LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Wind-farm promise haunts Gov 

Credit:  Peter Hunt, The Weekly Times, www.weeklytimesnow.com.au 3 August 2011 ~~

Premier Ted Baillieu has stepped in to personally handle the highly contentious wind-farm issue.

Industry sources said Mr Baillieu had taken control of delivering the Coalition’s election promise to give country Victorians an effective power of veto over turbines being built within 2km of their homes.

Wind-farm developers had warned Planning Minister Matthew Guy the policy would lock them out of most of the state and force them to invest interstate.

Mr Guy and Department of Planning and Community Development staff then spent months trying to find a compromise deal.

Two industry sources last week told The Weekly Times they were now being directed to the Premier’s staff.

A spokeswoman for Mr Guy denied Mr Baillieu had taken control of the issue.

“But it remains a whole-of-government issue, given the significance of this promise to regional Victoria,” Mr Guy’s spokeswoman said.

The Coalition election policy states: “‘The placement of turbines will be no less than two kilometres from the nearest home unless a contract between the resident and wind-farm developer is agreed”.

In March, The Weekly Times asked Mr Guy’s office: “Will residents within 2km of a proposed wind farm have power of veto over its development, if they cannot reach a contractual agreement with the developer?”

Mr Guy’s spokesman replied: “Yes, if no contract can be agreed over the placement of a turbine within this distance.”

Since then, Mr Guy has further confused the wind-farm issue by repeatedly stating that the election policy did not grant property residents the power of veto.

One industry source said Mr Baillieu’s office had little sympathy for the sector after it campaigned against the Coalition’s wind farm policy during last November’s state election.

At the time, Pacific Hydro, Acciona, AGL, Suzlon, Keppel Prince and REpower ran newspaper advertisements declaring: “Mr Baillieu, please don’t send clean energy jobs and investment interstate”.

Source:  Peter Hunt, The Weekly Times, www.weeklytimesnow.com.au 3 August 2011

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon