Intrigued by a question on Facebook
A question popped up last night on facebook, "Does anyone know anything about a windfarm in Grafton?" I did, having seen a story in the NToday here. Last month the family went to a wedding in the Bruce Peninsular and driving through one is assailed by many many windturbines, they are huge. Foolishly thinking that these pieces of equipment may be the answer to the non-renewable energy debate I was pleased to see them, and still am. But the next morning, when reading a local paper, it was puzzling to see that not all citizens in the area are so pleased. In fact there is a backlash to them for a couple of reasons. First of all the usual non-provable health issue, secondly the low rent paid to farmers and the owners of the land and thirdly the stewardship of the land by the turbine company - they are accused of wrecking arable land with big trucks. Hitting "opposition to wind farms" in Google produces 275,000 hits, so obviously a lot of people have something to say on the topic. "Support for windfarms" gets 2,620,000, even more people like to talk about them. But of the 275,00 11,700 want to talk about wind farms in Kincardine. Obviously the Bruce Peninsular is a hotbed of debate as 6,200 hits for the project. So about 2 to 1, on the internet against the turbines. But what will happen in Grafton?
Want to learn all about the opposition to WInd Power, rather like not supporting Mother Theresa or having too much time on your hands, look here. I suppose the opponents of the Grafton project have already started to research and may even have joined the North American opposition movement here - National WindWatch. But for a primer on the topic look at this page "What to do if it's happening to you"
Over to you the people in Grafton!
Want to learn all about the opposition to WInd Power, rather like not supporting Mother Theresa or having too much time on your hands, look here. I suppose the opponents of the Grafton project have already started to research and may even have joined the North American opposition movement here - National WindWatch. But for a primer on the topic look at this page "What to do if it's happening to you"
Over to you the people in Grafton!
7 comments:
Two things: When I heard Paul Gipe, noted wind power proponent, some months ago talking to Matt Galloway on CBC Radio, I became so enraged at the arrogance of the man and his haughty dismissal of anybody who would dare question his catechism that I wrote him an e-mail. The reply I got came from Marion Fraser -whom I believe to be Marion Botsford Fraser who handles enviro-matters at The Walrus. She said I was rude -which I was, but not as rude as Paul Gipe. Not by a long shot. The issue, by the way, was the naysayers on Amherst Island near Kingston.
Secondly is the dramatic change taking place along Canada No. 1 in southern Saskatchewan. I spoke to a man who farms 2,500 acres near Swift Current and he refuses to sell out to "the Bay Street lawyers" who want to turn his wheat field into a wind farm -as so many of his neighbours have done. He sees it as a fundamental change in the delicate prairie eco-system and accuses his fellow farmers of short-sightedness of the worst kind. He claims a turbine can be heard and felt from two miles away.
The bottom line is not about the environment -it's about money. There's huge bucks to be made on these things -bucks from sappy, feel-good government grants mostly. And "Bay Street lawyers" smell all that sanctimonious money coming in from all over the country. Then there's consultant money -check Mr. Gipe's website. Manufacturing money. Maintenance money. And the worst kind of money of all: The pittance sell-out money to desperate prairie grain farmers to lease their land to something that will never go away.
Call me a NIMBY on this one, Ben. A proud NIMBY at that. Sorry, I just can't buy into the mantra.
DJC
I still await to be convinced about the health threats from this technology and the Hydro lines issue which has been around for decades without resolution.
I am beginning to wonder if the people who claim to be made sick by the turbines/hydro wires/other environmental agents aren't just your basic garden variety hypochondriacs.
The me-me-me movements of our era, compounded by the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, pop psychology, media and advertising interests, have only encouraged those of us prone to picking at imaginary zits.
Hand sanitizer anyone?
I have a share in the wind turbine in Toronto. Very often I have sat under it. Virtually noiseless. Loss of occassional bird, but, alas . . . small price. Didn't cause me years later to bleed from the colon.
I'd like to see wind turbs on the tops of skyscrapers -- beanies.
I wish geneticists could identify and isolate the gene for nimbyism, and then eradicate it. What the hell is " a proud nimby " ?
A proud NIMBY is often the spouse to loud NIMBY.
And fourthly, the lack of evidence that wind energy on the grid actually provides enough benefit to justify its cost and impacts.
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