Canada’s indigenous leaders say an unprecedented push for clean energy in the United States is inadvertently causing long-term environmental damage to the traditional hunting grounds on their public lands. Rigolet lies downstream of Muskrat Falls, a $12.7bn dam on the Churchill River, a key drainage point for Labrador’s biggest watershed. Nalcor, the state-owned company that completed Muskrat Falls last year, is already planning Gull Island, another Churchill dam that would produce three times as much electricity, mostly for export to the US.

Impact on Wildlife Impact on Landscape Canada

Humphrey's submission focused on his environmental concerns, the reasoning behind choosing the site for the turbines and how the environmental assessment was done. He said he would like to see more analysis of the data presented in the statement. "They just gave a bunch of data," he said. "What's the good of data without analysis?"

Impact on Wildlife Prince Edward Island

While it was a celebration toasted with champagne, officials unveiling the Niagara Region Wind Farm still felt the need to defend their cause.

Impact on Wildlife Impact on Landscape Impact on People Ontario

DRESDEN - Theo Heuvelmans pulls no punches when it comes to his opinion about industrial wind turbines – he doesn't like them.

Impact on Wildlife Ontario

“The Tribunal decision has made it clear that this wind power project was never about protecting the environment,” said Jane Wilson, president of Wind Concerns Ontario, the coalition of community groups concerned about wind power projects. “The wind power project was always about money. The citizens of Prince Edward County fought hard to protect the environment and wildlife against our own Ministry of the Environment.”

Impact on Wildlife Legal Ontario

On Wednesday, April 26, the Environmental Review Tribunal finally issued their decision on the Remedy phase of the hearing into the WPD 27 turbine project proposed for the south shore of the County. The decision on remedy comes after last year’s finding of serious and irreversible harm to Little Brown Bats and Blanding’s turtles in the main hearing of the Hirsch and APPEC appeals.

Impact on Wildlife Ontario

The partial sinking of a barge that was to be used in the construction of the Amherst Island wind energy project is reason enough to stop the project, a Prince Edward County environmental group says.

Impact on Wildlife Ontario

In essence, the tribunal ruled that whatever the benefits of renewable energy — and whatever a government’s policy interest in promoting it — they do not override the public interest in protecting against environmental harm. (Migratory birds, bats and monarch butterflies were also said to be at risk under the wind turbine proposal.)

Impact on Wildlife Legal Ontario

When the stewards of our environment are arguing to kill threatened species to facilitate development, something's clearly out of balance.

Impact on Wildlife Ontario

Environmental activists have scored another victory against construction of wind turbines they say will do serious and irreversible harm to already endangered species. ...The panel upheld the appeal because of the risk of serious and irreversible harm to the Little Brown Bat and Blanding’s Turtle.

Impact on Wildlife Impact on Bats Ontario

"Amherst has the largest breeding population of the at-risk short-eared owl in southern Ontario," Wise said. "During the winter, Amherst supports the largest concentration of owl species of anywhere in eastern North America as far as we know. "We are all for green energy, but not at the expense of nature."

Impact on Wildlife Impact on Landscape Ontario

“From the beginning several years ago, we were astounded that the Ministry of Natural Resources would issue a permit that allowed development of a site as important to species at risk as Ostrander Point,” said Myrna Wood, PECFN president. “Over the years we continually have reminded the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources that their responsibility to protect species at risk was being ignored by allowing development at Ostrander Point.”

Impact on Wildlife Ontario

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled on Monday that a 324-hectare, nine-turbine wind farm proposed for the south shore of Prince Edward County puts a population of endangered Blanding’s turtles at risk of dying out in that region’s wetland. The risk is posed not by the wind farm itself but by 5.4 kilometres of roads to and from the site. 

Impact on Wildlife Legal Ontario

The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that a proposed nine-turbine wind farm in Prince Edward County would cause “serious and irreversible harm” to the Blanding’s turtle, sending the case back to the Environmental Review Tribunal to determine an appropriate remedy.

Impact on Wildlife Legal Ontario

A large wind farm with 50 turbines proposed southwest of Vermilion is raising concerns about noise, disturbing farmers and killing migratory birds and bats.

Impact on Wildlife Impact on Birds Impact on Bats Alberta

Local anti-wind activists are questioning the use of Lambton County grasslands for Suncor's Cedar Point wind farm. Grassland habitats are home to bobolinks, pictured here, and eastern meadowlarks, a pair of bird species considered 'threatened' by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Impact on Wildlife Impact on Landscape Ontario

A proposed $110-million wind energy project on Cape Breton could be put aside if it’s found the project will have a negative impact on the endangered Canada lynx habitat.

Impact on Wildlife Nova Scotia

Eric Gillespie, lawyer for the field naturalists, said his client is “expressing some concern” about parts of the ruling and is considering whether to take the divisional court ruling to Ontario Court of Appeal.

Impact on Wildlife Legal Ontario

After hearing arguments from the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists club, the tribunal revoked the renewable energy permit that wind developer Gilead Power had previously been granted. Tuesday the wind power company, Gilead Power, and Ontario’s ministry of the environment were in divisional court to appeal the ruling.

Impact on Wildlife Ontario

The Obama Administration’s decision to excuse turbines from statutes that protect eagles from other manmade dangers runs counter to legal precedent. Without fear of penalty, there is little reason to expect the wind energy corporations to deliberately site new turbines in areas removed from eagle migratory routes. The broken bodies of these magnificent eagles sprawled beneath the massive revolving blades are the preventable casualties of a new gold rush for federal incentives.

Impact on Wildlife Canada USA