Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Municipalities calling for moratorium on new turbines, solar
Credit: Administrator | Aug 18, 2016 | countylive.ca ~~
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
In the run up to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario 2016 Conference this week in Windsor, mayors and municipal councillors from across Ontario, together with representatives from the Independent Electrical Systems Operator (IESO), attended a symposium on wind turbine development in the province.
They are calling on the Ontario Liberal government for a moratorium on the procurement of new renewable energy infrastructure, including solar.
Prince Edward County Mayor Robert Quaiff was the symposium’s moderator.
“For the past few years, municipalities from across the province have repeatedly raised their concerns over the procurement process of Industrial Wind Turbines (IWT) to the provincial liberal government. To date, the government has taken no actions to resolve these concerns,” said Quaiff. “As moderator, I witnessed the level of anger and frustration that other municipal representatives are feeling because of this issue. The message from the symposium was crystal clear: municipalities have had enough. Participants left with a unified sense of purpose and we are demanding immediate action from the provincial government.”
Quaiff said that while the provincial government has been unwilling to budge, in contrast, IESO representatives were responsive and amenable at the symposium, expressing interest in working with municipalities to find a middle ground. The problem, said Quaiff, is the IESO’s hands are tied by ministerial directives.
“A main area of contention is that municipalities would like to have a veto on proposed IWT projects in their jurisdictions, but the provincial government opposes this idea.”
Currently, 83 municipalities in Ontario have made it clear that they want municipal support to be mandatory for IWT projects to move forward.
“As a result, municipalities are asking the provincial government to impose a moratorium on the procurement of new renewable energy infrastructure until a compromise can be reached,” said Quaiff.
“This would allow municipalities and the Liberal government to sit down and collaborate on a process that is acceptable to all involved. A moratorium would allow time for consultation on the issues that are most pressing to municipalities, including: community vibrancy allocations, community and stakeholder engagement processes, wind turbine placement, compensation for lost property value and the availability of funding for municipalities to manage implementation.
“Without a moratorium, we are headed toward increased conflict between municipalities and the provincial government and an even greater risk of litigation going forward.”
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 |
(via Paypal) |
(via Stripe) |
Share: