Severn citizens group presentation on solar panels

Deputation To Council
Severn Township
July 8, 2010
Presenter – Nancy Robinson
On Behalf of the Concerned Citizens Group of Severn Township
Topic- Solar Panel Farms
Submitted June 30th as requested by Severn Township
Good evening Mayor Phil Sled and Councillors,
I will introduce myself – my name is Nancy Robinson (Silk), born and raised in the ward of Matchedash and have lived here for 43 years, I grew up working on my grandparents farm that is now owned and operated by my two oldest brothers. I have a deep appreciation of the hard work, sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a successful farmer.
I am speaking tonight on behalf of the Concerned Citizens Group of Severn Township, we formed a group some time ago to discuss and research the effects solar farms have on agricultural land, waterways and wildlife.
To begin I will read the letter our group has written to Mr. McGuinty – Premier of Ontario and forwarded to Gord Miller – Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Brad Duguid – Minister of Energy and Infrastructure,  James Bradley – Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing, Linda Jeffrey – Minister of Natural Resources, Doris Dumais – Director, Ministry of Environment, and Sheldon Kimber – Recurrent Energy.
Mr. Dalton McGuinty
Premier of Ontario
Legislative Building,
Queen’s Park,
Toronto, ON M7A 1A1
Re: Solar Panel Farms
Dear Mr. McGuinty,
The California based company Recurrent Energy has recently proposed two solar projects (Waubaushene 4 and Waubaushene 5) to be installed in the Township of Severn, County of Simcoe, Ontario (184 sites in total across Ontario). Our Concerned Citizens Group of Severn Township has researched such projects and the effects they have on agricultural land, water systems and wildlife. We have learned from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture that the soil beneath the solar panels is exposed to intense heat causing the soil to deteriorate (bake), it disrupts carbon and nitrogen fixing creating habitat for noxious weeds. When the panels are exposed to runoff from rain or cleaning water the toxic soil will deposit itself in the streams and rivers running through the proposed sites destroying habitat for many native creatures such as pickerel, waterfowl (trumpeter swans are a main concern since they have just recently been reintroduced to this area), snakes (rattle snakes have been sighted in the proposed area), worms and frogs.
The area proposed by Recurrent Energy to install solar panels was once called the Township of Matchedash; it became Severn Township several years ago, but remains the Ward of Matchedash. In 1989 Matchedash was chosen by the Ontario Eastern Habitat Joint Venture to deliver programs in Ontario to support the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP).  The OEHJV continues to grow and to broaden its reach delivering conservation programs in Ontario, and its success is based on an active, dedicated partnership with the Environment of Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Wildlife Habitat Canada. Much of this work was supported through funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and other US sources under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). To further back this plan, in 1996 the RAMSAR Conservation of Wildlife Sites ranked the nearby Matchedash Bay as 866th out of 1888 locations on the Worldwide International importance list.
Recently, the OEHJV broadened its mandate to address wider issues of biodiversity, in agriculture landscapes; the OEHJV supported the adoption of Beneficial Management Practices through the Agricultural Policy Framework, and Environmental Farm Plans as well as extension materials, namely beneficial management practices books. By the nature of its partnership and mandate the OEHJV is linked with many government priorities and contributes to the success of several programs and initiatives. The success of the OEHJV can be measured in the amount of habitat that has been secured, the continued and growing finding support, the number of program participants and the progress on many fronts. These are a testament to the commitment of all partners.
As supporters of the OEHJV, the Concerned Citizens Group of Severn are disappointed that the agricultural land (rated prime agricultural land) of such a precious commodity as Severn Township’s (Ward of Matchedash) would be considered for a proposal like that of Recurrent Energy’s. The Simcoe County Interactive Soil Maps show without question that the sites (Waubaushene 4 and Waubaushene 5) are both Prime Agricultural Land. Waubaushene 4 (1952 Irish Line, Coldwater, ON L0K 1E0) is 95% Class 1-3, Waubaushene 5 (1524 Taylor Line, Coldwater, ON L0K 1E0) is 100% Class 1-3. Neither of these sites should have been chosen for solar panel projects according to an amendment by the Ministry of Energy to the ‘Green Energy Act’. The former Minister of Energy and Infrastructure George Smitherman declared a prohibition on solar farms on Class 1 and 2 farmland and set a cap for solar farms on Class 3 farmland at 6,000 acres to be used to recognize contracts under the previous program for renewable energy. We are demanding that both of these sites called “Waubaushene 4 and Waubaushene 5” be terminated from any further testing, preparation and construction itself.  There are vast areas of land that are not particularly useful for farming or recreation, forestry or wildlife that could be used for solar farms. There is no need to sacrifice other potentials to have solar in Ontario.
The proposals from Recurrent Energy (attached) have many disturbing findings our committee considers imperative to convey to the attention of the government, environmental groups and agricultural organizations.                                                                       
• Recurrent Energy admits there are environmental risks (pg. 10). The at-risk red-headed woodpecker, massasauga and milk snake are often sited throughout the proposed sites.                                    
• There will be use of on-site water if available to clean the panels twice a year – 45,000 litres each day (pg.9), (50,000 litres would require a permit).  Local or provincial organizations require permits for any water drawn for testing or otherwise.
•  The topsoil will be stripped from the area (pg.7).  It would be impossible to restore these soils to their original classifications. Who regulates the soils on the proposed sites during reconstruction?
• Temporary loss of agricultural land (pg. 10). A thirty year contract is considered temporary? That is a generation of farming lost and on how many sites?
• Discrepancies in soil classifications (pg. 4) between versions 1.0 and 2.0, both were issued on the same date – how could any further testing have been completed the same day and the classifications dropped to levels acceptable according to the amended ‘Green Energy Act’?
The footprint to have “GREEN ENERGY” (Solar Panels) on agricultural land outweighs any benefit it would bring to the residents of Ontario. With less than 15% of agricultural land in Ontario we need to use all that we have to feed our growing population and preserve this irreplaceable product for future generations.
We are not opposed to Solar Energy, we are opposed to Solar Farms on agricultural land. Together we can find more suitable site locations.
 We have formally requested that Recurrent Energy and the Ministry of the Environment  immediately retract the proposals Waubaushene 4 and Waubaushene 5 and that the Concerned Citizens Group of Severn Township be informed in writing when this takes place. We trust that we have the support of the Ontario Government to take prompt action in this matter. Please forward any questions or comments to the address below.
Sincerely,
Concerned Citizens Group of Severn Township
This is the end of the letter. The above statements are facts found and documented by our group, several of us have the web links and documentation to back up the above statements and those to follow:
We are in favour of solar energy, but totally against the loss of productive farmland in favour of a highly subsidized industrial electrical generating facility. We should be condemned for destroying our land to build unproven, potentially dangerous and highly subsidized facilities that diminish our way of life. These subsidies that benefit a few are paid for by the general population. We are currently paying between 7-13 cents a KWH for our electricity. The developer is being paid between 40-82 cents KWH. How long can this last and when will we be asked to pay $2.00 KWH?
The individual 10 KW Micro FIT units on an individual’s property are a good thing and should be encouraged, but all of those units must be on land that is totally unacceptable for any farming.
 Any individual who has farmed knows that they are a steward of the land and that they should only be using the land in that manner, because it is not ours, it is to borrow and nurture for future generations. Our fore-fathers taught us to rotate crops, pick rocks as required, spread manure and take from the soil the produce that is our food. Those before us understood erosion, footprint, poison, mono cropping, etc., they nurtured the soil so the earth was alive and giving back to the community. How is the loss of farm land worth any money?
On June 29th Cindy Hillard and I attended the Recurrent Energy information meeting in Hawkestone (Coldwater’s was last evening, July 7th). We learned of more disturbing information; it is as follows:     The panels were to be cleaned twice a year, it is now 4 times a year using approximately 27,000 litres of water from the North River each time (Waubaushene 5 proposal). The river cannot  sustain this usage over a 30 year term.
 Only residents within 30 metres of the proposals received notification of public information meetings.
 The displacement of wildlife will be affected because of the chain link fence and birds of prey will not be able to swoop beneath the panels.
 The efficiency of the panels in the winter is very minimal, even at  peak times it is limited to approximately 20% – so why is it so attractive in this area? Government funding makes it so and we will be left paying the difference.
Recurrent Energy believes that the solar panels shade the soil allowing vegetation to grow under them. Observe the growth of a crop at the tree or fence line of a farmer’s field and compare it to areas with less to no shade, you will see that it is shorter and more sparse, this is because the soil is not receiving  the nutrients required from the sun’s rays.
An analogy we can all relate to is, lift up a tent or tarp that has sat on the ground for a day or a week, you find dead grass and an awful smell; this is the beginning of the soil deterioration process that will  inevitably happen beneath the solar panels especially given it has a 30 year time frame to do so.
 I will say that we believe and completely comprehend the manner in which the municipal councils have been shackled by the Provincial government, but insist that the responsibility of a government is to respect the wishes of the general population. As a governing body, do you not believe you should have the right to voice the opinions of those directly affected by such detrimental decisions? Take a stand and fight back! We were told to bring facts before council and I whole-heartedly believe we have done so, and we have done so with very little support or help from our municipal government, we believe this is wrong. We wholly endorse the published mandate of the Township of Severn, and as such, we invite all members of council to support us in alerting the people of the Township to what is really happening. During an election year is a perfect time to work at this. In the future we hope that those elected will work on behalf of the land, water, wildlife and in the best interest of the majority of the Township’s people.
Thank you,
Nancy Robinson – Concerned Citizens Group of Severn Township