Environmental approval requires more information
PLANS TO BUILD a wind turbine park for Digby Neck hit a snag this month when Nova Scotia’s deputy minister of environment told an executive at Skypower Corp. in a letter that more information about the project is needed before an environmental assessment application is approved.
Skypower Corp. of Toronto and Scotian Windfields of Dartmouth have jointly proposed a 30-megawatt wind farm on Digby Neck comprised of 20 wind turbines, each generating 1.5 megawatts of electricity.
The proponents have said they hoped to begin construction by September, pending permits and approvals.
On June 19, deputy minister Nancy Vanstone released the decision on behalf of the environment minister. In it, she said local residents expressed concern over the potential noise from the wind farm.
"The registration document failed to provide sufficient detailed information about the proximity of nearby residents to the turbines," she said.
She asked for more details, including the number of homes, daycares, hospitals or seniors residences located within intervals of 600 metres, one kilometre, 1.5 kilometres, and two kilometres of the proposed turbines.
New information must be submitted within a year as an addendum to the original environmental assessment application, said Ms. Vanstone.
The minister would then have 50 days to make a decision, she said.
"The actual (environmental assessment application) wasn’t denied. The minister has just requested more information," said Tanya Bragg of Skypower.
She said the company plans to meet soon with environment department officials to find out what else they might require.
"We’re going to provide that to them," she said Thursday from Toronto. "We’re hoping it will not take a year."
Municipality of Digby Warden Jim Thurber said Thursday that he doesn’t know much about the request for additional information.
"I haven’t even seen (the) letter. We didn’t receive a copy of anything," Mr. Thurber said.
"In speaking with Skypower not too long ago, they had more or less told me that they were going to try and switch some of the turbines around to have all of them more than 600 metres from the closest home."
"It’s a project that...I support and I hope is able to go forward," he said.
A group of concerned residents held a public meeting last month, where it was said 20 homes were located within 700 metres of a proposed turbine, and 70 homes were found within 1.2 kilometres of a proposed turbine.
Evelyn Hayden lives in Rossway, on Digby Neck, and said she’s glad more work has to be done.
"I’m very, very pleased," she said Thursday.
Ms. Hayden said she lives 600 to 650 metres from one of the proposed wind turbines, according to information she’s seen.
"I’m glad they really took it to heart and looked at it very deeply and thoroughly," she said about the environment department.
"All we’re asking for . . . is to get these things set back away from the homes. I mean, why won’t they do it?
"At least one and a half kilometres from any building that is occupied by humans — that’s all we ask."
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Search/1129222.html
Minister's decision can be found at:
6 comments:
Two items from popular culture shed light on the sillyness of anti environmental excuses.
BBC Canada airs a great program, Timeteam, Monday nights. In the last episode, the person supervising the geophysical survey of a site had an interesting observation. While surveying with electronic imaging equipment under a high voltage transmission line, he said the lines had no effect on the images. That means electro-magnetic fields and stray voltage are no problem. But we all knew that.
Tom Friedman, in Hot, Flat and Crowded criticises todays electric grid as hopelessly inefficient. His problem is the number of coal fired power stations spinning away on standby but not delivering power. Yes folks, coal plants produce power only 70% of the time. That means that a coal fired plant must be built to backup every two coal plants that are built. Wind energy backup is exactly the same as the backup necessary with today's coal fired dinasoars.
False allegations are designed to delay in the hopes that developers will move elsewhere. The ministry has put its head in the sand (see above) but they can't legally stop the project as it meets all criteria. Try to be part of the solution. A hint: its not destroying alternative energy.
John McManus
More news from CBC. The point lepreau rebuild is overbudget and 7 months behind schedule.
Could one of you, who is concerned about generation intermittancy, please calculate the service cycle of this high tech triumph.
John McManus
John "Make it up" McAnus
is a psychopathic liar with local wind industry connections.
-viewer discretion is required
Please point out any innacuracies in these posts.
You can't; noone can. My posts contain that rare value on the blogosphere: verifiable accuracy.
John McManus
......"That means electro-magnetic fields and stray voltage are no problem"
-The effect on a particular piece electric imaging equipment is dictated by its circuitry design and shielding and grounding ,location of the operator,etc.
nodes/antinodes/interference/standing waves etc.
The efect of high voltage transmission lines on your natural function is to scramble the atom relationships that combine to make the molecules that create life in your cells the same as it scrambles the music on your radio circuit when you drive under one crossing the highway.
The result short term is you don't turn green although you may glow somewhat.
The result longterm is to reduce your natural ability to function in a normal manner if your unfortunate enough to have to live near such!
this can manifest itself in all manner of health and mental irregularities-of unknoewn cause as recognized by the present medical establishment.
yeah McManass
everybody already knew that!
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