CCSAGE asks premier designate to amend Green Energy Act
Administrator | Feb 04, 2013 | Comments 6
The County’s CCSAGE members have asked Premier-Designate Kathleen Wynne to amend Ontario’s Green Energy and Green Economy Act.
The County Coalition for Safe and Appropriate Green Energy (CCSAGE), in an open letter, says the act’s minimum setback of turbines from residences, of about 550-metres, is too close for safe human habitation. The CCSAGE letter says current legislation also endangers wildlife, including migratory birds and demands that large-scale wind turbines be prohibited within 2km of existing or future home sites and that they should be at least 10km from internationally-recognized Important Bird Areas.
“It is abundantly clear that existing setback limits are unsafe for protected and unprotected wildlife species in Prince Edward County, and for rural residents in Ontario,” said Garth Manning, QC, Chair for CCSAGE. “Government is not protecting either birds or people from the profit-driven invasion of wind power projects. We need amended legislation now,” he said.
Manning says the proposed interim “safe setback” amendments would remain in effect until scientifically-determined safe setback distances are decided by independent organizations such as Nature Canada and Health Canada.
Jane Wilson, President of Wind Concerns Ontario agrees: “We’re seeing dead birds by the thousands already, and hundreds of people exposed to the environmental noise from wind turbines in this province are now ill. It’s time for the government to step
up, admit mistakes have been made, and act to protect the health and safety of people, and the future of the environment.”
The open letter is at http://tinyurl.com/adc8n9x
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Donna writes: “The Australian Environmental Protection Agency has measured infrasound to compare them at homes near wind farms and at urban locations. They found no difference.”
This study was in fact carried out by consultants (Resonate Acoustics) and is wide open to criticism. Firstly, it compared 11 “urban” sites with 4 “rural” sites; this is statistically insignificant. Secondly, it used G-weighting for sound level measurement; while this is an improvement on A-weighting (generally used by the wind industry) it is no panacea and leaves highly significant levels of infrasound unrecorded.
The study notes: “Sound above 20Hz is not the primary interest of either the G-weighting function or this study as this sound is better characterised by other acoustic descriptors” but they omitted mentioning that G-weighting drops off sharply below 20Hz … and they certainly did not employ other acoustic descriptors.
The “no difference” that you mention is covered in the study’s conclusion — that traffic noise is a prevalent source of infrasound in cities and it is equaled by the wind in the countryside. Perhaps Australia does not enjoy the County’s rural peace and quiet?
I have just updated my “audible or not” page at navalmarinearchive.com/research/wind_noise_audible.html navalmarinearchive.com/research/wind_noise_audible.html — please see the second image.
Maybe Garth Manning could have that open letter to Kathleen Wynne at the tribunial meeting on friday at 11 o clock at the town Hall. Have people sign it and send it to her
It doesn’t look like Australia’s EPA is finished their testing as they have announced another round. This time inside and outside of homes by conducting full spectrum acoustic measurements down to 0.25 Hz.
Again, not science but purely anecdotal.
Check this out Thursday (Feb 7th) at 9:00 PM on CBC TV…
http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episode/wind-rush.html?subpage=windmill
then see if you agree they make no noise and don’t make some people sick.
The Australian Environmental Protection Agency has measured infrasound to compare them at homes near wind farms and at urban locations. They found no difference.