that wind energy is a good use of the land, but whether the original use of that land (forestry, farmland, cottage country or Anne's Land) was part of how these turbines are located was not part of the survey. While the majority believed there should be more wind energy produced, they were not asked where the turbines should be located.

Even if we can believe the results from this very small and incomplete survey as being statistically significant, the results cannot be applied to the Gulf Shore, because there is no indication that the same kind of visitors (or residents) have been surveyed. The report shows support for wind energy (as do we) but does not ask where this energy should be found.

Wind energy may be a good use of land, but it has to be the in an area that does not impact the neighbourhood and it's economy.

The Gulf Shore area is a long term seasonal visitor destination area. It is where people come an stay for long periods of time. Many retire here. We have our day-trippers, but by far the more important part of our economy is driven by the long term "visitors".

Wind turbines cause health problems, residents say

A wind turbine looms over Helen and Bill Fraser's house in Melancthon, Ont.

Updated Sun. Oct. 5 2008 10:23 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080928/windmill_safety_080928/20081005?hub=TopStories

Windmills may be an environmentally friendly alternative energy source but they also cause debilitating health problems, say people who live near them.

Wind turbines are popping up in rural communities around the world, including Canada, in the hope that they will reduce reliance on coal and other sources for power. Currently, there are about 1,500 turbines across Canada and there are plans to build another 1,000 to 1,500 in the next year.

But some residents who live near wind farms complain the turbines cause a number of adverse health effects, such as crippling headaches, nose bleeds and a constant ringing in the ears.

Helen and Bill Fraser initially supported the nearby wind farm in Melancthon, Ont. One turbine sat close to the Fraser's kitchen window.

"We thought, more green energy, this is great," Helen told CTV News.

Ernie Marshall and his wife look at the windmills near their former home near Goderich, Ont. The Marshalls moved from several kilometres away after they began developing health problems.

However, Helen says she developed headaches, body aches and she had trouble sleeping. The dog began wetting the floor at night.

"There were nights I was lying in bed and my heart would beat to the pulse of the turbine. It was an uneasy feeling," Helen said.

Ernie Marshall at first supported the wind farm that was placed near his home near Goderich, Ont. However, he also says that once the turbines got rolling, his health began to suffer.

"I had problems with my heart, with my eyes, my digestive system," Marshall told CTV News. "It traumatizes your whole body."

Dr. Nina Pierpont, a pediatrician in upstate New York, has interviewed dozens of people who live near windmills in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Her soon-to-be released book, Wind Turbine Syndrome, documents the litany of health problems experienced by some people who have wind farms near their homes.

Pierpont believes that with the growth of wind farms near residential areas, Wind Turbine Syndrome "likely will become an industrial plague," she states on her website.

Scientists have only begun studying the phenomenon in the last few years.

Some early findings suggest that wind turbines create a high intensity, low frequency sound that may have an effect on the body. Not only can the sound potentially cause debilitating illness. Some researchers believe that the vibrations the sound causes in the inner ear may lead to vibro-acoustic disease, which can cause dizziness, nausea and sleep disturbances.

However, officials with the Canadian Wind Energy Association point to a handful of studies they say prove that windmills lead to few, if any, adverse health effects.

"We know there have been complaints about health impacts of wind turbines," Sean Whittaker of the Canadian Wind Energy Association told CTV News.

"On the other hand, we know there are some 10,000 turbines installed across North America and complaints have been relatively few. There's been research done on this and to date that research has come to a fairly solid conclusion that wind turbines do not have an adverse impact on human health."

Whittaker says the windmill industry follows all regulations for where and how a wind farm can be established.

"It's important to point out that in order to install a wind farm, there is a very lengthy procedure to go through of environmental assessments, approvals, permits, regulatory approval," Whittaker said. "And those are skewed around making sure the turbines don't have an effect on people, on plants, animals, birds."

The issue has not just put experts at odds. Communities across North America are divided between residents who say local windmills have made them sick and their neighbours who don't believe them.

"Everyone was calling me a liar," Ernie Marshall said. "It don't matter who you talk to. You bring 'em out here and they'll say that noise don't bother us. Sit there for a week under that and listen to it and see what it does to your body."

The inconsistencies in the early research, coupled with the fact that some residents who live near wind turbines complain of such a wide array of symptoms, are evidence that further study is needed to determine if Wind Turbine Syndrome is a problem, how big of one and what should be done, experts say.

"Depending on your distance you'll have 30, 40, 50 per cent of people who are troubled, but not 100 per cent," Dr. Robert McMurtry of the University of Western Ontario told CTV News. "That's why it's important to do these studies to see just how many are troubled and how real it is."

More research will also help governments determine a standard distance that windmills should be located from homes and schools.

For now, provincial governments are setting their own guidelines, which call for windmills to sit about 400 metres from buildings.

Some groups, including the National Academy of Medicine in France, suggest larger setbacks between 1.5 and two kilometres away from homes and schools.

Some affected residents can only sell their homes and move away. The Frasers left their home of 32 years and moved to nearby Shelburne, Ont. They say their symptoms have, for the most part, vanished.

Ernie Marshall moved to the town of Seaforth, Ont., which is several kilometres away from the turbines near his former home.

"I had to get out or I wouldn't be standing here talking to you," Marshall said.

With a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and senior producer Elizabeth St. Philip

Video link: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/airing-their-concerns/#clip96832

Do wind energy companies keep their promises?

I have refrained from posting or commenting on what has been going on in Pictou County until now because I have been waiting to see some kind of explanation from the company as to why they have changed their plans as to where turbines will be placed. None has been forthcoming.

Mike Magnus has a cottage on the Gulf Shore, has come to some of our meetings and (I thought) believed that turbines should not be placed too close to homes. He is still listed as president and director of ShearWind, so I can only believe that he has some control as to what is going on with the Glen Dhu project.

My impression was that the company sold this plan to the public and to NSPI using reasonable setbacks of 2 to 3km. After most of their permits and deals have been completed, this has changed dramatically.

This only demonstrates to me that these companies have no compunction in changing plans to suit their own needs, and any promises made to the public mean nothing.

What does this mean to us in Pugwash and on the Gulf Shore?

The latest map of a reduced number of turbines pushed back a few feet from the shore does not mean a thing. More turbines could be added by this or any future company at any time.

Shear Wind raises $1.6m for Pictou County project

Chronicle Herald, Business section
Thu. Oct 2 - 6:30 AM

Shear Wind Inc. of Halifax has raised $1.6 million toward the development of its $150-million wind park in Pictou County, the company announced Wednesday.

The company also said the deal is subject to a four-month hold.

When the company announced Sept. 2 it was trying to raise money, it stated that "certain key shareholders" of Shear Wind, one of whom is an insider, had sold their shares through the TSX Venture Exchange and Blackmont Capital Inc. in order to raise some of the cash. Blackmont Capital received a commission of $160,150 for the deal.

Shear Wind, which was founded in 2005, is developing the 60-megawatt Glen Dhu wind park near Merigomish.

That project is slated to begin generating power by as early as December 2009. But it has upset people who live nearby who said recently that the windmills will be closer to their homes than Shear Wind had first indicated.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1082368.html

Petition presented to program advisory committee

Digby

September 2, 2008

The Municipality of Digby’s planning advisory committee (PAC) has reached the point where it is drafting a bylaw regulating wind farm development—but it’s not exactly full speed ahead.

At the Aug. 27 meeting, two presentations were made to the committee.

The first was by Dermott Murphy, Manager of the Nuclear Insurance Association of Canada.

Murphy, who owns property in Rossway, asked committee members to consider the fact that wind turbines have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years. At the end of that period, ideally, they are dismantled and removed from the landscape.

He stated that GE’s 1.5-megawatt turbines have towers measuring 216 feet and the structures weigh in excess of 160 tons. They are placed on a base of 100 tons of concrete and steel rebar.

Murphy said that a recent bid to de-commission a 3-megawatt wind turbine in France came in at $1.3 million.

Murphy passed along to the committee a petition signed by “almost 200 residents of Digby Neck.” It called for: (1) maximum public participation and maximum sharing of information with the public (2) for single residential or commercial turbines, a setback distance from the adjacent property line and public road equal to seven times the hub height (3) a minimum separation of 2,400 m. (1.5 mi.) between a wind turbine and any habitable building.

The latter recommendation would have a profound impact on the development of wind farms on Digby Neck—since the peninsula is less than three km. wide,

Judith Peach also addressed the committee. She said that the province of Nova Scotia is irresponsible in passing responsibility for the regulation of the wind-farm development to the municipalities, rather than putting provincial legislation in place. “People should be protected equally,” she said

Peach drew on the studies of Tony Lodge, an UK energy analyst, and presented copies of his document “Wind Chill” to PAC members.

In that report, Lodge says that wind is unreliable, expensive, and not particularly green.

Peach told the committee that in Denmark, Europe’s most wind-intensive state, not a single conventional power plant has closed.

“Because of the intermittency and variability of the wind, conventional power plants have had to be kept running at full capacity to meet the actual demand for electricity and to provide back-up,” according to Lodge’s study.

Lodge’s report concludes that it is time to call a halt to new wind farms, and to aggressively expand Britain’s nuclear, clean coal and renewable supplies of energy such as tidal energy.

Peach also quoted descriptions of the noise generated by wind towers and said it makes no sense to tackle one environmental challenge by creating another one.

By Jeanne Whitehead

http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/09/02/petition-presented-to-program-advisory-committee/

Wind Storm

Residents angry over wind farm project
SARAH REGAN
The News, New Glasgow
18 September 2008

LISMORE – Tempers ran high as roughly 40 residents showed up at a public information session last night to oppose the development of a wind farm in Bailey's Brook.

One by one residents filed into the Lismore Community Centre. They pulled up a chair and waited for the show to begin.

"I'm not leaving until I get answers," said Linda McCallum.

However, many homeowners left the session two hours later none the wiser.

Their anger was amplified when they realized no representative from Shear Wind Inc, the company responsible for the project, was at the open house.

Fulton Energy Research, the company hired by Shear Wind Inc. to document the environmental assessment, was on hand, as well as a former regional biologist and an environmental scientist.
While they were able to answer questions concerning how 30 turbines will affect butterflies and eagles, they weren't able to comment on how the farm will affect residents of the area.

"This thing is going to go ahead and nobody cares what I have to say," says McCallum.
Shear Wind Inc. is proposing to construct a 60-mega watt wind energy park near Barney's River Station in Pictou and Antigonish counties. Shear Wind Inc. anticipates construction will begin in 2009 and the park will be fully operational by 2010.

Once developed, this wind park has the potential of providing power for approximately 50,000 homes per year.

Kristen Overmyer was just one the residents to show up at the open house to raise concern over the project.

Overmyer says his home on Brown's Mountain will be 640 metres from the closest turbine.
The mechanical engineer says he has conducted weeks of research, studying bylaws and conducting audiology tests using a similar wind turbine on Fitzpatrick Mountain.

For those who think wind turbines emit little to no noise, Overmyer says think again. One day, he says he measured the sound coming from the turbine at 43 decibels.

"Sometimes, when the wind is high, it sounds like a jet aircraft. Other times it emits a low thumping, the sound sneakers make when tumbling in the dryer. Either way, it's annoying, like someone continually poking at you."

McCallum said many of the homeowners in the area feel "deceived" by Shear Wind Inc.
When the project was announced in April, Mike Magnus, president and CEO of Shear Wind Inc., told The News 95 per cent of the turbines are located three to four kilometers away from the closest residence.

But Lisa Fulton of Fulton Energy Research says that is not the case. The closest home will likely be 680 metres from the turbines.

"Plans change," she said.

Overmyer says the company hasn't given the public enough time to react, putting residents at a disadvantage. The deadline to submit a concern to Nova Scotia Environment is Friday.

"I personally admit that more could have been done to inform the public, but we did what we could with the information we had," says Tom Windeyer, a senior environmental scientist with Stantec Consulting.

Another public open house will take place tonight from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lismore Community Centre, Lismore.

http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=172429&sc=49

Is Shear Wind full of hot air?

By KRISTEN OVERMYER
Thu. Sep 18 - 6:23 AM
Chronicle Herald, editorial section

In promoting its wind turbine project to the residents of Baileys Brook and the surrounding community, Shear Wind made public statements to the effect that its project would not interfere with the neighbourhood, that there would be little visual impact, and that noise would not be a problem. On Aug. 20, 2008, Shear Wind submitted its environmental assessment (EA) registration documents, which appear to contradict this description.

In a Shear Wind public meeting in March 2007, Mike Magnus presented a site map showing the turbines beginning near the Antigonish and Pictou County border and then proceeding due south. Since the highland’s scarp face runs in a southwesterly direction, it creates increasing distances between the turbines and the scarp face, placing them deep into the highlands and at reasonable distances from residences. Mike also stated: "Noise will not be an issue" and "[the project] will not interfere with the neighbourhood."

Also, in a June 2, 2007, Chronicle Herald article, Harley Kellock, speaking on behalf of Shear Wind, stated, "There was one concern about the noise, but this (project) is so far back and remote and in the woods that it shouldn’t be an issue."

However, page 91 of the EA registration states "the site optimization and selection process has changed the project area and turbine location to the highland area along the scarp face." Many turbines were moved hundreds of metres to prominent positions on the scarp face, overlooking homes and dominating the skyline.

Also, page 157 of the EA registration now states, "Sound levels generated by the WTGs may have a negative impact on residents close to the site." Shear Wind did not hold a public meeting or contact residents regarding these substantial changes.

On Aug. 31, 2007, in a meeting at Lismore Community Centre organized by residents, Mike Magnus of Shear Wind stated that no turbine would be closer than two kilometres to any residence. In stark contrast, page 22 of its EA registration states, "The nearest house will be approximately 640m from the closest proposed turbine location." This is more than three times closer than its public statement. The hardships imposed on residents living in such proximity to industrial-scale wind turbines are well documented.

On April 2, 2008, at Nova Scotia Power’s announcement of Shear Wind’s contract award, in answer to a question, Mr. Magnus stated, "From what we can gather, 95 per cent of the turbines are located three to four kilometres away from the closest residence. … We wanted to take a responsible lead. We are very sensitive to that." This would mean that no more than two turbines would be closer than three kilometres. Its EA registration site map contradicts this, showing 17 turbines within three kilometres of the closest residence or over eight times as many as stated by Magnus.

During the April 2, 2008, announcement, Mr. Magnus also stated that Shear Wind would be holding a public meeting in three to five weeks. Instead, 23 weeks later, Shear Wind announced four open houses. The last open house, to be held today at the Lismore and District Community Centre, is just one day before the deadline for public input on the environmental assessment document.

My father used to instruct me that actions speak louder than words. Whether you are for or against the construction of wind power plants in our rural communities, I believe that at a minimum, the residents, whose lives will be forever altered, deserve to be dealt with openly and honestly. I leave it to the reader to decide whether or not Shear Wind has done so.

Kristen Overmyer lives in Baileys Brook.

Wind farms are too imposing

Letter to the Editor of today's The Journal Pioneer, PEI


We live in Cape Wolfe in Western P.E.I., in the middle of the West Cape Wind Farm.

This is a call to our premier and our environment minister to put a halt to all construction of wind farms being built on P.E.I., and especially West Prince, until our government has in place some very strict guidelines and regulations, to protect our environment, our residential landowners (full time and seasonal), our communities, our wetlands, our farmland, our wildlife, our tourist trade, and most importantly, the health and well-being of our people.

A prime example of what can happen when there are no regulations is our community. Please come and see for yourselves. Remember, this can happen in your community as well. All the great things we hear about these electrical generating stations are coming from the people who have the most to gain. Now is the time to show what people power can do.

If you are interested in joining us, please email me: bevhoward@ymail.com and write to our ministers to let them know how you feel.

All the reasons we chose to build and retire in this quite, peaceful, beautiful community are gone. Our community has been raped of all the reasons people chose to live in the country.

If we wanted to listen to a constant rumble and flickering sunlight we would have moved to a more urban centre.

Beverley Howard,
Cape Wolfe