Wind Power News: Press releases
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Wind turbines but no jobs
Despite the promises South Australia will never become a hub for manufacturing wind turbines, towers or blades, according to evidence at a parliamentary inquiry into wind energy. “It’s disappointing,” inquiry chair David Ridgway said. “I’d hoped that as the wind power capital of Australia, with over half the installed wind generating capacity, SA would have had hundreds of jobs in manufacturing turbines and blades. “Instead we hear they’re all imported from the USA, Europe or China, and that’s not going . . .
Foundation vows to expose corrupt Australian system
Public Inquiry called into wind industry On May 9th, Australia’s Waubra Foundation issued a call for a full Public Enquiry by a Royal Commission into the wind industry (1). This was prompted by an attempt to silence their CEO and longstanding advocate for independent multidisciplinary research, Dr Sarah Laurie. Following in the steps of Dr Nina Pierpont in the US, Dr Laurie has joined the numerous acousticians and health professionals around the world (2) who have been studying or expressing . . .
Waubra Foundation calls for full public inquiry
The Foundation has been informed that an “anonymous” document appeared at the office of Michael Moore, CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia alleging that the Foundation’s CEO, Dr Laurie, is “conducting research without ethics committee approval” and that Dr Laurie is “practising medicine without being registered”. These are serious, and reputation-damaging, accusations, deliberately made. Moore then transmitted this anonymous and malicious document to the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority and the . . .
Ontario court allows lawsuits against wind company and landowners
Court accepts 22% to 50% loss of property values is occurring today. Court and wind company also acknowledge health and noise issues in context of motion. In a decision released late yesterday, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has determined that while residents of Clearview Township cannot bring claims for a proposed industrial wind project at this time, the ruling is “without prejudice to the plaintiffs’ rights to commence an action for identical or similar relief when and if the . . .
Wildlife researcher pleads guilty to unlawful taking of golden eagle
United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced that a Julian resident pled guilty today to the unlawful taking of a Golden Eagle, in violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, before the Honorable David H. Bartick, United States Magistrate Judge. At the time of the plea, wildlife researcher John David Bittner acknowledged that he makes his living conducting studies of birds and wildlife. His work includes the capture and banding of eagles and other migratory birds, and the . . .
High Court ruling supports wind turbine exclusion distances
The Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) regrets the misreporting of the High Court ruling on the RWE Judicial Review of Milton Keynes Borough Council’s attempt to set a minimum separation distance between wind turbines and residential dwellings. Milton Keynes Borough Council is to be congratulated on the judgment reached in the High Court case on their Wind Turbine Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) on Monday 15 April 2013. The judgment confirms that local authorities can set exclusion zones to protect local people . . .
New powers for wind committee
The Legislative Council has overwhelmingly agreed to expand the powers of a parliamentary inquiry investigating the impact of wind farms in South Australia. SA already has more wind farms than any other State, with dozens of new proposals in the pipeline or fully approved for construction and connection. “Some of these wind farms are close to inhabited areas,” inquiry chair David Ridgway said. “There is a legal precedent set in the Federal Court which shows a wind farm can devalue . . .
VCAT Commissioners confirm evidence of damage to sleep and health from operating wind turbines
Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal Commissioners, Mr M Wright QC and Mr A Liston have made the following remarks in orders given on 4th April, 2013.¹ Paragraphs 116-118 of their orders state the following: There is evidence before the Tribunal that a number of people living close to wind farms suffer deleterious health effects. The evidence is both direct and anecdotal. There is a uniformity of description of these effects across a number of wind farms, both in southeast Australia and . . .
MPP Bailey pledges support for the Ensuring Affordable Energy Act
SARNIA, ON — Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey announced today that he would support Ontario PC MPP Lisa Thompson’s private members bill called the Ensuring Affordable Energy Act, a comprehensive bill that if passed, would bring the following changes to the wind turbine industry. This bill contains six key pillars: • Wind turbines will only be placed in willing host communities, and municipalities will be given full veto over wind turbine projects in their communities; • Wind power must be affordable—meaning . . .
Wind turbine battle in Falmouth just ‘tip of the iceberg’
The battle tomorrow night over the fate of two industrial wind turbines in Falmouth puts a spotlight on the harmful impact of poorly sited wind turbines throughout Massachusetts, according to a leading environmental advocacy group, Wind Wise-Massachusetts (WWMA). “Peer-reviewed scientific studies have proven that living near wind turbines makes people sick, as evidenced by 21 wind turbine locations in Massachusetts from the Cape and Islands to the Berkshires where people have reported serious health problems,” said Lilli-Ann Green , a . . .
