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Schultz: Still awaiting investigation of REC’s waste
Credit: Crookwell Gazette | July 4, 2013 | www.crookwellgazette.com.au ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
The Federal Member for Hume, Alby Schultz MP has corresponded to both the Commonwealth Ombudsman and the Australian Federal Police for the second time in four weeks regarding what he believes to be the illegal distribution of Renewable Energy Certificates (REC’s) by the Clean Energy Regulator to non compliant wind farms in a blatant breach of the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 (Cwth).
“Since my correspondence of the 4th June 2013 to both the Commonwealth Ombudsman and the Australian Federal Police in which I requested both Commonwealth agencies investigate serious breaches of compliance requirements of Commonwealth law before REC’s can be distributed to Wind Turbine Company’s, I have received evidence which I believe proves this generous handout by the Clean Energy Regulator is more widespread than anyone imagined” he said.
“It would appear on the documents in my possession this illegal rorting of Commonwealth money is now in the hundreds of millions of dollars and given the Clean Energy Regulator has distributed 195 million Renewable Energy Certificates (REC’s) since April 2001 at a value of approximately $8.7 billion the rort could be in the billions,” Mr Schultz added.
Wind Turbines have cost the electricity consumer approximately $2.24 billion from the 1st January 2011 to the 30th March 2013. That is $1 billion per year.
“Current court cases suggest that non-compliance with State Planning Legislation is common in the wind industry in Australia. There is a blatant disregard for planning permits, conditions of consent and compliance by the Clean Energy Regulator.”
“The general public deserve to have a Federal Regulator which they fund that is competent and not willingly ignoring breaches of the Commonwealth Act. The incompetent administration of the Act has allowed the CER to illegally distribute millions of dollars of Commonwealth funding,” he added.
There are many cases of so called “windfarms’ that have been approved with grossly environmental assessments in New South WALES, Victoria and South Australia.
I am currently receiving documented proof of wind turbine developments that have issued falsified information in relation to planning and noise compliance,”
Much of the documentation is damning and regardless of where it came from or to whom it refers it will be passed on to the Commonwealth Ombudsman and Australian Federal Police without fear or favour,” he said.
I will have undertaken my responsibilities as an elected Federal Member, what now needs to be proven is the professional ability of both the Ombudsman and the Federal Police to do theirs,” Alby concluded.
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