Council takes breather on wind turbine bylaw
It could be said that nothing is certain in Digby these days except turbines and taxes. The Monday June 29 meeting of Municipality of Digby Council touched on both.
But discussion of a proposed land-use bylaw pertaining to wind turbines dominated the evening as council accepted public comments then voted to postpone a final decision indefinitely.
Eleven speakers took the floor to express opinions both for and against the document. Written submissions were received in advance of the meeting.
If passed, the bylaw would have set clear guidelines for small turbines producing less than 100 kilowatts for use onsite. Permits for such installations would be granted if noise levels do not exceed 45 decibels at the property line. For comparison, regular conversation is typically rated at 60 decibels; a mosquito’s vuzz is rated around 40 decibels.
Projects to build utility-scale turbines that feed energy into the grid, however, would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Any project would require its own Development Agreement arrived at through detailed submissions and public consultation, not unlike the process the SkyPower-Scotian Windfields project has followed over the past year.
Some— including representatives from SkyPower Corp. and Scotian Windfields—have raised concerns that the bylaw lacks clarity.
Opponents argue that a bylaw without standards or guidelines asks wind investors to shell out big bucks without any indication if or when their project has a chance of receiving approval, and this unpredictability will negatively affect the region’s ability to attract wind energy development.
“After considering the information that has been circulating for the last several months, I think council was not comfortable making a final decision at that time,” says Thurber. “The proposed bylaw makes it very challenging for potential developers to know what rules they’ll have to follow.”
“We have an excellent wind resource in this area and we need to take advantage of it,” says warden Jim Thurber. “We’re trying to strike a balance between keeping the quality of life for surrounding residents, the need for green, renewable energy, the need for development and jobs in the municipality, and the financial benefits of industry and development in the area.”
“We want to end up with something that allows development to happen, yet allows it to happen with as few effects on surrounding residents as possible, and as much benefit to the surrounding municipality as possible,” Thurber adds.
CAO Linda Fraser says that if council decides not to make big changes to the draft bylaw, it could go directly to final reading at a future council meeting. If council does make significant changes, new public consultations will be required.
Fraser adds that a year of hard work has brought the bylaw to this point, and council would like to get back to the issue soon. Citizens engaged in this debate should therefore watch for word of a special meeting, perhaps during the summer months.
By Geoff Agombar
The Digby County Courier
9 July 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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