Oxford wants to have a say in green energy
The Tillsonburg News|Hugo Rodrigues |Jul 15, 2009
Oxford wants to ensure it still has a say in the development of alternative and renewable energy projects, such as the two wind farms proposed within its borders. Council gave its consent to community and strategic planning office staff to submit its comments to the Ministry of the Environment on the Green Energy and Green Economy Act regulations.
Oxford wants to ensure it still has a say in the development of alternative and renewable energy projects, such as the two wind farms proposed within its borders. Council gave its consent to community and strategic planning office staff to submit its comments to the Ministry of the Environment on the Green Energy and Green Economy Act regulations.
Oxford wants to ensure it still has a say in the development of alternative and renewable energy projects, such as the two wind farms proposed within its borders.
Council gave its consent to community and strategic planning office staff to submit its comments to the Ministry of the Environment on the Green Energy and Green Economy Act regulations. The county wants to ensure its governments and residents are appropriately consulted on these projects and that their concerns are legitimately addressed.
It also raised a list of questions that aren't answered in the first two proposed regulations under the act, which include how matters such as stray voltage, noise, animal and human health concerns, setbacks, local road use and other …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]Oxford wants to ensure it still has a say in the development of alternative and renewable energy projects, such as the two wind farms proposed within its borders.
Council gave its consent to community and strategic planning office staff to submit its comments to the Ministry of the Environment on the Green Energy and Green Economy Act regulations. The county wants to ensure its governments and residents are appropriately consulted on these projects and that their concerns are legitimately addressed.
It also raised a list of questions that aren't answered in the first two proposed regulations under the act, which include how matters such as stray voltage, noise, animal and human health concerns, setbacks, local road use and other similar concerns would be dealt with under the new rules.
"(The regulations) raise more questions than they've answered. Some questions may be answered in the ensuing regulations, as these are not the only ones to come," corporate manager of community and strategic planning Marg Misek-Evans said. "We wanted to flag the continued questions we have to try and get clarity... We also want to be on record as a county as there are outstanding matters on this provincial process."
Sitting in the audience, members of the Oxford Wind Action Group and the Innerkip-area residents' group opposed to two ProWind developments in their areas agreed with the concerns and questions raised by the county in its submission.
"They addressed my main concern about livestock- the regulations don't currently include barns as ‘receptors' for noise and voltage," Hickson resident Brian Middleton said. "The province really needs to define that. I would actually like to see pasture added as a receptor, even though that might be asking too much."
Oxford Wind Action's Libby Leeson said the group would be submitting its own comments to the province on the regulations.
"Ours will include many of the same concerns, but the more people and submissions the province receives, the more impact they'll hopefully have," Leeson said.
The proposed regulations speak to how proposed renewable and alternative energy projects would be reviewed through an environmental assessment/review style process. The act largely removes these projects from local municipal control, though the specific regulations on how that will take shape have not yet been posted.