LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Meaford Council nixes wind-power research 

Council quickly put a stop Monday to a wind power company’s proposed research tower in rural Meaford, at least for now.

AIM Powergen Corporation’s applications were much too vague for all but one councillor in the five-to-one vote against amending several zoning bylaws.

Approval would have allowed research towers built throughout the municipality on any Rural A, A1 and A2 zoned agricultural land.

The zoning bylaws already permit property owners or public utilities to erect the tall, thin towers meant to measure the wind speed. The amendments would have removed what Gerry Murphy, the municipality’s director of development services called “a technicality.”

“It’s not a question of if the towers should be allowed, but who should be allowed to put a tower up,” Murphy said during a public meeting before Monday’s regular council session.

Murphy also told the meeting the “tall flagpole” is essential to collect data and determine if rural Meaford areas can support wind power generation, but wouldn’t mean turbines result.

Some councillors doubted that, calling the application the thin edge of a wedge and saying it must instead review each tower application, knowing the precise location and giving neighbours a chance to comment early in the process.

AIM Powergen spokesman Tim Sullivan said just one tower was planned, in the former Sydenham Township, but did not disclose the location.

Coun. Mike Traynor said he was “suspicious” about both the process and the lack of information.

Coun. Cynthia Lemon said approving the bylaw amendments would be “naive.”

“I don’t feel at all comfortable with a broad intent that says put it anywhere,” Lemon said. “I’d like to see the bylaw on the table tonight and I’d like it defeated.”

Only Coun. Jim McPherson voted for the bylaw, saying several times it allowed just the research, while many layers of subsequent approval waited before any turbines could go up.

Before the vote, Mayor Wally Reif asked Murphy what options defeating the bylaw amendment left for AIM Powergen Corporation.

AIM could appeal the decision, make new, site specific applications or look elsewhere for possible wind turbine locations.

Two people spoke against the project.

“Turn them down,” Keith Mustard told council, calling the proposed amendments an “absolutely dreadful imposition on agricultural land.” He later held up a sign reading “NO” before the vote.

Mustard also said there was too little public awareness of the proposed amendments for council to decide the issue.

Jim Bruno listed problems with wind farms in other municipalities and told the meeting it was unfair to approve blanket bylaw changes.

“If you don’t know where (the research towers) are, then the people that are going to be affected by them aren’t likely to show up to express their opinions,” he said.

Reif said after the meeting the vote doesn’t at all close the door on wind power projects in Meaford, but indicates a growing wariness about wind farms.

“I’m not against wind generation as a lot of people are, but I am not in favour necessarily of having 100 wind turbines very close together. I’d rather see a more distributed system.”

Assessing a specific request and location would remove the uncertainties, Reif added.

“I don’t think it’s the pole itself, I think it’s what it represents. I think what we’re visualizing here is potentially now there’s towers everywhere and all of a sudden we have wind farms everywhere,” Reif said.

“It appears that’s not what they want. So if that’s not what they want I think they have to play it a little more open with us.”

By Bill Henry

Owen Sound Sun Times

14 November 2007

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon