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Rural municipalities say they’re happy with the brand new renewables guidelines introduced earlier this week by the province which mandate the Alberta Utilities Fee (AUC) to take an ” agriculture first” strategy when evaluating the very best use of land for proposed tasks.
With the province’s seven-month moratorium on closing approval of enormous renewables tasks, ending Thursday Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf introduced the brand new guidelines at a information convention Wednesday.
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Among the many modifications, tasks received’t be allowed on the province’s best agricultural lands except a developer can show a undertaking can exist alongside crops or livestock, and buffer zones of no less than 35 kilometres might be created round protected areas and different “pristine viewscapes” designated by the province. The province says new wind tasks will not be allowed within the buffer zones, and a few developments may need to undergo a visible impression evaluation earlier than approval.
“Total, we’re fairly pleased with it,” stated Jason Schneider, Vulcan County’s reeve and a director for the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, which represents 69 counties and municipal districts. “They’ve addressed our considerations. We positively had that worry that there could be some anti-renewable polices slipped in there, however I actually assume these are all down the center of the street.”
Vulcan County, residence to a few of Alberta’s largest renewables tasks together with the Travers photo voltaic undertaking and Blackspring Ridge wind undertaking, has prevented putting tasks on greater high quality agricultural land. However the high quality of the land wasn’t beforehand thought-about through the approval course of, stated Schneider.
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“We as municipality had our legs reduce out from beneath us as a result of we are able to have that coverage however the AUC doesn’t have a look at our insurance policies, so I’m glad they’ve type of clarified that,” he stated, including the province has nonetheless left the door open for builders to put tasks on greater high quality agricultural land if they will make a case for it.
“However no less than you’ve had that dialog as a result of beforehand it was, ‘We don’t discuss that,’” Vulcan County’s reeve stated. “I’m actually joyful it’s of their mandate now.”
Primarily based on the builders Vulcan County has labored with, Schneider doesn’t imagine the brand new guidelines will deter builders from pursuing renewable tasks or kill a improvement.
“Builders are nonetheless and nonetheless desirous to push ahead, so I assume they need to not have been too scared off from (Wednesday’s) announcement,” stated Schneider.
The brand new guidelines will assist deal with the considerations of residents dwelling close to the tasks initially of the method as a substitute of “preventing about it an AUC listening to,” he stated.
Municipalities at the moment are eligible to get better their prices from collaborating within the AUC hearings, eradicating the fee barrier to take part within the course of.
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“By the point you’ve gotten authorized counsel concerned or you’ve gotten skilled witnesses or you’ve gotten administration sitting there for eight days of hearings, these prices get fairly important and it could be for a undertaking that doesn’t go anyplace,” stated Schneider.
Cardston County Reeve Randy Bullock stated the agricultural municipality has many questions on the brand new guidelines, together with what’s meant by “pristine viewscapes” and the way that might have an effect on improvement.
“We’re pleased with the bulletins of the agricultural lands, however the viewscapes is a debatable subject at our council chambers,” he stated.
The county’s council not too long ago adopted a renewable vitality tax incentive bylaw to draw funding, however following the province’s announcement the municipality will now must overview it to see if any modifications are wanted, stated Bullock.
“Now we have wind in Cardston County, and we don’t have a complete lot of business or industrial evaluation,” stated the county’s reeve.
Critics referred to as on the province to supply extra readability surrounding the brand new guidelines and raised considerations about future municipal tax income from renewables tasks.
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Calling the brand new guidelines “unfair,” a spokesman for assume tank the Pembina Institute warned they may result in fewer tasks.
“No different land use in Alberta is topic to a ban on sure courses of agricultural lands, or not allowed to develop if they’re inside a 35km radius of a protected space – a zone that might cowl as much as 76% of southern Alberta,” stated Jason Wong, the assume tank’s senior analyst, in a press release.
Jorden Dye, director of the Enterprise Renewables Centre-Canada, stated the announcement raises extra questions than offers solutions.
“We at the moment are involved {that a} portion of the $277 million in municipal tax revenues from deliberate wind and photo voltaic tasks is not going to circulation to 33 municipalities as initially projected by our latest evaluation,” stated Dye in a press release. “A few of these tasks could not be attainable and others could also be delayed or cancelled.”
And Alberta NDP vitality and local weather critic Nagwan Al-Guneid referred to as the brand new guidelines ‘ant-business.”
“Alberta has the potential to be the house of a thriving and aggressive renewables trade and this new purple tape will lead to additional funding uncertainty and ship a sign that Alberta isn’t open for enterprise,” stated Al-Guneid in a press release.
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