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OSEA's Municipal Green Energy Brief

The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association has created this blog specifically to help municipalities get honest information about their powers and responsibilities when it comes to renewable energy development. Municipalities are key partners in helping Ontario become a clean energy leader. The municipal role in renewable energy development can include participating as a developer, encouraging projects for economic development purposes, establishing renewable energy policies and targets, providing comments and input on project design via the consultation process, authorizing the use of municipal property, entering into agreements with developers and enacting by-laws affecting projects, or any combination of these roles. We hope you find this resource useful and that you will visit us at ontario-sea.org to learn more about how we are working with communities across the province to make Ontario a cleaner, greener and more prosperous place.

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Posts tagged "patchwork"

Scientific research behind the Renewable Energy Approval regulation →

When developing the Renewable Energy Approvals (REA) regulation, the Ministry of the Environment used existing scientific research from around the world.

Reviewing a large body of reports and studies enabled the ministry to develop a regulation that was based on the best available science to protect human health and the environment.

studies reviewed by the ministry when developing the regulation

The ministry continues to review emerging scientific and engineering studies to ensure Ontario’s REA regulation remains in line with the latest and best in science.

Read the full page by clicking on the title above.

Renewable Energy Approvals Regulation under the Environmental Protection Act: Reg 359/09 →

The Green Energy and Green Economy Act triggered the creation of the Renewable Energy Approvals process under the Environmental Protection Act. A Renewable Energy Approval ensures projects meeting Ontario’s standards to protect human health and the environment - standards that are among the strictest in North America, including a 550-metre setback for wind turbines and a 40-decible noise limit.

Click the title above to review the Renewable Energy Approvals regulation in full.

Check out the status of which REAs are complete, being processed, have been returned, are incomplete or withdrawn →

All Renewable Energy Approvals (the process that merged a patchwork of processes) that are under review are posted on the Ministry of the Environment’s website. With this page you can easily see who has progressed, who has had to go back and do some more work and who have withdrawn or been asked to withdraw from the process.

Bill 10, the Wind Turbine Abolition Act →

Bill 10, the Local Municipality Democracy Act, was introduced today as a private members bill by MPP Todd Smith of Prince Edward Hastings. It might as well have been called the Wind Turbine Abolition Act.

If you didn’t know what the Bill was about, you might think that it was bringing democracy to those poor, small municipalities governed by dictatorial regimes or government appointees. In fact, it’s a Bill that was totally focussed on two or three clauses in the Green Energy Act that govern the control of wind turbines and other renewable energy sources. The Bill was designed to firmly give that control to the municipalities, specifically those NIMBY municipalities that don’t want wind turbines. Municipalities like Prince Edward Hastings, home to weekenders from Toronto and Ottawa - and MPP Todd Smith.

Read the rest of the article by clicking on the title above.