Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making We support responsible wind energy development. Proposed wind energy developments should be appropriately sited so as to ensure timely development of Ontario’s wind resource with strong local community support.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making EIGHT POINTS

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making 1. Unlike the areas where North America’s industrial-scale wind power facilities are located, the Georgian Triangle is an area where the question is not how to attract development but rather how to control and balance competing development proposals.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making LINCOLN COUNTY, MINNESOTA Declining population (22% decline from 1980 to 2000) Sparsely populated: 12 persons/square mile largest town: Tyler (1,218) per capita income: ranked 81st of 87 Minnesota counties income level is 65% of Minnesota average 12% of residents live below poverty line Lake Benton population: 244 Source: U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Census

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making Blue Mountains Projections: Population:+ 150% Employment:+ 240% Tourism:+ 525% Source: Georgian Triangle Area Transportation Study (June 2001)

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making Growth Projections: Georgian Triangle:+ 37,500 Collingwood:+ 8,700 Blue Mountains:+ 10,872 Source: Georgian Triangle Area Transportation Study (June 2001)

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making 2. Long-standing environmental land use policies applicable to the Escarpment have benefited the community due to the preservation of the area’s natural scenic beauty. That beauty merits protection from both a social and also an economic perspective.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making Grey County Tourism Economic Impact Study - January, 2002 South Georgian Bay Region Tourism Report (Ontario Ministry of Tourism) January 2001 (Study by Malone Given Parsons Ltd.)

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making unique beauty of the area business opportunities enhancement of local resident quality of life emphasis on importance of the Escarpment as a resource $196,000,000 annual economic benefit to Grey County

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making key area attribute is the quality of its resource base and the opportunities it provides for outdoor recreational pursuits. a region with a series of compelling and distinctive core attractions, most of which arise from the quality of the natural resource base. area is on the cusp of a substantial transformation into a significantly more productive tourist destination - one of Ontario’s pre-eminent resort destinations for more active outdoors pursuits.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making 3. The visual impact on the Escarpment and on lands in its vicinity triggered by the installation of an industrial- scale wind power facility will be significant.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making “The principal impact of wind turbines is the visual impact on the landscape”. Source: CanWEA submission to Ontario Ministry of the Environment, July 22, 2003

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making “[Industrial-size turbine] towers, in addition to affecting the use of a park or open space area, will visually intrude on the landscape…an Escarpment park could be irrevocably altered by a wind farm development. Even a single [industrial-size] tower could have far-reaching negative impacts.” Source: NEC Policy Paper re: installation of turbines on public NEP lands. (May, 2003)

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making 4. Continued preservation of the Escarpment’s scenic beauty is a valid and laudable environmental objective, in and of itself.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making many windy areas in Ontario there is only one “Blue Mountain”, with the related confluence of the Beaver and Pretty River Valleys and the resulting signature Escarpment and valley features: Canada’s Provence? the area’s beauty is highly accessible to a very significant number of people and contributes to the environmental sensitivities and sense of responsibility of everyone who benefits from the beauty such a natural resource should be preserved for present and future generations of Ontarions Green belt/Eco-tourism outlet for the area must find balance between the competing “green power” and “Escarpment protection” environmental objectives.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making 5. The question at hand is not “Is wind-generated electricity a good thing?” but rather “Is the “Blue Highlands” area the right site for an industrial-scale wind power facility?”

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making Superior Wind’s Strategy pursue large-scale development tall towers/large machines take advantage of the better wind speeds higher up timely large-scale development of the lowest cost sites

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making Source: AWEA & CanWEA

King Mountain Wind Ranch - Upton County, TX Source: Renewable Energy Systems

Stateline Wind Project - Washington State Source: Renewable Northwest Project

Altamont Pass, California Source: Aaron Brown's Photo Albums

Woodward Mountain - Pecos County, Texas Source: Renewable Energy Systems

Source: GE Wind Energy Trent Mesa, Texas

Llano Estacado Wind Ranch, Texas Source: Cielo Wind Power

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making Once Large-Scale Wind Power Development Starts, Where Does it Stop? 100 MW or 200 MW? further development by Superior? other developers? once a large-scale wind farm, always a large-scale wind farm transmission issues?

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making 6. There are alternatives.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making Ontario Has a Significant Wind Resource 6,000 MW 7,500 MW 35,000 MW 100 MW (1.7% of 6,000 MW)

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making Alternatives Conservation Crown Land (87% of Ontario) “Ontario’s Lake Bentons” Smaller Scale projects, with local ownership/control Offshore (Lake Erie)

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making 7. The economics of the project are uncertain.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making Economics Tax Holidays: capital tax property tax corporate tax (provincial) sales tax Wind Power Production Incentive: $260 million for first 1,000 MW of installed capacity

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making federal government funding needs to be doubled “Superior is prepared to take the substantial investment risk associated with this project - we are asking for your permission to take this risk”.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making 8. The overall contribution of this project to Ontario’s electrical power generation requirements is not significant.

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making CONTRIBUTION TO TOTAL ELECTRICAL GENERATION A 1.8 MW turbine can produce more than 5.2 million kWh in a year Source:AWEA FAQ’S Therefore, a 100 MW wind farm can produce 289 million kWh in a year. Total 1999 Ontario Electricity Generation: 149,858,000,000 kWh Source:Ontario Energy Board, million kWh = 0.19% of total Ontario electricity 149,858 million kWh

Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition Local Control/Responsible and Informed Decision-Making BALANCE