National environment group Friends of the Earth have branded the newly established wind commissioner role a joke: “The establishment of a wind commissioner is the stuff of satire,” said Friends of the Earth renewables spokesperson, Leigh Ewbank. While Federal government became a … Continue reading MEDIA RELEASE: Wind commissioner the stuff of satire
Anti-wind crusader Senator John Madigan has attacked the Australian Medical Association for releasing a public statement on wind energy. Senator Madigan told The Australian that the AMA’s statement on wind energy was “politically motivated.” Yes 2 Renewables responded to Senator Madigan’s claims in a … Continue reading Pollie Watch: Sen Madigan’s attack on medical association baseless
Last night the Democratic Labor Party Senator, John Madigan, convened a forum on wind farms in the town of Buninyong, just outside Ballarat. About 120 people attended. The meeting was called, ostensibly, to gather responses to the recommendations of last year’s Senate Inquiry into the Social and Economic Impact of Rural Wind Farms. Madigan promised to represent the views expressed in parliament, and to push for the recommendations of the Inquiry (see below) to be finally implemented. As it turned out, no-one present disagreed with the recommendations of the inquiry – not the woman from WestWind who attended, not us, … Continue reading Buninyong wind farms forum
Professor Simon Chapman of the Sydney School of Public Health has sent the following letter in response to attacks made against him by Victorian Senator John Madigan, of the Democratic Labor Party. He has allowed us to reprint it. Dear Senator Madigan, My attention has been brought to your questions to Professor Anderson of the NHMRC in the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee on October 20. I would like to assist you with your interest in this matter. 1. You asked Professor Anderson if he agreed that I have “demonstrated clear bias” concerning windfarms and health. My position on questions about … Continue reading Public health expert redirects accusations of bias and misconduct
Desparate for evidence that wind farms are producing effects at distances of ten kilometres or more, opponents of wind power have wrongly supposed that a report titled “Seismic Noise by Wind Farms: A Case Study from the VIRGO Gravitational Wave Observatory, Italy” (written by Gilberto Saccorotti, David Piccinini, Lena Cauchie and Irene Fiori) dealt with ordinary noise. The VIRGO group picked up vibrations “at distances as large as 11 km from the wind park”. In fact this report deals with vibrations carried by the ground and detected by instruments called seismometers. Seismometers are exquisitely sensitive instruments; they respond to earthquakes … Continue reading Wind farm opponents get confused
Media release 27 June 2011 FRIENDS OF THE EARTH Planning Minister claims at odds with Senate Committee The recent ‘Fielding’ Inquiry into the wind industry was expected by some to deliver a strong censure of the wind energy, however the final report was widely received as being measured and reasonable in its recommendations. The committee resisted the calls for a moratorium on development or to impose arbitrary setback distances between houses and turbines, both of which were demanded by anti-wind activists. Echoing the outcomes of Victorian and NSW Parliamentary Inquiries, a review by the National Health and Medical Research Council … Continue reading Planning Minister claims at odds with Senate Committe
As you will know, yesterday the ‘Steve Fielding’ Senate Inquiry into wind farms released it’s final report. There were no great surprises, making recommendations for further research into the impacts of wind turbines. See below for some further details on its recommendations. As expected, media outlets like The Australian are running a strong anti-wind angle in their reporting. It is therefore really important that people in the community who are supportive of renewable energy – and wind in particular – respond publically. The following are some suggestions and resources that may be useful in responding. Many thanks Cam Walker Friends … Continue reading Responding to the Senate Inquiry into wind farms
Media Release 23 June 2011 Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth welcomes Senate wind farm report, calls for Vic Govt to drop ‘arbitrary’ 2km buffer zone Friends of the Earth has welcomed a new Senate committee report on the impacts of rural wind farms, handed down in Canberra today. “The committee should be commended for their careful and balanced approach to this issue,” said FoE campaigns coordinator Cam Walker. “They have considered the complaints put forward by a small number of people living near wind farms, but balanced this against the weight of scientific evidence that wind farms … Continue reading Friends of the Earth welcomes Senate wind farm report, calls for Vic Govt to drop ‘arbitrary’ 2km buffer zone
Simon Chapman, a professor of public health at the University of Sydney, has written a scathing critique of the work of US-based paediatrician, Nina Pierpont, the ‘global medical guru for a small movement virulently opposed to wind farms’ whose main claim to fame is writing on the topic of “Wind Turbine Syndrome”. Coming as it does on the back of Nina’s recent appearance in the Senate hearings into wind farms, it makes for very timely reading. There are well over a hundred comments on the piece already. It is published on the ABC Unleashed website. Continue reading ‘Wind turbine sickness prevented by money drug’
See the end of this section for a summary of media stories from the hearings. MEDIA ALERT Senate Wind Farm Inquiry hearings in Victoria this week Friends of the Earth will be taking part in hearings for the Senate Committee Inquiry into the Social and Economic Impact of Rural Wind Farms in Ballarat and Melbourne this Monday and Tuesday. Ballarat – Monday, 28 March 2011 Caro Convention Centre, University of Ballarat, 1pm to 6.30pm FoE spokesperson Ellen Roberts will be attending the hearing and available for interview during breaks. Friends of the Earth is campaigning in support of the Chepstowe … Continue reading Senate Wind Farm Inquiry hearings in Victoria this week
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