Kevin Bernard (West Grey ) Bayshore Broadcasting
West Grey Council has moved to impose security deposits on wind turbine developers, and NextEra is not happy. The developer’s lawyer fired off a letter to the municipality last week — arguing that the new fees violate the province’s Municipal Act, the Green Energy Act, the Environmental Protection Act and the Ontario Electricity Act.
Both a NextEra representative and a lawyer for the company, attended the West Grey Council meeting on Monday to try to stop the imposition of the new fees. However, West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles says council is confident they are justified imposing the deposits and other fees.Eccles says legal advice to the municipality is there is no problem bringing in the charges. Under the new law, wind developers must post a 100 thousand dollar performance bond on each turbine. There are also security deposits of 65 hundred dollars for each turbine built on municipal rights of way, plus 20 thousand dollars per kilometre of roadway used.
For a municipal road with a box culvert the security deposit jumps to 125 thousand dollars and up to 200 thousand for roadways with a bridge. Eccles says the deposits are being imposed to cover the costs of road repairs that may be necessary once the project is complete. He says the taxpayer shouldn’t be on the hook for any repair costs. The Mayor says if the company wants to appeal the bylaw it has that right, but he is confident the municipality would win.
Kudos to the council
Bravo! If Health Canada allows the real scientific evidence to prevail, the next step should be
by by turbines.
Too bad if Nextera is not happy. They are causing thousands of people to be “not happy”!
Well, at least one municipal council has the guts to to take a stand against the turbine invasion. I wonder if any other councils affected will have the fortitude to follow suit?
Considering the damage that is being done to the local roads, it is good that wind turbine companies must pay up front to protect the taxpayer dollars from having to be used to make the repairs… kudos to this municipality! 🙂
As far as I;m concerned,and other may agree, These fees are not high enough…But, it’s a start.. It has riled up the carpetbaggers, and that’s great…Stay the course, council, I’m sure you will prevail..
Sounds like an appropriate impact fee, and a proper use of other police powers.
The only thing wrong with these fees and security deposits is they are nowhere near high enough. They should reflect the true cost of decomissioning, rebuilding bridges, property devaluations, property tax losses etc. etc. There is enough evidence around now, to be reasonably sure of these costs, as well as to know the true health implications, which will definately occur in a known portion of the ‘receptors’ (sacrificial lambs/innocent victims).
So 10 to 20 million per turbine, wouldn`t be out of line.
After all, the municipalities may have to buy out all homes and farms within a 5 mile (not 5 km) or more, radius of each turbine, then go after the long gone IWT owner for reimbursment. The land will be useless, not a critter or crop for miles.
IWTs cause far more destruction than all Nuclear accidents worldwide combined, have or will in future. That`s a fact!
Do the NextEra executives or the Board of Directors have any IWTs near where they live?
Maybe they should be asked this question!
Palm Beach County, FL
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
15100 Palmwood Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
Owner: James L. Robo
Total assessed value for property : $3,583,385
Lot size: 127,831 sq. ft.
Single family residence
http://www.city-data.com/palm-beach-county/P/Palmwood-Road-12.html
13220 Marsh Landing, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
Owner: Lewis Hay III
Total assessed value for property $2,314,294
Lot size: 30,056 sq. ft.
Single family residence
http://www.city-data.com/palm-beach-county/M/Marsh-Landing-6.html
Guess who lives at these addresses?