Reprinted with permission from Veronica Sullivan, originally published in Saltwire, MAY 2, 2024.
It is clear our government does not represent the interests of the people, or nature, or even life itself.
It represents the interests of corporations.
Its aim is to protect the rich and powerful who benefit the most from exploitation so they can continue to do so unimpeded.
From Port aux Basques to the Isthmus of Avalon, our government has put up large tracts of our public land for sale to industrial wind energy companies. Newfoundlanders who stand to lose their homes and way of life are standing their ground and continuing to oppose this invasion of our public land and water.
EVREC has indicated their plans to erect over 450 wind turbines on the west side of the Bay of Exploits, on land that currently comprises undisturbed bogs, forests, ponds, and rivers. Each of the 200-metre turbines will occupy a cleared site of up to 12 acres.
This extreme deforestation doesn’t even include land that will be razed for new access roads and transmission lines. There is nothing “clean” about destroying boreal forest, coastal, and riverine habitats.
"Newfoundlanders who stand to lose their homes and way of life are standing their ground and continuing to oppose this invasion of our public land and water."
This is not limited to wind turbines. The mining operations in central Newfoundland have scarred and laid bare acres upon acres of land and contaminated creeks and groundwater. Aquaculture farms on the south coast have decimated the once-healthy wild salmon populations of several rivers.
Shockingly, we have little to no legislation in place to protect our nature and wildlife against these extractive industries. In other parts of the country and the world, especially near urbanized or industrial agriculture areas, water is poisoned and undrinkable unless filtered or chemically treated. People do not have ready access to good water, and the few remaining clean water sources are in constant danger of being privatized, dammed, and/or polluted by various industries.
We are in an enviable position here in Newfoundland, where most of our ponds and rivers are still clean and potable. Corporations want control of these water sources, because they will be more precious than oil and gold as the impacts of climate change become more severe.
"Green energy projects do not belong to any intact ecosystem. It defeats their whole purpose. And for that matter, no industry (fossil fuel or renewable) should be permitted to pillage native and wild lands and waters."
Two years ago, a large wildfire burned in the interior of the province, consuming what was previously mostly wetland. Hotter and drier summers will become the norm, and we are witnessing a worldwide increase in droughts, fires, soil depletion, and erosion.
The ammonia plants associated with the proposed wind farms will require vast amounts of freshwater. This water will be separated into its constituent oxygen and hydrogen molecules by electrolysis, and as a result will be forever removed from the global water cycle.
WEGH2’s ammonia plant in Stephenville would need 2.3 million litres of water per hour at peak consumption. This is the equivalent of 22 Olympic-size swimming pools of fresh water per day. What happens when our ponds and rivers run dry? What about the people and wildlife who depend on this water to survive?
These questions are met with resounding silence from government and corporate leaders. Our public lands are part of a rich cultural heritage—places where people are free to roam, where resources are held in common, cared for, and managed for the shared benefit of local communities.
However, more and more we see public lands being privatized and enclosed, thereby denying people traditional access and their right to their primary source of food, water, and means of living. The land is taken by force and plundered to make a handful of individuals rich while the original inhabitants are left robbed, displaced, and dispossessed.
This tactic is the main weapon of colonialism. It is exactly what continues to be done against the indigenous people of this continent, and now we are seeing it happen against rural Newfoundland. Our government is selling our land and water to corporate entities who do not live here, and have no knowledge, concern, or respect for our natural paradise.
One cannot help but wonder at another social consequence of this desecration of land and water. Many people living adjacent to these turbines and ammonia plants will have little choice but to move away to safeguard their health and well-being.
This mass uprooting will continue the post-Confederation trend of unsettlement and forced migration of outport communities, which leaves more economic depravity in its wake. And by losing access to traditional land, we further decrease our collective connection to the Earth which sustains us, and become more apathetic to future industrial takeover. It’s a vicious cycle of resource extraction, ecological devastation, and displaced communities.
No amount of money is worth this generational loss. The threat is colossal. We will fight this invasion, for our children and for the planet.
Véronica Sullivan
Comfort Cove, Newfoundland
Awesome!