March 13, 2008
Ontario
Ontario
Citing minimal noise and increased tourism, two councillors who toured a wind farm near Port Burwell say turbines are nothing to fear,
Chatham Coun. Marjorie Crew and North Kent Coun. Joe Faas toured some of AIM PowerGen’s 66 turbines on the Lake Erie shoreline.
Crew said the noise beneath one turbine “was like standing beside your air conditioner unit that’s running outside –we didn’t have to raise our voices.”
From 300 metres away on the moderately windy day, she couldn’t hear any noise.
On Monday night, about 100 people attended an information session in Chatham to critique wind-farm plans here. They raised issues such as noise, shadows, wildlife impact and questionable energy efficiency.
Meeting organizer Kim Iles said the number of proposed wind projects in Chatham-Kent has snowballed.
She said she supports renewable power, but large-scale wind farms aren’t the answer.”We’re not NIMBYs (not in my backyard). We’re into green energy.”
Plans to build four wind projects in Chatham-Kent were stalled last month after a meeting attended by angry residents and concerned biologists.
Rick Siddall, chairperson of Stewardship Kent and director of the Maynard Avian Rehabilitation Centre, said he’s worried turbines will displace wildlife from their natural nesting sites.
Orval Beam of Chatham said wind turbines “cut into the best farmland in Ontario.”
By Trevor Terfloth
Sun Media
13 March 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/03/13/chatham-kent-projects-snowball/