On Thursday June 5th, the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC) will meet to discuss Evolugen's application for the Marchurst Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Municipal Support Resolution (MSR). CAFES is urging citizens to give a 5-minute delegation in support of the City of Ottawa Council giving an MSR to Evolugen for the Marchurst proposed project.
CAFES has carefully looked at the concerns expressed by the anti-BESS residents, including safety and ecological concerns. We have studied the literature on the risks and benefits of the BESS technology. We have interrogated the Evolugen project proponent on a number of points requiring clarification. We have attended the February 23rd Open House. We have come to the conclusion that the Marchurst site selected by Evolugen is low impact locally with very low risks. At the same time, the benefits of BESS are considerable and numerous, both for residents of Dunrobin, for residents of West Carleton and for the households and businesses served by the grid in the greater Ottawa area.
If you wish to speak, register your request to make a delegation with the committee coordinator Christopher Zwierzchowski (christopher.zwierzchowski@ottawa.ca). Requests to speak must be submitted before 9:00am on the day of committee, and visual presentations must be submitted by 4pm on June 4th.
After the ARAC deliberation and recommendation, the MSR vote will go to City Council on June 11th for a vote. If you wish to support the BESS project, please consider writing to your own councillor before June 10th, urging them to vote in support of the Marchurst BESS MSR.
The CAFES Climate Misinformation team has prepared responses to common concerns and misinformation about BESS projects. These responses will enable you to counter BESS misinformation in a productive, research-backed manner. Check them out now!
