St. Joseph Wind Energy Project (File: 5353.00)

A Proposal for the St. Joseph Wind Energy Project has been filed by St. Joseph Wind Farm Inc. for the construction and operation of a 300 megawatt (MW of net electrical generation capacity) commercial wind energy facility. BowArk Energy Ltd. is acting on behalf of St. Joseph Wind Farm Inc. as the primary developer for the Project. The Project area overlaps the Rural Municipalities of Rhineland and Montcalm in the vicinity of the town of St. Joseph approximately 85 km south of Winnipeg. Up to 200 wind turbine generators are proposed to be installed over an area of approximately 215 sq. km of land. An Environmental Impact Study Report has been filed in support of the Environment Act Proposal. Construction is tentatively targeted to begin in 2009, with operation anticipated to commence in 2011.

Anyone likely to be affected by the above operation and who wishes to make a representation either for or against the proposal should contact the Department, in writing or by e-mail (bryan.blunt@gov.mb.ca), not later than September 12, 2008. Further information is available from the Public Registries located at 123 Main St. (Union Station) Main Floor, Winnipeg; the Millennium Public Library, 4th Floor, 251 Donal St., Winnipeg; the Manitoba Eco-Network, 3rd Floor, 303 Portage Ave., Winnipeg; and the South Central Regional Library, 514 Stephen St., Morden; or by contacting Bryan Blunt, Environment Officer at [204] 945-7085.

Information submitted in response to this proposal is considered public information and will be made available to the proponent and placed on the public registry established in accordance with Section 17 of the Environment Act.

Environmental Assessment and Licensing Branch
Manitoba Conservation
123 Main Street, Suite 160
Winnipeg, MB R3C 1A5
Toll Free: 1-900-282-8069, ext. 7085
Fax: (204) 945-5229
www.gov.mg.ca/conservation/eal

We have many concerns after spending many hours researching wind farms here in the U.S. and abroad. Our primary concerns would be Wind Turbine Syndrome (the turbines being too close to residences), and there not being an adequate noise ordinance for this very rural part of the state; second diminished property values and inability to be able to resell our homes should we be forced to leave; thirdly, our concerns for the surrounding wildlife — elk and their huge migrations, antelope, deer, etc. and not to mention that our area is a major migration zone for the snow geese and sand hill cranes, not to mention the disturbances to our raptors, songbirds, owls, etc. This is an area of huge revenue for the state and large game hunting. And there is no local set-back ordinance on these big turbines. Our property line is less than 1/4 mile from the proposed site; and the other site is only 40’ from a private residence.

Several stories have been published in the Taos News, and the first of many meetings takes place at the Taos County Planning Commission on Tues. July 8, 2008 @ 6pm.

This Third International Conference, organised by Ince/Europe, will once again provide a venue for all those with an interest in wind turbine noise, and its effects on people, to meet together and also meet with those who design wind turbine installations, both in industry and in the planning process.

There is also an introductory course on noise on the afternoon prior to the conference. This has proved very popular in previous years.

History

The first Wind Turbine Noise conference took place in Berlin in 2005 and was a great success, bringing together 130 delegates from 22 countries.

The Second Wind Turbine Noise conference took place in Lyon, France in 2007 with more than 150 delegates from 24 countries around the world, representing:

• manufacturers
• developers
• researchers in noise and vibration
• environmentalists
• pressure groups
• consultants

This conference aims to bring together the latest information on noise and vibration from wind turbines to give an unbiased framework from within which future developments can be assessed. The conference will also provide a venue for researchers on wind turbine noise and its effects to meet together and also meet with those who design wind turbine installations, both in industry and in the planning process.

Who should attend?

• Specialists in noise and vibration and its effects
• Wind turbine designers and manufacturers
• Developers of Wind farms
• Environmental protection officers
• Community planners and decision makers
• Consultants
• And all others who have an interest in wind turbine noise.

Course on Noise

A half day introductory course on basic ideas on noise and its assessment, is planned for the afternoon and evening of Tuesday 16 June. This will help to set the scene for those without specialist knowledge. There is a separate registration fee for this course of €120 Euros, including course notes. The course will cover:

• Noise and Decibels
• Sound power and sound pressure Noise levels and human hearing
• Human response to noise
• Sources of noise
• Propagation of noise
• Noise control
• Basics of noise from wind turbines
• Production and propagation

In previous years the course was judged to be “extremely useful” by many of those who attended and helped their understanding of the more technical papers at the conference.

Go to windturbinenoise2009.org for more information, including how to submit a paper, purchase recordings of previous conferences, register, and join the windturbine2009 mailing list and about Aalborg, the hotel hosting the conference, and more.

We want to know what you think. We want to know what questions and/or concerns you have regarding windpower in general and the placement of wind turbines along the peaks and ridges of the Southern Appalachians.

We asked for your input in this column back on 4/2/08. We have received a number of emails. Some of the concerns and/or issues raised include the following (paraphrased): effects of wind turbines on viewsheds in the mountains; research and information about small-scale, home-owner windpower; any way to arrive at a cost-benefit analysis?; how many acres would be used; noise pollution; cost and politics of transmission of wind generated power across the power grid and the effectiveness of land use planning and/or zoning (primarily height restrictions) as a deterrent to wind turbines. Do you have other/different concerns?

We are going to collect email and/or written questions and comments for another week or so. We would prefer your concerns be emailed either to me – ddihen1@bellsouth.net or SMN at info@smokymountainnews.com or both (again preferred). Please put “wind power” in the subject line. If you do not have access to email, please mail your concerns to SMN – Wind Power, P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 or fax (again prominently noting “wind power”) to 828.452.3585. All correspondence must include a name and contact information.

After this last round of comments is received we will review all and come up with a list of questions and/or issues that readers would like to see addressed regarding windpower and the placement of wind farms in the Southern Appalachians. We will run these questions/issues in an upcoming Naturalist’s Corner (probably 4/30) and ask for your responses. We will also ask for responses from knowledgeable people in the wind industry and those who oppose wind farms.

We are seeking to compare apples to apples. We hope to provide useful accurate information that individuals can use to educate themselves and come to an informed decision regarding windpower in general and the placement of wind turbines in the Southern Appalachians. If you have tried to research this issue you have probably been able to find a lot of information but not easily compared information. For example, how much area is required for a windfarm? Proponents of wind farms often talk about the footprint of a wind turbine – the actual area occupied by the structure itself – while opponents will include this plus spacing between turbines, plus ingress and egress and the area for other infrastructure like transmission lines etc. We think it would be useful to have this kind of information available in a format that would allow a direct comparison.

Remember to get the answers you’re looking for you need to send us your questions.

Don Hendershot can be reached at ddihen1@bellsouth.net
smokymountainnews.com

Few laws currently govern regulation of wind farms. That is slowly changing and wind developers are in a big rush to build facilities before new laws are enacted.

Developers claim this is a “community based” project. That might sound good at first but just how good is it? A few landowners would financially benefit. Labor force for construction of turbines would be short lived (3-5 yrs) and probably done with outside interests. Monitoring of turbines shouldn’t require employment of many people.

Wind developers usually target less populated rural areas because of less people to oppose their projects.

With the huge number of turbines proposed and the transmission lines needed to support the project, impacts on wildlife could be significant. This area is a primary migration route for the endangered Whooping Crane. It is also home to Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge and the unique coteau prairie ecosystem that is comprised of wetland inventories as high as 100 per square mile.

This project would transform our natural prairie landscape in exchange for the financial gain of primarily out of state developers.

www.savecoteauprairielandscape.com

Daniel and Carolyn d’Entremont, who had to abandon their home in Pubnico Point, Nova Scotia, because of health problems caused by nearby wind turbines, are selling this design on T-shirts, buttons, stickers, etc.

Contact them through their web site, dangerwind.org, where you can also read about their experience.

Designed by Preston McClanahan, Savoy, Mass., who has kindly made it available for the use of National Wind Watch and friends.

Order from mmathews@victorystore.com. Example price is 125 stickers for US$162.50. Note that this is the printer; smaller orders may not be possible. National Wind Watch hopes to make this sticker available for small orders soon.

3′′ × 11.5′′