HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-03-25, Page 1212 News Record • Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Contributed photo
Don Lobb presented
on Soil and water:
What will be our
legacy? at the
Conservation Awards
evening hosted by
Ausable Bayfield
Conservation.
Goshen Wind Energy Centre
Community Liaison Committee (CLC): Meeting No. 2
Date: April 9, 2015 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
South Huron Recreation Centre - 94 Victoria Street East, Exeter, Ontario
ENERGY Cji
COMM
On July 24th, 2014, Goshen Wind, LP, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy Canada, LP (f/k/a NextEra Energy Canada,
ULC)(NextEra), obtained approval from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) to build a wind energy centre
in the Municipalities of Bluewater and South Huron in Huron County, Ontario.
We are hosting the 2"d Community Liaison Committee Meeting
Good planning involves the community so we have established a
Community Liaison Committee (CLC) to discuss key aspects of
construction, installation, use, operation, maintenance and
retirement of the Goshen Wind Energy Centre. While this
Committee is a requirement of our Renewable Energy Approval,
it is also a vital part of our continued commitment to
communicate and provide a forum to exchange ideas, share
information and to offer project updates. The purpose of the
CLC is not to re -visit those issues or concerns already addressed
through the MOECC's approval process.
About the Goshen Wind Energy Centre
The Goshen Wind Energy Centre will have a maximum
generating capacity of up to 102 megawatts, using 63 wind
turbines; which is enough clean energy to power nearly 25,000 •-
homes. The wind farm created nearly 250 construction jobs
and 7 full-time local operations jobs. The project is estimated—over its 20 year lifespan—to contribute over $4 million to local
governments in property taxes and approximately $23 million to landowners in payments.
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About the Community Liaison Committee (CLC)
In an attempt to provide a broad and balanced perspective, the Committee is intended to be made up of people with diverse
perspectives as well as varied backgrounds and experiences. Representatives of the following groups were invited to make up the
Committee: persons residing or owning lands within 1 km of the Project; other area residents and landowners; members of the
agricultural and business community; government agencies; local organizations; special interest groups; and Aboriginal, First Nation
and Metis communities. A total of four (4) CLC meetings will be facilitated by AECOM over the next two years. While committee
membership has already been established (i.e., the application process is complete,) all meeting materials (e.g., agendas, minutes,
and presentations) will be made available for public review at http://www.nexteraenergycanada.com/projects/goshen.shtml
All meetings are open so that the public can attend and observe the conversation
— requests for delegations are welcomed. To be considered for a public
deposition, please submit a request and the actual written deposition to Avril
Fisken (AECOM) by April 1, 2015.
Email: avril.fisken@aecom.com
Fax: 519-763-1688
Mail: 55 Wyndham Street North, Suite 215 Guelph, ON N1H 7T8
For more information regarding the Goshen Wind Energy Centre please contact
Derek Dudek at the following:
Tel: 1-877-257-7330
Email: goshen.wind@nexteraenergv.com
CLC Meeting # 2 Agenda
• Registration and Welcome
• Discuss Construction Mitigation
Progress
• Discuss Operation and
Maintenance Plans
• Public Depositions, if any
• Identify Future Topics for
Discussion
Annual Conservationist
of the Year Awards
takes place in Exeter
The annual Conservation-
ist of the Year Awards even-
ing, held on Thursday,
March 19, 2015, was one of
several events being held
during the International Year
of Soils 2015.
Ausable Bayfield Conser-
vation is working with a
number of farm and com-
munity groups to host events
during 2015 in honour of the
International Year of Soils.
The 68th United Nations
General Assembly has
declared 2015 the Interna-
tional Year of Soils. The year
of events is to make people
aware how important soil is
for a secure food supply and
for healthy land and water.
Conservation authority
staff began the year of cele-
brations by joining local
farmers in attending a Soil
Smart workshop in January.
Staff followed this up by tak-
ing an Agricultural Erosion
Control Structures Training
Course in February. Upon
successful course comple-
tion, they will be able to pro-
vide technical assistance
and design berms and other
erosion control structures.
Ausable Bayfield Conser-
vation then hosted a conser-
vation awards evening for
the public with an Interna-
tional Year of Soils theme.
The speaker was Don
Lobb, the first national recip-
ient of the L. B. Thomson
Award for soil conservation.
The conservation awards
event took place at Ironwood
Golf Club.
Ausable Bayfield Conser-
vation is also planning
events and tours this year in
partnership with the Huron
and Middlesex Soil and Crop
Improvement Associations,
the Huron County Water
Protection Steering Commit-
tee, the Ecological Farmers
Association, and local 4-H
clubs. These events are to
take place in April, May,
June, July, and August. More
information is to be posted
online at abca.on.ca.
The annual Bannockburn
Fall Hike will feature soils
information this year as part
of the year of events. Conser-
vation educators from ABCA
will also design a new curric-
ulum -based soil education
program for local schools.
Soil is considered a non-
renewable natural resource.
That's one reason it's so
important to protect this val-
uable resource, especially as
the world demand for food
grows. Recent local research
by the ABCA also high-
lighted the role of covered
soils to store water which
helps to limit runoff. Healthy
soil provides habitat for bil-
lions of living creatures.
There are a number other
reasons soil is vital - includ-
ing using nutrients and cre-
ating food.
Once soil health is lost, it's
very hard to get it back again.
It may not be possible to
recover that soil health in
one person's lifetime. Soil
forms the basis for the grow-
ing of the food we eat.
Societies that have over-
looked the importance of
soil have paid a heavy
price, according to soil con-
servation experts. Soil is at
the core of land resources.
Farming relies on it. People
rely on soil for food, feed,
fuel, and fibre production.
There are only some places
where productive soil is
found. Soil faces increasing
pressure as the world's
demand for food grows.
Increased urbanization and
more intense and compet-
ing land uses create the
potential to cause losses
and degradation of the soil
resource.
Help For Today.
Hope For Tomorrow.
Alzheimer Society