An appeal for support of the project circulated by District 1 councillor Kelly McVicar on behalf of Shear Wind Inc. early this month made a plea for alternative energy as ‘educational' and for this project as a needed precedent. I am not quite sure what is educational about a power plant, unless the intended meaning was that we be educated about its dangers and failings, but I am very sure that precedents already exist. ...The most damning piece of educational material on hand goes to the root of the justification for erecting turbines and subsidizing the companies doing so: they contribute virtually nothing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Look out, here they come. When I first heard about the wind turbines coming to the Valley, I did not have many thoughts on the subject. It all sounded interesting - good, clean renewable energy. It showed that the Valley was concerned about global warming and showing the world that we wanted to help. ...Then I started reading the signs - "Get informed, know the facts - know the risks."

Must we destroy the environment in order to save it? In the province of Ontario, the answer seems to be "yes." This month, the Liberal provincial government of Dalton McGuinty will finish drafting its proposed Green Energy Act. The Act's early drafts call for a big increase in renewable energy production in Ontario. Sounds nice! How do we get there? The plan contains two big elements: (1) a huge cash giveaway and (2) a brusque slap-down of local democracy.

The current fiscal catastrophe in Nevada is being further damaged by the governor's office, which has given carte blanche to alternative wind energy limited liability companies to move into Nevada and game the tax credit system and then to follow tax subsidies that are solely funded by taxpayer money.

It was great to see Essex County put a hold on wind farm projects. There are a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to this energy solution. ...Until one is up close to one of these giants, it is hard to comprehend their imposing nature. There is a place for wind farms, but it must not interfere with a person's right to enjoy their property.

There isn't much doubt that Congress and incoming President Barack Obama will try to impose some kind of limits on carbon emissions. The Republicans, girding in opposition, are denouncing global warming as a fraud, and claiming that either a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system will impose an unacceptable burden on the economy. ...Wind generation is the prime example of what can go wrong when the government decides to pick winners. The idea that it can replace significant quantities of coal or natural gas in electrical generation is a fantasy.

The only certain thing about the battle shaping up on the edge of Algonquin Park is that the green side will win. The question, however, is which green side will be the victor? In a conflict suited to the times, the Ontario government is running into resistance from self-professed environmentalists over its plan to expand the use of wind turbines, which are the darling of other self-professed environmentalists.

Congratulations! Your community has been chosen to be the recipient of a vast number of wind turbines! What can you expect to happen?

Certainly, local farmers are entitled to earn a reasonable living. On the other hand, the rest of us are entitled to a quality of life and enjoyment of property. The underlying issue is that a small group of people formed met in secret to unilaterally decide that what is best for their own financial gain is best for the community. Her entreaty to "talk to the neighbours" is even more risible. The fact that this has been planned for two years and that the public is only now learning the detail and extent of this proposal is a case in point. To quote an old saying: "the fix is in".

The eagerness with which regional council this week endorsed the call for a full-panel federal environmental assessment of the Lake Uist wind and hydro proposal is indicative of the success that critics of the project are having in getting their concerns across. It was as though council was anxious to make up somehow for having granted Cape Breton Explorations Ltd. its land use bylaw amendment last year, the first critical regulatory step needed to put the energy plan in motion.

The domestic auto industry isn't the only uncompetitive industry that seems to require life-sustaining transfusions of government cash to stay in business. Alternative energy sources have relied on such subsidies, called "investments," for years. Yet in President-elect Obama's announcement of his energy team, we were told "the foundations of our energy independence" lie in "the power of wind and solar." ...After decades of tax credits and subsidies, wind provides only about 1% of our electricity. By comparison, coal provides 49%, natural gas 22%, nuclear power 19% and hydroelectric 7%.

Despite continuing opposition from area residents, Summerside City Council continues to move forward with its plans for a wind farm in St. Eleanors. ...It's time for this council to listen to those who elected them to office. The message could not be any clearer. Don't put corporate interests ahead of the health and well being of residents. Find another site.

We live in an era where the use of alternate forms of energy are becoming increasingly important - perhaps even critical as fossil fuel supplies dwindle over the next 50 years. At the same time, the application of alternate solutions must be based upon common sense and hard facts based upon scientific research. In the case of wind power, for which the jury is still out, this requires even more scrutiny.

Exactly why Dennis Trochim believes Manitoba would be especially proactive in building wind farms, regardless of whether the financially troubled firm Babcock and Brown is involved is hard to fathom. If this province depended largely on imported power, the proposal would make some sense; but since it gets about 98 per cent of its electricity from hydro, what's the reason for any urgency?

It is time for Ontario to work with citizens and environmental specialists to establish guidelines for the careful development of wind energy (Who Could Object To Wind Power? - Nov. 25). There are some places where wind turbines simply don't belong. ...Build wind developments in the wrong places and the environment will be collateral damage.

What the Scarborough fiasco showed is the lie behind environmentalist and media claims that opinion polling shows the public virtually unanimous in support of "green" energy. ...And if environmentalists think they can win those battles simply by flooding the zone, as they did in Scarborough this week, rather than through reasoned debate, they're sadly mistaken.

Minister Smitherman's recent letter in Barry's Bay This Week (Wind power has important role, Oct. 29, 2008) revealed a disturbing lack of understanding of the true nature of this rush to wind-farm construction. He seems to think that it is about producing environmentally friendly power. But a sober look at the process shows that it is not. Any ordinary business would proceed slowly. In a marginal area such as ours, they would build one turbine, see how it worked out and gradually expand the operation. So why are these firms so eager to construct so many turbines so fast in untested areas?

Wind power can't survive without massive subsidies, courtesy of you and me. "If these hidden subsidies were taken away, there would not be a single wind turbine built in Britain," says David Bellamy, a well-known environmentalist who has been tramping the Scottish countryside to oppose a massive wind project there. ...When will we stop pouring billions into wind? I have no idea. Politicians really love their turbines. Meantime, that soft whooshing sound you hear is your friendly green government, vacuuming money out of your pockets.

If you live on or near North Cape Coastal Drive (Rte 14) or in Milo or Kildare or surrounding communities, there is a good chance you will fall victim to wind turbines and high voltage power lines hovering over your home. Keep in mind that under current regulations, a wind turbine can be placed as close as 1,200 ft. from your home.