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Environmental Screening
Currently, wind power generation projects which are proposed for a site in Ontario and which exceed a rated capacity of 2 megawatts are required to undergo an environmental screening process. The environmental screening process does not involve a full environmental assessment. In essence, the screening process simply requires the developer of a proposed wind power generating facility to prepare a report listing the various environmental issues which arise in the context of the proposed development and outlining how those various issues are to be addressed. Once the developer has prepared its screening report, the developer is required to submit the report to the public for a 30 day comment period. If an objection is raised during the 30 day comment period, the Ministry of the Environment may (but is not required to) impose a requirement for a more detailed environmental assessment. However, unless the Ministry of the Environment chooses to impose a requirement for an environmental assessment, the environmental screening report (which is prepared by, and paid for by, the developer) is all that is required under the environmental assessment requirements of the Electricity Act ( Ontario ).
In June of 2003, the Ontario Government proposed a change in the environmental screening process such that an environmental screening would only be required in respect of a wind power generating project exceeding a rated capacity of 100 megawatts. The public comment period in respect of that proposed regulatory change (which would have the effect of eliminating any environmental screening requirement in respect of the “Blue Highlands” project so long as the project remained below the 100 megawatts threshold) ran from July 03, 2003 to August 02, 2003 . A copy of our submission to the Ministry of the Environment is available by clicking here .
At this time, it is not known when Brascan/SWEI will make its environmental screening report available to the public.
Copyright, The Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition, 2004. All rights reserved.