Summary
The Doer government's rationale for building wind farms in a water-rich province with untapped hydro potential was that they could produce electricity at rates comparable with hydro-generated electricity. But on that basis, it is fair to ask whether the economics that seem to make it worth it for everyone in general make it worth it for some in particular -- the ones that actually pay an esthetic price. It is reasonable to ask whether the imperative that wind be as economical as water leads to rents that are unattractive. It is reasonable to ask whether the cash and other benefits paid to southwestern Manitobans in exchange for the imposition of wind farms is comparable with cash and benefits paid to northern Manitobans in exchange for the imposition of hydro generating stations. Finally, it is reasonable to ask why it is that a passive hydro transmission line down the east side of Manitoba is deemed esthetically offensive but active wind farms and the transmission lines from them in the southwest are deemed attractive additions to the landscape.
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Extract
Editorial - Tilting at Windmills
ANYONE who has travelled to southwestern Manitoba to see the "wind farm" at St. Leon knows what a remarkable, other-worldly -- some say magical -- vista it presents. Over there, a row of gian...
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