Lisa MacLeod, the incumbent for the riding, told the Citizen editorial board that her stand was not only because of her constituents' adamant opposition to the project, but stemmed also from a fundamental objection to Liberal clean energy plan, which she claimed was contributing to high hydro rates in the province.

Just a month after agreeing to enter a memorandum of understanding to buy alternative electric power at rates that would save hundreds of thousands of dollars, elected officials in Mahone Bay have rescinded the motion.

Several multi-million dollar projects, most of them dealing with energy production and distribution, are under way or are planned for Atlantic Canada, but they face some formidable financial challenges, the president of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC) said yesterday. APEC releases a major projects inventory every year to highlight the most significant ventures in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. This year's inventory lists all projects worth $10 million or more. There are 425 of these projects worth a projected $84 billion.

Councillor Rick Fryer admits to being "very disappointed" with how the process has done. Referring to health information obtained last week, Fryer believes setbacks should be as high as 800-950m from homes. He believed GenGrowth found a "loophole" in the process due to the fact no site plan was finalized before the Green Energy Act came into power.

The Calgary-based company building a $410-million wind plant on Wolfe Island has issued a cease-and-desist letter to a citizen it claims is spreading "false and defamatory statements." Canadian Hydro Developers Inc. sent the letter in connection with a statement made by Wolfe Island resident Chris Brown, an outspoken critic of some aspects of the project. Brown, a local musician, is one of a handful of citizens who sit on a community liaison committee Canadian Hydro set up last year to answer local concerns about the project. Brown regards the letter as an attempt to gag critics of the project.

The Manitoba government plans to build enough wind towers over the next two years to quadruple its wind-generated power, Energy Minister Dave Chomiak announced Thursday. The province, along with Manitoba Hydro, hopes to add 300 megawatts of wind power to the province's energy grid — enough power for 100,000 homes. That could mean up to 160 more windmills, although newer and evolving wind turbine technology could make that number smaller.

Maritime Electric wants to increase its capital budget by $13.9 million to construct a wind energy transmission line along the Confederation Trail, but the company says it won't mean rate increases for Islanders. Maritime Electric has applied to the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission for the budget increase. ..."This line is paid for (by) Suez (Energy North America) and the government of P.E.I. so it has no effect on the customers of P.E.I. in terms of cost or risk.''

Wind is free, the fuel source is not imported, it does not use water, has no air emission or solid waste disposal issues and its generation is not affected by increased natural gas prices, but it has two weaknesses. It is uncontrollable and uncertain as an energy source. That variability affects its integration into the region's electrical grid. The power in the wind is proportional to the cube of its speed and doubling the wind speed increases the available power by eight times. In addition, calm days mean zero voltage.

The Nova Scotia side of the Tantramar Marsh and other parts of Cumberland County may be ideally suited for the creation of wind farms, says a researcher from the University of Moncton. Yves Gagnon, who was recently hired by the Nova Scotia government, to draw up a wind map of the province said a similar study in New Brunswick revealed favourable conditions on the Tantramar Marsh near the Nova Scotia border.

An Ontario company is looking at marshlands near Amherst as a potential location for a wind farm that could include up to 40 turbines. Invenergy Canada recently erected test towers in the Mount Whatley area and at another location near the Missaquash River on the Converse Marsh to determine their suitability as potential wind farm sites. "Our company is looking at the opportunity to put wind farms up in Atlantic Canada. Everyone has said for years and years that there's plenty of wind in the Tantramar Marsh area and we're here to prove it," company director Mark Bell said. "We've started an exploration campaign with two test towers."

The Australian company that's building and financing Manitoba's new wind farm - slated to be the biggest in Canada - is nearing financial collapse, but the Manitoba government says there's nothing to worry about. ...Australian pundits said Sunday the company is in its "death throes" and grinding toward receivership, perhaps as early as this week.

Niagara Region Wind Corp. spokeswoman Randi Rahamim said the company erected a meteorological tower in the region six months ago to gather data on wind velocity and weather data. Two more towers will soon be built in the region.

A large wind farm with as many as 153 turbines could be coming to Lambton Shores. A public meeting for the 230 MW Jericho Wind Energy Centre is scheduled for June 30, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Kimball Hall on Townsend Line in Forest.

The 65-metre main tower is coming from Anacortes, Wash. A Sikorsky S-64 helicopter has been chartered from Canadian Air-Crane of Delta to conduct the operation. Situated at an elevation of 4,100 feet or 1,230 metres, the turbine is expected to meet 20 per cent of the ski resort's power needs. Tourists will be able to ride an elevator inside the tower to a viewing area 58 metres off the ground. ...Grouse Mountain's website notes birds could be at "high" risk in cloudy and foggy conditions.

A major Canadian wind power developer is eyeing the Mattawa-Bonfield area, east of North Bay, for a potential wind farm.

A controversial bid to turn a dozen farmers' fields in the Eastern Townships near the Vermont border into a huge industrial wind-turbine park will be submitted to Hydro-Québec for approval - but opponents aren't giving up their fight to see the project die. In a 16-4 vote Tuesday night, mayors of the Brome-Missisquoi regional council in Cowansville approved the proposal by Sherbrooke firm S.M. International Group Inc. to erect 31 wind-turbine towers in a swath of farmland 80 kilometres southeast of Montreal. In return, the company will pay the three communities where the land is situated - Stanbridge Station, St. Pierre de Véronne de Pike River and Bedford county - $6.7 million over 25 years. As well, S.M. will establish a $2.5-million fund for the regional council to use over the same period to clean up and beautify the Pike River. Both amounts are to be adjusted for inflation.

Toronto Premier Dalton McGuinty defends his government's decisions to cancel gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga while limiting the ability of smaller and rural communities to block industrial wind turbines.

Taking a swipe at those who oppose wind turbines off the Scarborough Bluffs, Premier Dalton McGuinty is signalling he won't hesitate to foist "green" energy projects on communities across Ontario. Only safety and environmental concerns will be legitimate objections to biofuel plants, solar panel fields and wind turbines under a green energy act to be proposed this month, the premier said yesterday in a speech on the economy.

Laforet is a former federal Liberal riding association president in Scarborough ...Laforet said he left the party when it passed its Green Energy Act and Premier Dalton McGuinty called opponents of wind farms in Scarborough "NIMBY's." "I had to choose between my community and my political party and I choose my community."

The wind woes of the minority Liberals seemed far from dying down Tuesday as anti-turbine protesters upped the pressure in Toronto and the government was hit with a new lawsuit.