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Letters to the editor Logic behind private member's bill Re: Looking for Science behind private member's bill, Oakville Beaver, April 2 When I first read Tim Douglass' letter asking why Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn hadn't provided the science behind the 1,500-metre setback for power plants, I thought he was challenging his strategy to submit the private members bill. As I read the article a second time, however, the writer inventoried the substantial number of gaps the Ontario public is facing regarding information about the safety, need and rationale for building these dangerous power plants. He listed a number of pieces of information that TransCanada, the OPA and the Ministry of Energy have failed to assess, study or report to our citizens. For that, his letter should be commended. If, on the other hand, he feels that Mr. Flynn should complete more study prior to submitting the private member's bill, then I say Mr. Douglass has missed the point. It is easy to challenge the 1,500m setback -- the science is incomplete. In fact, if and when the science is completed, we may find that Mr. Flynn should have insisted on a 3,000m setback. That being said, rather than wait for the disasters, pick a reasonable setback, pick a reasonable location and move on. Given that the province, the OPA, TransCanada and Ford have shown that they cannot be trusted to plan a plant at a reasonable location, a 1,500m setback must be put in place until sounder minds prevail. The bill cannot be expected to solve all the ills related to this technology. Accidents will still happen. The setback will minimize the impact on lives lost due to an explosion. It will minimize the negative economic impact of placing the technology near a major rail and highway commuting corridor. It's not a leap in logic to say if "there appears to be good technical justification behind the 500m setback for wind turbines" then there is greater technical justification behind a 1,500m setback for a complex gas plant. Until the facts are made available, I settle for a logical extrapolation. JOE EVERS, OAKVILLE Moving power plant outside community will increase greenhouse gas emissions Continued from page 6 9 · Friday, April 9, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Pipeline explosion more likely Re: Interim bylaw extension prompts legal action by TransCanada, Oakville Beaver, March 31 While concerns regarding the possible explosion at a gas plant, such as the one that exploded in Middletown, Connecticut, are understandable, the likelihood of that occurring are remote in Oakville. It is far more plausible that a high-pressure gas line serving the plant would be breached and that an explosion would occur somewhere along the many kilometres of its route. After all, approximately 3,500 pipeline "strikes" occur every year in Ontario. Not all result in an explosion. More than 60 per cent of pipeline failures occur because of construction and "external" events such as backhoes beyond the control of the pipeline company. Sometimes, however, the cause of the failure is never released to the public. Case in point: an explosion of the high-pressure TransCanada natural gas pipeline on Sept. 12, 2009 in Englehart, Ontario. A father and his two small sons were purportedly knocked two metres into the air by the explosion ­ and they were two kilometres from the blast. One should be very concerned about large high-pressure natural gas pipelines near vulnerable populations such as schools. The California Department of Education will not allow schools to be located closer than 500 metres to any natural gas pipeline running at high (greater than 80 pounds per square inch) pressures. The pipeline to serve the proposed generating station in Oakville would exceed that pressure many times over. KATHARINE PARSONS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION GROUP trical capacity that will be shut down in 2014 and to realize the benefits of reduced emissions this will create. Through its ability to turn on and off and to rapidly increase or decrease output, gas fired generation is the perfect backstop for increased wind and solar generation. This generation is required in Oakville, among other things, to replace the capacity and the function that the coal fired Lakeview Generating Station once provided (well over 1,000 MWs). The electrical supply to our area is constrained by aging transmission infrastructure at or near the limit of its capacity and the removal of the Lakeview coal plant has made the situation critical. Adding more transmission is not the answer. The more transmission elements you put between your load and the generator the lower the reliability of your supply. And what of the losses? In my previous article, I noted that if you build far from the load, you need to generate more power to get the same net effect as building near the load - associated with this approach is additional green house gas emissions, of 100 per cent for every kilowatt hour of electricity needed to overcome these losses - no, building a long way from the load is not the right answer - shifting the problem from Oakville to another community is not the answer - this is Not In My Back Yard (also called NIMBYism) at its all time worst! The Premier of Ontario and the Ontario Power Authority state that the best solution to address both local and Ontario's needs is for new generation to be located in Oakville. Let's not second guess the experts whose job it is to supply reliable power to Oakville - Oakville needs to be careful of the moves it makes or it will drive away business and investment and power to our area at a time when we need all the help we can get. Using indirect methods such as bylaws, and buffer zones to diffuse the real issue, is akin to doing something indirectly you cannot do directly. BARRY CHUDDY, OAKVILLE We deal with you like few other insurance companies do. In person. FREE VOLVO OIL CHANGE If you have never been to Volvo of Oakville For service NOW is the time! Enjoy a Free Oil Change when you Visit us for the very first time. See rules and details below. Bring your Volvo into Volvo of Oakville for the very first time and enjoy a free oil change. No strings, no gimics ­ just free! If you drive a Volvo and have never been to Volvo of Oakville, just drop by anytime and we'll change your oil no matter where you bought your car, or where it's serviced! 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