Wind turbine regulations in lakes proves premier not up for the job: reader

To the editor:

Re: 'Wind farm plans up in the air,' News, July 1.

The proposed provincial regulations represent a shocking sellout of the public good to the fossil fuel industry.

This is especially true at a time when Alberta's tar sands project competes with the Gulf oil spill for being the poster child for environmental destruction.

To understand the incredible lunacy of the proposal, one need look no further than the numerous waterfront nuclear, coal and natural gas power plants already in operation across the province. We can only question what would have become of the Niagara Falls hydroelectric project if Dalton McGuinty had been premier when Sir Adam Beck pioneered our public

power infrastructure.

Water and power generation go together for various reasons.

For hydro, water drives the turbines directly. For nuclear it provides cooling. For fossil fuels, it provides a source of steam. Wind turbines only require the open spaces lakes provide for consistent wind.

So why are wind turbines being singled out?

The entire purpose is to make the otherwise ideal open water projects more expensive by forcing them into deeper water. This will make them less able to compete with the heavily subsidized fossil fuel generators, preserving profits for oil and coal companies.

In both of the last two elections the Progressive Conservatives lambasted McGuinty as being not up to the job. It appears that he rarely misses an opportunity to prove them right.

Gary Dale