Great news everyone!
Today, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has approved the Cherry Tree Range wind farm proposed for Trawool in Central Victoria.
Yes 2 Renewables welcomes VCAT’s decision.
The Cherry Tree Range wind farm is only the second approved since the Coalition government introduced the world’s strictest laws for wind farms.
VCAT’s decision is rare good news for the wind energy sector which has been hit hard by the onerous conditions imposed by former Premier Ted Baillieu.
The project’s approval would not have been possible without an active proponent and supportive community.
As readers will know, Yes 2 Renewables were BEAM-Environment Group‘s number one supporter as they went in to bat for the wind farm (an archive of our collaboration can be found here).
BEAM-Mitchell Environment Group took a leadership role after known anti-wind farm groups came to town with a fear campaign about wind farms and health. They responded with a joint BEAM/Y2R ‘mythbusting flyer‘ and positive Energy Futures Forum event.
Anti-wind farm groups dogged the Cherry Tree Range wind farm proposal from the start. They stacked a town hall meeting and planning submissions. They also hijacked the legal proceedings, slowing down the decision making process at every opportunity and inflating the costs for the proponent and ratepayers.
VCAT’s decision once again proves wind farms are clean and safe. The planning body has rejected claims that wind farms make people sick.
As the Tribunal stated in their decision:
“the views of NSW Health as reported in the Bodangora determination and the Victorian Department of Health publication, expressly state that there is no scientific evidence to link wind turbines with adverse health effects. These are the views of State authorities charged by statute with the protection of public health. These views must be respected.”
The Cherry Tree Range wind farm will benefit the Mitchell Shire’s economy while helping our state address climate change. According to our estimates the wind farm will:
- Generate up to $80,000 for a community fund each year.
- Contribute $76,000 worth of rates to the Mitchell Shire per annum.
- Inject $1.2 million worth of flow on economic benefit to the local economy.
- Produce enough electricity to power 26,000 homes and prevent 150,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere each year
- Provide $250,000 worth of steady income for local wind farmers.
TAKE ACTION:
BEAM stood up for a wind farm in their region. Sign the petition to stand with them!
*Community pic courtesy of the Seymour Telegraph.
yes2renewables.org 
Keep fighting you good team. The forces of darkness -Waubra Foundation; politiicans beholden to the fossil fuel companies;. Guardians of the Landscape, etc – must not be allowed to prevail.
just like the tobacco industry keep fighting til the end.
Difference being that the tobacco industry knew back as far as 1957 that tobacco smoking causes multiple detrimental health effects whereas wind energy is safe and does not cause any ill-health effects.
And the wind industry has known since 1987 from the nasa report that turbines affect health.But that report dosent exit or its not correct is it blair.
link to report?
Come on Chris, where is the link, any link to a reputable source supporting your claim. I can’t comment on whether or not the report is correct because I haven’t seen it, assuming it exists in the first place.
Why do people bother making claims they cannot support with even rudimentary evidence?
google the Kelly report windpower conference 87.Then you can tell me why its all wrong!!!!
The veracity of the Kelly paper is not the issue, it’s the paper’s relevance that matters. Anti-wind farm campaigners claim the Kelly paper supports their assertions about wind turbine infrasound despite the fact the technology investigated in the report was a prototype and bares little resemblance to modern wind turbine technology. It’s like using research about typewrites to bag a modern laptop computer–a bit daft. I recommend reading this Renew Economy article by Ketan Joshi for more information.
Couldn’t help myself. Below is what I just posted on the “Stop These Things” site, a site dedicated to all things anti wind turbines. Curiously enough, this site purports to be a “grass roots” collective of “concerned citizens”. It reeks of AstroTurf. No contact details, no names of the site organizers, dodgy as. Big Fossil? You betcha.
“OMG! Cherry Tree Range Wind Farm has been approved. More turbines, more slowing of the wind down = more heating of the planet! We’re all doomed…not to mention the effects on human health like gum bleeding, cancer, etc. We’ve gotta keep the fight up and stop these crazy communists from destroying the planet with their monstrous machines of death…
Oh wow, so enjoyable posting on this site with other reasonable like minded people. I’m empowered now, think I’ll join a mob that is fighting all those idiot doctors that reckon smoking causes cancer…”
Of course they never post my comments but hopefully I’ll irritate them…
And they don’t post your comments I don’t blame them you have some real issues up top seek help.
So you support cowardice do you Chris? When will you guys wake up and realise your silly comments are a part of the reason why nobody takes you seriously? You don’t produce evidence, you don’t attempt to be objective, you misrepresent reports – as demonstrated above and you wonder why you are regarded as being on the idiot fringe.
Stop These Things is just an echo chamber for cowards. They don’t allow comments from anybody who disagrees with them. Yet they rant about fairness, honesty, openness etc. It’s a joke website for some very unfunny people to whine about phantoms of their own making. It’s a good website if you want many examples of hypocrisy, double standards and blatant lies.
cant help wondering if you are compensating for something small Blair.The only reason you guys let people post on here is so you can try and disgrace them but you only make fools of yourselves with your personal rubbish.
Good one Chris, thanks for demonstrating the level of your thinking to one and all. In one comment you have removed any doubt that you are incapable of adult discussion but are a self appointed expert at projection.
If you are fool enough to post inane comments, distortions of fact and anti-wind mythology on a blog, you really shouldn’t be surprised when people highlight your childishness.