(Photo: Quinte News / File)
The company proposing a 27 turbine wind farm on the south shore of Prince Edward County says it will be going ahead with some clearing operations this coming Wednesday.
WPD Spokesperson Kevin Surette tells Quinte News, the clearing needs to be done before a construction blackout comes into effect on May 1, due to the activities of the endangered blandings turtle and other wildlife moving through the area.
Surrette says, although the Environmental Review Tribunal is still making a decision on the White Pines project, the clearing on Wednesday is within the current guidelines, because it’s being done outside of the area of the turtles’ spring foraging area,
That area is protected under a stay order put in place by the ERT last year.
He says the company has let both the Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County and the ERT know of the work and has also asked the ERT for a teleconference on this week’s work, but has had no response.
The alliance says the rush to clear land shows how willing wind power companies are to risk environmental damage to profit.
