Alberta commission finds renewables pose little threat to agriculture, environment

Premier Danielle Smith’s government expressed concern that wind and solar generators could eat up prime farmland, leave a legacy of environmental liabilities and despoil some of Alberta’s best-loved landscape views.

But the commission’s report said even if renewables grew quickly, they would take up less than one per cent of the province’s prime land by 2041.

It added the reclamation and contamination risks for renewable power plants are lower than those of other industries.

It concluded there is no consensus about what constitutes a pristine viewscape, but adds some sort of consideration of scenic values could be included in the application process.

Alberta’s new rules will prevent windmills from interfering with Alberta’s “pristine viewscapes”, Premier Danielle Smith said Feb. 28 as her government revealed a series of policies that will guide project approvals.

Renewables development on Crown lands will be determined on a case-by-case basis, cities will have more say in the approval process and project developers will be responsible for reclamation costs, officials said.

The new rules are based on an initial report from the Alberta Utilities Commission put together after the province put a pause on approvals for large renewable energy projects last year.

“Alberta has led the country in renewable energy investment, and we will continue to lead the country,” Smith said during a news conference.

“At the same time, we must grow our renewable energy industry in well-defined and responsible ways,” she added.

by Canadian Press

Alberta commission finds renewables pose little threat to agriculture, environment

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