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

Slash wind turbine subsidies, Hudak says 

Credit:  By Jeff Bolichowski, The Standard | Wednesday, April 17, 2013 | www.niagaraadvance.ca ~~

Blowing away subsidies for wind farms could help rein in skyrocketing energy costs, says Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak.

In a visit to a Smithville plant Wednesday, Hudak said his Progressive Conservatives are bringing legislation to Queen’s Park Thursday to axe the subsidies and hand wind farm planning back to cities. Hudak predicted those subsidies could contribute to energy costs spiking by 60% in the next few years.

But with the slashing of two gas plants in the greater Toronto area leaving taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars, Hudak said it’s critical to cut wind subsidies before the cancellation fees mount.

“That’s why we’ve got to stop now,” he said. “We’ve got to turn off the tap. Otherwise the costs are going to be even higher down the road.

“Our energy rates have gone from being some of the most attractive in North America to being some of the most expensive,” he said. Reducing those rates, he said, is key to creating more jobs.

“That means, quite frankly, that we can’t add on more expensive wind turbine projects, and we can’t have the kinds of waste of taxpayer dollars” like the cancelled gas plants, he said.

Scrapping the Mississauga plant alone came with a $275-million price tag.

The Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP’s comments came as he toured the Stanpac plant in Smithville.

Slashing wind subsidies wouldn’t necessarily mean an energy shortfall, he said. “In reality, we have too much supply right now. We’re paying Quebec and New York to take excess energy off our hands.

“If you’re in a hole, you drop the shovel and stop digging.”

Hudak said the party’s Ensuring Affordable Energy Act is up for a vote Thursday. He portrayed the vote as a matter of jobs.

“We’ll see where the Liberals and NDP stand,” he said.

He also praised the Township of Wainfleet for fighting wind turbines. The township recently lost a court fight when its bylaw calling for greater distances between wind turbines and homes was deemed illegal.

“Congratulations to Mayor (April) Jeffs for taking the battle as far as she can, but they’ve got a government that’s working against them,” he said.

Source:  By Jeff Bolichowski, The Standard | Wednesday, April 17, 2013 | www.niagaraadvance.ca

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