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",,.,•f . Page 10 The Huron Expoaltor-' December23, 2009
News
HEAT questions recent study funded by wind industry
Still poised to respond to any re-
newed efforts by CASA Engineering
and Construction to build a wind
project in the St. Columban area, Hu-
ron East Against Turbines (HEAT) is
cynical about a recently -released re-
port from the wind industry stating
that wind turbines have no adverse
effect on human health.
"This study is no big deal and no
surprise. We still need an indepen-
dent health study," says HEAT mem-
ber Rob Tetu.
The study, funded by the American
Wind Energy As-
sociation and the
Canadian Wind
Energy Associa-
tion, involved a
seven -member in-
ternational panel
which reviewed
all current peer-
reviewed scien-
tific literature on
sound and health
effects. -
"There is no
evidence that the
sounds, nor the
sub -audible vi-
brations, emitted
by wind turbines
have any direct
adverse physi-
ological effects
on humans," says
a press release
released by Can -
WEA last week,
quoting Dr. Rob -
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ert J. McCunney, one of the study's
authors.
"We've got no peer-reviewed stud-
ies. All we've got is a bunch of sick
people," responds Tetu, referring to
the over 100 people documented by
Wind Concerns Ontario to have suf-
fered ill effects from living too close
to wind turbines since
2007.
"I have very little faith
in a study released by
the wind industry," he
says.
Tetu says HEAT's
mandate is to fight the
project proposed for the
St. Columban area and
is currently preparing a
document to send to the
province in response to
its definition of a "point
of reception."
He says the definition
needs clarification since it's not yet
clear if barns, cabins and trailers
will be considered points of reception
along with houses.
Tetu says that while HEAT has de-
termined that CASA will be subject
to the new setback distances under
the new Green Energy Act, the group
has not been able to find out if CASA
is working at redeveloping its plans
from its original setbacks of 450 me-
tres and reapplying to continue with
a wind project for the St. Columban
area.
The Green Energy Act sets a mini-
mum 550 metre setback for wind
turbines for projects of five turbines
and under and 750 metres for proj-
ects of six to 10 turbines.
"CASA is not communicating with
us but they are obligated to make
contact with the community if the
project is on the go," says Tetu.
The Green Energy Act did not re-
quire an independent epidemiologi-
cal study to prove that the setbacks
stated in the regulations are not
harmful to human health, a request
made by Huron East council several
months ago and a request that was
recently made by Grey County coun-
cil in a resolution approved last week
by Huron East council.
While HEAT has raised $61,000
in the local community
to pay for its legal bills,
Tetu says HEAT is sup-
porting "in spirit" a le-
gal battle happening in
Prince Edward County
where farmer Ian Han-
na is suing the Ontario
government and ask-
ing fbr an independent
health study on the ef-
fects of industrial wind
turbines.
"We can't support it
financially but we can
encourage local people to
do so. They're looking for $250,000 to
do it - it's a province -wide project,"
says Tetu, adding interested people
should access the Wind Concerns
Ontario website.
Seaforth residents Ernest and Sha-
ron Marshall say they were "forced
off (their) farm in Goderich" after
the elderly pair began experiencing
health problems, which they believe
were linked to living next to wind
turbines.
In April 2006, a wind turbine was
erected 548 metres from the Mar-
shall's property. Four turbines sur-
rounded the house, with 11 turbines
in total within a two-mile radius, Er-
nest says.
After that, the couple both began
experiencing health issues.
"I've developed Parkinson's disease
and now my hand shakes and I lost
my left eye in a stroke," Ernest says.
"I've seen doctors, specialists and
had two CAT Scans."
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