Recent letters to the Editor regarding environmentalists' demands for wind turbine green energy programs have confirmed that these people have no idea of the down side damage in wind turbine use. In a letter by Ms. Nielle Hawkwood, she was emphatic in her insistence that Canada mustn’t concern itself with what other countries “do or don’t do” regarding the environment. I vehemently challenged this position, not only because Canada generates a mere two per cent of world pollution and green house gas emissions, but because most of the world’s polluting nations are doing very little to conform to the Paris Accords (or any other standard), of environmental protection. My recent and ongoing research into so-called green energy technology has turned up some terrifying environmental problems. The socialists who claim to put “people and the environment first,” including Ms. Hawkwood, should be shocked with what they are totally unaware of regarding wind turbine demand. Initially, these machines were manufactured with a gear drive system that was used to dramatically increase the speed of the generator that produces electrical power. Of course these gearboxes require lubrication to protect the internal components of the drive. In the demand to eliminate the use of lubricants, engineers designed a magnetic system as part of the generator that increases the generator speed removing the need for a gearbox. The oil-company-hating environmentalists were ecstatic. What they weren’t aware of (or chose to ignore) are the environmental issues associated with obtaining the unique materials required to manufacture the generator’s magnetic system and where these materials are found. Rare earth elements (REEs), are a group of 17 little-known elements, among them neodymium and dysprosium used in the manufacture of the magnetic system used in new wind turbine design. Almost all of the world’s REEs are found in China (that mines about 90 per cent of the world’s REEs), with lesser amounts in Russia, Brazil, Thailand, India, Australia, Malaysia and Vietnam. No problem you say, we mine materials all over the world? However, the process of mining REEs unleashes the radioactive element thorium and this radioactive waste ends up in wastewater and sludge ponds that will seep into the aquifer eventually polluting rivers and lakes. According to the research, mining and processing one ton of REEs will result in an equal amount of radioactive waste. Contrary to environmentalist ravings, Canada has been a leader in environmental protection programs for many years, including REE mining research with the Kipawa Rare Earth project in 2013. Compare that with over four decades of REE mining in China, where uncontrolled mining of these elements has resulted in soil erosion and acidification, destroying surface vegetation and creating huge areas where crops no longer grow. People living near these mines are dying of leukemia, lung and pancreatic cancer and large numbers of children are dying at young ages. God only knows what is occurring in other countries with lax or non-existent environmental programs related to REE mining. Contrary to Ms. Hawkwood’s position, Canada must demand that other countries do what is right. The second lesson here, contrary to environmentalists who have challenged me regarding the big bad oil companies, if used in well-managed and maintained industrial equipment such as wind turbine gearboxes, lubricants remain an essential component of Canadian industry and will create a lot less damage to our environment and our people than radioactive waste generation. Before taxpayer-supported thugs like David Suzuki and Tzeporah Berman (while working for Notley), convince Canadians that only they know the environmental truth, perhaps more investigation must be done by everyone? If anyone refutes my research, I welcome your call. L. Leugner
