Victory for turtles, environment and community in Prince Edward County

“…in the public interest … to remove from the REA turbines … in Blandings turtle habitat”

Blandings turtle: to allow “remedy” would be to allow extirpation of the endangered species

The Environmental Review Tribunal released its long awaited decision on the remedies proposed by wind power developer WPD for its White Pines project in Prince Edward County Ontario to protect the endangered Blandings turtle and Little Brown Bat.
Relevant sections of the decision:

[163] In light of all of the circumstances, based on the evidence provided and taking

into account the purposes of the EPA in support of environmental protection and

renewable energy, the Tribunal finds that it is in the public interest to alter the Director’s

decision by amending the REA in part. The Tribunal finds that it is in the public interest

to add the Approval Holder’s proposed Condition L2 to the REA, but to alter that

condition by removing Tables 3-1 to 3-3, in the NRSI Plan. The Tribunal further finds

that it is in the public interest to remove from the REA the turbines proposed to be

accessed by the proposed upgraded secondary and tertiary municipal road segments

and by the intersections in Blanding’s turtle habitat, specifically Turbines 12, 13, 14, 15,

16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29.

 
and

Condition J7.1. The Company shall implement the Mitigation Plan

for Operation of the White Pines Energy Project, dated July 21,

2016 prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd., including:

1. Implement the monitoring and mitigation measures as

outlined in Table 2 of the Mitigation Plan;

2. Adjust cut-in speed to 5.5 m/s between sunset and sunrise

from May 1 to September 30 at all turbines for the operating

life of the Project; and

3. In the event of a mortality of a bat species that is a species

at risk, successively increase the operational mitigation as

detailed in Table 2 of the Mitigation Plan.

The question that remains is, with 60 percent of the project effectively removed, how can WPD meet its obligation to provide 75 percent of the power in its contract?
The entire project may have to be reformulated…it remains to be seen whether the company will opt to do that by using 4.1 MW turbines perhaps, or by finding other locations, but the company may have run out of time to do that.
The decision is here:ERT15068-White PInes
Here is a recording of lawyer Eric Gillespie’s closing remarks at the remedy hearing held in Wellington, last January. “The only remedy is to revoke [the approval]. … the result of mitigation will be to extirpate a species.”
EricGillespieClosingRemarksWhite PInes

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12 Comments

  • Sommer
    Posted April 27, 2017 8:15 am 0Likes

    Congratulations to all of you!
    Next we need to EXTIRPATE the wind industry from Ontario.

  • Sommer
    Posted April 27, 2017 8:21 am 0Likes

    The article below is evidence that the core issue that we need to address in Ontario is the deception used to create the alarmist rationale for ruining the environment of communities with industrial scale wind turbines.
    http://dailysignal.com/2017/04/24/former-obama-official-says-bureaucrats-manipulate-climate-stats-to-influence-policy/

  • Andre Lauzon
    Posted April 27, 2017 9:15 am 0Likes

    ……………little by little…………… Turtles today, birds, bats, bees……etc …tomorrow. If the greens were really serious they would care for nature. We can easily live without wind-mills and solar panels but we could not live without birds, insects, bees, bats….etc.
    Keep up the good work.

  • Richard Mann
    Posted April 27, 2017 4:06 pm 0Likes

    Dear Kathleen Wynne,
    It is now official, beautiful Prince Edward County, Ontario, will remain turbine free. That’s great.
    Now, can you please turn off all the turbines in the rest of Ontario.
    Thanks!
    Richard.

    • Wind Concerns Ontario
      Posted April 27, 2017 7:18 pm 0Likes

      Working on achieving justice for the environment and all Ontarians. By working together, positively, and moving forward, we can do this.

  • Suzanne
    Posted April 27, 2017 5:39 pm 0Likes

    Thank Jane for all of her dedicated work. Congratulations.
    Port Ryerse, Ontario Now not turbine free.

    • Wind Concerns Ontario
      Posted April 27, 2017 7:17 pm 0Likes

      A team of people doing this, and credit for White Pines goes to appellants John Hirsch, APPEC, and to lawyer Eric Gillespie. Take a few minutes and listen to Mr Gillespie’s closing remarks.

  • Bert
    Posted April 27, 2017 8:38 pm 0Likes

    What about the damage WPD did to the environment? Is the MOECC demanding WPD to restore? Does the ministry give WPD a fine for (unnecessary) destroying habitat of endangered species?

  • Richard Mann
    Posted April 27, 2017 9:59 pm 0Likes

    Latest research on infra sound perception:
    “Altered cortical and subcortical connectivity due to infrasound administered near the hearing threshold – Evidence from fMRI”
    Markus Weichenberger, Martin Bauer, Robert Kühler, Johannes Hensel, Caroline Garcia Forlim, Albrecht Ihlenfeld, Bernd Ittermann, Jürgen Gallinat, Christian Koch, Simone Kühn
    PLOS
    Published: April 12, 2017
    https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0174420
    Abstract
    In the present study, the brain’s response towards near- and supra-threshold infrasound (IS) stimulation (sound frequency near-threshold) as well as the right superior frontal gyrus (rSFG) during the near-threshold condition. In summary, this study is the first to demonstrate that infrasound near the hearing threshold may induce changes of neural activity across several brain regions, some of which are known to be involved in auditory processing, while others are regarded as keyplayers in emotional and autonomic control. These findings thus allow us to speculate on how continuous exposure to (sub-)liminal IS could exert a pathogenic influence on the organism, yet further (especially longitudinal) studies are required in order to substantialize these findings.

  • Richard Mann
    Posted April 27, 2017 10:00 pm 0Likes

    For an update on the Health Impacts of Wind Turbines, here is a talk by Carmen Krogh, speaking at University of Waterloo.
    https://livestream.com/itmsstudio/events/7194480
    DATE: Wednesday, March 29, 2017
    TIME: 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
    LOCATION: DC 1302, University of Waterloo.
    TITLE: Industrial wind turbines can harm humans
    PRESENTER: Carmen M Krogh
    ABSTRACT:
    The topic of the risk of harm to human health associated with wind energy facilities is controversial and debated worldwide. On May 7, 2014, Carmen Krogh presented a seminar at the University of Waterloo which considered some of the research dating back to the early 1980’s. A snapshot of some of the current research available in 2014 was provided. The research is challenged in part by the complexities and numerous variables and knowledge gaps associated with this subject. This presentation will explore some of these research challenges and provide an update on the growing body of evidence regarding human health risk factors. Included will be the emerging research indicating risks to those working in this field.
    BIO:
    Carmen M Krogh is a full time volunteer and published researcher regarding health effects and industrial wind energy facilities and shares information with communities; individuals; federal, provincial and public health authorities, wind energy developers; the industry; and others. She is an author and a co-author of peer reviewed articles and conference papers presented at wind turbine scientific noise conferences. Ms Krogh is a retired pharmacist whose career includes: senior executive positions at a teaching hospital (Director of Pharmacy); a drug information researcher at another teaching hospital; a Director of a professional organization; and a Director (A) at Health Canada (PMRA). She is the former Director of Publications and Editor in Chief of the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (CPS), the book used by physicians, nurses, and health professionals for prescribing information in Canada.

  • Winds got to go
    Posted April 29, 2017 12:24 am 0Likes

    Great work nice to see good things happen to great people

  • Tracy
    Posted May 23, 2017 11:01 am 0Likes

    Thank you Richard for bringing to the forefront the negative impact iwts cause to human health.
    I still can’t believe many communities have more concern for species at risk then they do for the health of the people living in these communities! Personally I find it shameful and humiliating. Would anyone like to comment on that?

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