Grainswest - Tech 2023

Tech 2023 grainswest.com 29 MISGIVINGS AND OPPOSITION When the developers of the proposed Kiwetinohk Energy solar project near Wetaskiwin approached farmer Connie Matson in hopes of contracting some of her acres, she had a very definite reply: absolutely not. She felt so strongly about her position she joined the Stewards of the Land committee created to oppose the project. She’s not alone in her opposition. At the committee’s most recent public meeting on on Jan. 19, nearly 200 people attended to state their concerns about the $320-million project. “The landowners who have leased their land to the project are seeing dollar signs,” said Matson. “The rest of us see high risks attached and we don’t believe the dollars are worth that risk.” Paul McLauchlin, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), powers his private consulting office with solar energy and calls himself a proponent of the technology. He lauds it as an “amazing, cost-effective way to produce power.” He appreciates the tax dollars renewables bring to communities, especially when oil and gas taxation assessments decrease. Cashflow from land leases can also allow farms to grow and tackle economic pressures or even aid generational transition, he added. However, McLauchlin also said regulations haven’t kept up with the new reality of renewable projects. “These are industrial power projects. There are certainly quite a few concerns that it’s a non- contiguous, non-compatible land use.” Farmers are also generally concerned such projects contribute to pushing the value of farmland beyond their reach. McLauchlin said the RMA is concerned that under Section 619 in the Municipal Government Act, the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) is listed as a quasi-judicial organization, meaning it can make land-use decisions without consideration for municipal planning and without participation of municipalities. He worries the AUC may make decisions about utility-scale solar projects without recognition of the wide-reaching potential impacts to neighbours and local communities. “I always tell people, if you lived in the city and you had house, house, house, industrial project, house, house, house, the community would go insane. For some reason, we’re not treated the same from a land use planning perspective.” The AUC doesn’t approve all projects. Construction was scheduled to begin on the proposed 150-megawatt Foothills Solar Project near Blackie this summer. However, the AUC in late April turned down the 1,600-acre project. While the AUC noted the project’s economic and greenhouse gas reduction benefits and its potential to facilitate reconciliation between the Crown and the Cold Lake First Nations, its proximity to the Frank Lake wetland conservation area was a risk to birds. Rural Albertans are known for their support of landowner rights and the free market. However, the contracting of farmland to utility-scale renewable energy projects including solar farms has divided communities. Though these projects can create an attractive revenue stream for individual landowners and a lucrative tax injection for municipalities, they can be very unpopular with neighbours. Renewable development is unlikely to stop, but public concern may affect the way in which projects are structured and approved. “ We want to find mechanisms to help resolve land-use conflict without interfering in private property owners’ rights.” – Shannon Sereda