Controversial plans to build a huge wind farm north of Grantham were rejected by councillors on Tuesday. Members of South Kesteven District Council's development control committee voted 11 to 3 to throw out the plans to build ten 410ft turbines at Thackson's Well in the Vale of Belvoir, despite planning officers recommending they be approved. More than 150 people were at the day-long meeting held at The Guildhall, Grantham, which heard from almost 40 speakers. ... "This has shown how many people do not want this thing in the Vale of Belvoir and now the councillors have agreed with us too." Dorset-based wind farm developer Infinergy, which submitted the plans, has vowed to appeal against the decision - a process which could take months and cost thousands of pounds.

Richmond County's warden, concerned a proposed wind turbine project across the county line in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality could adversely affect the environment, will meet with provincial environment officials to forcefully argue for a comprehensive study of the project. Cape Breton Explorations Ltd. was given the go-ahead last November after the CBRM approved changes to its land use bylaw allowing for the mixed wind and hydro project to draw water from Lake Uist in its jurisdiction. The fresh water lake straddles the municipal boundary. John Boudreau said he plans to meet with Environment Minister Mark Parent to discuss the need for a comprehensive federal environmental assessment that would examine the wide-ranging scientific impacts this project could have on the environment.

In a decision and order issued Monday, Ontario Municipal Board member Norm Jackson approved the Amaranth portion of Canadian Hydro Developers Inc. Melancthon II wind farm. The order includes the controversial transformer at Amaranth's 10th Line and 15 Sideroad, but also stipulates that noise monitoring should continue, requires the existing transformer to be replaced by a quieter one, and a fourth sound barrier wall must be built, among other things. In his decision, Mr. Jackson made note of the disagreement between opponent Paul Thompson and a duo of acoustical experts.

Township residents and council have wrangled for about 18 months over the project. Last week, council recommended a minimum 450-metre setback from homes and a minimum 600-metre setback from the edge of any hamlet. “I kind of think it’s the middle of the road” between what advocates and critics have recommended, Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek said this week. Some critics had wanted at least a one-kilometre setback and insisted that noise issues made the turbines potentially a health hazard if located any closer.

An end is in sight for the Wind Turbine issue in Ashfield-Colbourne-Wawanosh Council last night passed a resolution on how far away new homes must be built from the wind turbines, and vice versa. This resolution is simply to amend the by-law that is being made on distances and noise allowances from the turbines. Currently, turbines and new homes must be built 400 metres away from each other. The resolution is asking for the by-law to be amended to a distance of 450 metres away. ...Millian says council is also guided by the MOE in terms of how many decibels the turbines can project, which is currently at 40 decibels.

The province should scrap its new system for allocating wind power sites on Crown land, NDP Leader Howard Hampton says. "They should stop it now and start over with a process that's fair," Hampton said in an interview yesterday, after the Star reported the "winner-take-all" format might let Toronto-based SkyPower Corp. tie up the best remaining sites on provincial land, as well offshore sites in lakes Ontario, Huron and Erie. ...Most wind power sites should be kept in public hands to be developed on a not-for-profit basis, as the hydroelectric power resources were in the last century, he said. "If they're going to turn it over, the process must be one that doesn't result in the creation of a monopoly. You're not supposed to give public assets to one or two private companies to make them rich."

Following unchallenged presentations by lawyers for Canadian Hydro Developers and the Township of Amaranth, two acoustical experts testified that the transformer is in compliance with Ministry of Environment guidelines, but that there'll be modifications to reduce the sound levels even further. Specifically, according to expert Steve Titus, the sound within the homes of the neighbouring Thompson and Whitworth families was that the sound levels at 360 hertz now have a raw measurement of 15-20 dBln, which he said translates to between 9 and 14 dBa (decibels) - the sound perceived by the human ear. ...The present transformer is rated at 83 decibels. CHD has agreed to replace it with one rated at 80, and the second transformer would also be at 80 decibels. At that rating, he said, the noise level would be similar to the present. The tested rating of the transformers, however, is in the order of 71 decibels, which would reduce the sound below the present level. Additionally, the substation would be fully enclosed with a 6.5-metre sound barrier.

But the decision by Brighton council last week to place a moratorium on erection of windmills, pending a review, shows the potential for resistance. The move follows a similar short-term step by Alnwick/Haldimand, but is otherwise thought to be unique in Canada. By passing the by-law, Brighton became the only municipality in the country known to have a moratorium on windmills, according to the national wind energy association.

While one can appreciate the economic and environmental benefits of wind power, residents of four communities in Eastern Kings County, P.E.I., wish they had asked some tough questions. Low-frequency noise from the wind turbines at the Eastern Kings Wind Farm has forced two families to move. Kevin and Sheila Bailey, and their son and daughter-in-law Dwaine and Dodi Bailey, left Elmira seven months ago and moved to nearby communities. Problems started a year ago when the turbines began operating. ..."We were told the windmills are coming, and you don't want to make too many waves." Now, he wishes the community had taken a more active role before the wind farm went up in the centre of four communities.

The RM of Montcalm has moved ahead with their plan to change the minimum setback for wind turbines from 300 metres from a residence to 500 metres, despite opposition at a public hearing earlier this month. ...

The conclusion of the Ontario Municipal Board hearing into the Amaranth portion of the 132- megawatt Melancthon II wind farm is being scheduled for the township offices at Laurel on Feb. 27 and 28. ...At the earlier hearing, Mr. Jackson indicated his dissatisfaction with an earlier Certificate of Approval for the first of two 230 kV transformers at a time when neighbour Paul Thompson and others said they were still unhappy with the noise abatement.

Another wind energy company is looking at developing a wind farm in the Medicine Hat area that could be producing 120 megawatts of electricity by late 2009. ..."Our biggest hurdle right now is getting our environmental assessment component completed, which is possibly going to be done here in the fall. ...Plava said he's expecting less resistance for the project than did the previously proposed Wild Rose Wind Farm, which encountered opposition from environmentalist concerned about the impact on the Cypress Hills Fringe Area and the impact on view sites in the hills.

Blight on the landscape? Benefit to the environment? These are likely to be just two of the many issues debated when public consultation begins on construction of a second wind farm in Algoma. ..."The site was picked because it is good, high elevation and close to the lake" says spokesperson Catherine Taylor-Hell, whose consulting company will carry out the public process for Vortex. Little information is known about the developer - there is no website and all initial contact with the company is being done through M.K Ince and Associates Ltd., of Waterdown, Ont. ...This will be its first venture in Northern Ontario and its first lease on public land.

U.K.-based developer Fred.Olsen Renewables is seeking to build 50 to 75 wind turbines on the summit of Mount George, 38 km southeast of Prince George. ..."Birds and wind turbines can coexist quite happily, but you have to know what kind of birds you have," he said. In some wind farms birds of prey nesting nearby have had no problems, he said. However other birds, like geese, can collide with turbines if they're along a migration route. In addition, the developer has to consider the effect on the human landscape - broadcast signals, air traffic and aesthetics.

Several wind farm projects slated for the municipality have been deferred until next month. However, there was still more than three hours of discussion Monday on the four sites Gengrowth is proposing for North, South, East and West Kent. Doug Desmond, a local lawyer speaking for concerned residents, had asked council during the planning meeting to put off the matter so proper submissions could be prepared. "A lot of information we needed to respond to was not made available until recently," he said.

Nova Scotia municipalities grappling with questions about wind turbines near homes will not find a templated solution in a new report prepared for the group representing them. A consultants' report suggests the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities choose land-use bylaws or development agreements to make rules dealing with noise from wind turbines and the distance they should be from homes. Though the report makes some suggestions, there is no single prescription for municipalities that have to set their own rules.

A new report prepared for the group representing Nova Scotia municipalities concludes there are no internationally accepted standards for dealing with the controversial issues around wind energy. The 117-page study by environmental consultant Jacques Whitford outlines a broad range of possibilities available to host municipalities but says it will be up to elected officials to decide how restrictive they want to be in their approach to regulation and the specifics of their bylaws. Setting rules governing the location of wind turbines is up to the municipality ..."Each municipality is unique, and one size may not fit all," he said adding the options in the study "can serve as starting points for good local policy and municipalities can tailor them to suit the needs of their community." The issue of noise, impact on property values and the appropriate distance between a turbine and homes have been the hot-button issues in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia municipalities now have some model guidelines to follow when dealing with proposals to construct wind farms in their communities. The Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities released the model wind bylaws Friday to help municipalities establish rules around where wind turbines can be erected. And that's good news for such elected representatives as Colchester County Coun. Doug Cooke who believes the municipality should begin drafting its own bylaws as soon as possible, in light of the growing number of wind farm projects being proposed.

A Toronto-based wind power company's presentation overshadowed what was to be a scheduled "wind farm discussion" by Essex Town Council, held prior to the regular council meeting, Jan. 21. "Currently, we have four projects in southern Ontario," said Mike Crawley, president and CEO of AIM PowerGen Corporation. ...Members of the Essex County Wind Action Group (ECWAG), which is lobbying for the responsible development of wind power in Essex County, expressed concern that the meeting, which was identified as a "wind farm discussion" on council's agenda, was "one-sided". "The legitimate concerns brought forward by many residents were not even touched on," said Bill Anderson, chair of ECWAG, which places the effects of wind turbines on humans and wildlife at the top of their list of concerns. ECWAG includes members from across the county, including the town of Essex, but they were not invited to speak at the meeting, Anderson noted. "The recommendations in the Jones Group report are far more restrictive than in any Ontario county that has seen wind power projects built," the AIM outline stated.

Kingsville council has reaffirmed its opposition to offshore wind turbines. "We don't think it's a good idea putting it right offshore or right at the shoreline," Coun. Gord Queen said Tuesday, after council passed his motion the previous evening. The Ministry of Natural Resources ended a moratorium on offshore wind power projects earlier this month. When Queen originally put forward his motion opposing offshore wind turbines, he didn't know the moratorium had been lifted. But he said the motion "sets the tone as far as the town of Kingsville is concerned." He had concerns about the impact wind turbines would have on the commercial fishing industry, the Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary and the way the lakefront's appearance would change. He's worried about the impact on tourism.