The Environmental Review Tribunal is hearing final arguments this week in Erickson v. Director, Ministry of the Environment. This is the first ERT appeal on renewable energy approvals under the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, and the first renewable energy approval for a major wind farm (Kent Breeze). The alleged adverse health effects of wind turbines are the principal ground of appeal.
The ERT was originally scheduled to issue its decision on the appeal this month, but (to accommodate personal issues affecting legal counsel), the decision deadline has been rescheduled to July 18.
Meanwhile, TEPCO has admitted that there have been at least 3 nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant. According to my favourite nuclear physicist, more nuclear fuel melted in the first days after the earthquake than in all other human nuclear plants ever built (including Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, etc.). TEPCO thinks that none of the melted fuel has yet burnt through the floor of the cracked containment vessel, but it will remain very hot, and very dangerous, for a very long time. Huge amounts of radioactive water have also been dumped into the sea. More at the Union of Concerned Scientists’ http://allthingsnuclear.org/tagged/Japan_nuclear