Posts Tagged ‘Environmental Assessment’
Today Will Be My First Time at UTSC Since McGuinty Tried to Have Me Arrested for Protesting; This Time I Will Be Delivering a Guest Lecture
This time it’s to give a guest lecture to an Environmental Science class on the Environmental Assessment process. I am going to explore the flaws with environmental planning in Ontario, the process and the negative impact this has on democracy, the environment and project planning. These are essentially the beliefs I was fighting for when I organized a protest to meet Dalton McGuinty on his first visit to Scarborough since coming out swinging against residents when he announced a law to take our rights away.
We were fighting to participate in a fair and open process when we lost the rights to participate at all. The Green Energy Act also removed the requirement for an environmental assessment for renewable energy projects; in addition to denying local municipalities the right to issue building permits for projects or develop local planning controls of renewable energy projects, the roads, transmission lines and other infrastructure pieces they impact.
What you will notice is opposition has strengthened since the Premier tried to legislate our rights away, and in Scarborough we’re stronger now than before he tried to have me arrested for planning a protest against his undemocratic, donor written attack on democracy. голова болит секс
There are consequences to denying citizen participation, ending environmental protection, outlawing local planning and gutting oversight. These are topics I have discussed publicly and privately since February and I am honoured to have the opportunity to deliver a guest lecture to an upper year Environmental Science class on these themes, especially on a campus where these views had me threatened with arrest less than two months ago.
The fact that I’ve been invited to deliver a lecture on this demonstrates there is a willingness within the academic community to understand the process failures that exist.
I’ve spoken to high school students about active citizenship, the need to participate in decision making and stand up for the things you believe in. Recently I’ve participated in thesis work by two Masters students exploring the cause of opposition to Toronto Hydro’s proposal, and another who was exploring the impacts of the Green Energy Act on planning, assessments and participation. It is clear this is an issue that isn’t going away, and one that I am proud to be continuing to push along.
3 Comments »Green Energy Act Proposes Major Setback for Environmental Movement
This bill has me a bit scatterbrained. It lacks the coherence or a tight enough topic matter to make it seem like it is actually just one bill. Regardless, after hours of not being able to write about it coherently, I feel like what I’ve stated below makes sense. I hope you agree.
Laurel Broten is the MPP for Etobicoke Lakeshore. She is the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and the Former Minister of the Environment. It is safe to say if anyone knows what is going on with this bill it is her right? I mean a former Minister of Environment and current PA to the guy who’s responsible for this.
What does Broten say about environmental protection under this new bill?
“Most significantly, green energy projects would no longer be subject to the requirements under the Planning Act or, in most cases, the Environmental Assessment Act.” Laurel Broten, addressing the Legislative Assembly (for reference click this link to Hansard and look between 15:50 and 16:00)
Ok – So no Environmental Assessment in most cases.
They followed through on their promise to strip municipalities of their rights to control the land use planning issues around renewable energy projects and the promise to strip citizens democratic rights of dissent.
The Premier ”stressed that, when it comes to safety and environmental standards for green projects, “we’re not talking about compromising those one iota.” Toronto Star – February 11th 2009 McGuinty vows to stop wind-farm NIMBYs
Maybe not talking about compromising environmental standards ‘one iota’, but certainly legislating a complete disregard for the environment by having no standards.
Considering the Premier and his Minister have so gleefully and abusively stripped Ontarians of their fundamental democratic right to question government and to participate in peaceful dissent, just how can residents seek recourse?
Section 142.1 (2) states: “A person mentioned in subsection (1) may, by written notice served upon the Director and the Tribunal within 15 days of a day prescribed by the regulations, require a hearing by the Tribunal with respect to a decision of the Director under section 139 in relation to a renewable energy approval.”
Section 142.1 (3) states: “A person mentioned in subsection (1) may require a hearing under subsection (2) only on the grounds that engaging in the renewable energy project in accordance with the renewable energy approval will cause serious and irreversible harm to plant life, animal life, human health or safety or the natural environment.”
Section 145.2.1 (3) states: “The person who required the hearing has the onus of proving that engaging in the renewable energy project in accordance with the renewable energy approval will cause serious and irreversible harm to plant life, animal life, human health or safety or the natural environment.”
So let me get this straight. Toronto Hydro Energy Services wants to build a project closer to shore than any other project of it’s size in the world, with no requirements for an environmental assessment and will receive their approvals within six months of applying. Once they are approved, I have fifteen days to carry out an environmental assessment to demonstrate their project will cause serious and irreversible harm even though I’m not the one doing it? How can that even be done considering project specifics are almost certainly and legitimately deemed commercially sensitive? We won’t even know what they’re doing or how until it’s done.
Whoever wrote this bill must think the average citizen is like the Attorney General’s office and can blow $24 million bucks on legal fees without even noticing it. The provision described here is not something a person can do, at the very least it would take at least one lawyer and an environmental consulting team. Fifteen days is hardly the kind of lead time necessary for this.
What disgusts me is so called environmentalists who are attacking me and others who oppose the Scarborough Bluffs project with some of the most ridiculous claims I’ve ever heard used in a debate, while they sit by and let a draconian piece of legislation get rammed through the Legislature that will have a serious impact on nature conservation in Ontario.
It is shocking to think that this is the same government that brought down the City of Toronto Act, 2005 or the Greenbelt legislation. One recognized the importance of local autonomy and the other the need for nature conservation, this bill does neither.
I haven’t even waded into the economic damage this bill will have on Ontario when passed. One thing is for sure, if you’re John Tory – you just need to sit back and wait because the Liberals are handing you their defeat in this cumbersome, poorly thought out piece of legislation that makes as little economic sense as it does environmental sense. This will cost jobs, hurt low income families and cause all kinds of unmonitored environmental damage. But it’s Green so it must be good right?
According to Marion Fraser – former political staffer to the Minister of Energy who left QP to join the Green Energy Act Alliance and is on record stating:
“The dire need to stop global warming with an aggressive renewable energy plan for Ontario outstrips potential damage to sensitive environmental areas, says Marion Fraser, a founding member of the Green Energy Act Alliance.”
Right, because who needs sensitive environmental areas when you have wind mills.
They need to make serious changes to this bill if there is any expectation of it not turning out to be a political bomb. Nothing is worse than a rudderless government calling in an air-strike on itself. If McGuinty doesn’t listen to reason and passes a bill with severe economic consequences and even more serious environmental consequences, he will not only do exactly the opposite of what I am sure he has intended to, but on October 7th 2011 he can begin writing a book about that time he was a decent Premier and blew it.
On the environmental side, they need to ditch the reverse onus. They need to recognize European standards for offshore setbacks of at least 10 k and they need to require a full environmental assessment for all offshore wind projects in our Great Lakes.
I will save the economics for another day.
8 Comments »
Does Premier McGuinty Really Support Spending $660 Million to Create 200 Temporary Construction Jobs?
Let’s face it, on a project that no wind expert to date thinks is going to be economically viable. And to think, a few days ago $24 Million spent on lawyers looked bad. Based on reasonable calculations, it can be expected that the proposed offshore wind turbines in Scarborough will lose a collective $310 million bucks over 20 years.
Want to challenge my facts? Call me names? Just read this first.
“He’s counting on the (Green Energy) act, of which few details have been released, to help create 50,000 jobs over the next three years and boost the amount of renewable energy feeding into the electricity grid to fight climate change.” McGuinty Vows to Stop Wind-Farm NIMBYists – Toronto Star February 11th 2009.
“Taking a swipe at those who oppose wind turbines off the Scarborough Bluffs, Premier Dalton McGuinty is signalling he won’t hesitate to foist “green” energy projects on communities across Ontario.” McGuinty Vows to Stop Wind-Farm NIMBYists – Toronto Star February 11th 2009.
OK – So the Premier took a shot at Scarborough, an area with six Liberal MPPS and three who represent the Scarborough Bluffs area.He forgets that Scarborough is the City’s pioneer in waste diversion and has fought harder to preserve the environment than anywhere else in the City. The Premier suggests his Green Energy Act will create 50 000 jobs by ending our democratic right to oppose bad government decisions and by stripping already non existent environmental controls.
Basically the Toronto Hydro Energy Services project team, led by Joyce McLean, did such a horrible job at responding to community concerns they lost control of the project and needed McGuinty to step in and use his position to dismantle well established democratic freedoms for force the project through to create these 50 000 jobs so called ‘NIMBYists’ were holding up.
Let’s look at the economics of the Toronto Hydro Energy Services plan and use facts from the Premier’s mouth, PACE Global Energy Services – an independent consultant on the proposed cancelled Long Island offshore wind farm, and Toronto Hydro Energy Services to figure out the economic impact.
First though some background. PACE was hired to look at the economic feasibility of an offshore wind farm off of Long Island. They ultimately concluded it was an economic no go, but in the process provided a methodology for determining the cost of offshore wind in North America. They pointed out a few interesting facts like “GE is the likely supplier of these off-shore wind turbines, but no turbine supplier is well mobilized to provide offshore turbines to the North American market.” (Page 7, Assessment of Offshore Power Resources, August 2007)
“Pace Global reviewed the cost estimates provided by FPLE. The cost of the wind farm alone is $5,231 per kW, while LIPA’s underwater cable and on-shore substation upgrade costs elevate the project’s costs to $5,634 per kW.” (Page 1, Assessment of Offshore Power Resources, August 2007)
Although the higher figure is probably more accurate, let’s use the lower figure to limit the room for folks who trash talk me to criticize me. — And let’s not forget the exchange rate.
“On 18 Feb 2009, 5231 U.S. dollar(s) = 6,588.97 Canadian dollar(s), at an exchange rate of 1.2596″ Bank of Canada Exchange Rate Calculator
“The goal, says Toronto Hydro chief executive Dave O’Brien, is to establish a 60-turbine offshore wind farm capable of generating 100 megawatts.” Hydro eyes new wind farm on Bluffs – Toronto Star June 25th 2008
There are 1000 kilowatts in a megawatt. There are 100 megawatts of capacity being proposed for this project putting the cost, conservatively at $658 897 000. That’s right. $660 Million dollars.
How many jobs does Toronto Hydro Energy Services think this will create? 200 short term jobs.
“Short-term employment of an estimated 200 construction jobs and long-term employment of skilled operators and maintainers.” Research Anemometer In Lake Ontario: Toronto Hydro Energy Services Oct 2008
Thats nearly $3.3 million per short term job created.
To create 50 000 jobs as the Premier would like to by ‘forcing’ communities to install poorly thought out wind projects like this, the Premier would have to spend $164 724 250 000. Yup. Over a $164 billion dollars.
So now someone is going to say ‘but the pay back, but the pay back’. Let’s pretend for a minute that the same folks who messed up with the Exhibition turbine (and who are running this project) don’t fail as badly as last time. Let’s pretend that instead of their pathetic 12% five year average output capacity they can match the 18% output capacity of the Pickering turbine. We’ll not use this opportunity to mention that these projects are bookends to the proposed offshore site, and that virtually all research indicates there isn’t adequate wind to meet the minimum viability thresholds or that neither of these will even pay back the original investment over twenty years.
At a twenty year (the length turbines last before needing to be replaced) output average of 18% (remember this is the highest output data we have for a project near this site), even before we factored in the cost of interest or maintenance the project would lose $309 478 120. That’s right, $310 Million. (This is based on the 11.08 cents per kWh rate Ontario buy’s wind power at.)
Wouldn’t it be smarter to do a full environmental review, to follow international standards for nature conservation and turbine siting, to consider all available data and save ourselves $310 million that can probably be better used doing virtually anything else? Call me NIMBY all you want, but if you think blowing $310 million bucks and doing untold damage to the environment because you were in such a rush to install a project without scientific or economic merit is a good idea, you’re not an environmentalist, you’re an idiot.
Once Again, I gladly invite Joyce McLean or anyone else at the Toronto Hydro Energy Services team to respond to any of the claims I’ve made here. This is a standing offer that has been in place for weeks now.
