Australian Environment Minister In Sudden Backflip Allows Wind Farm To Proceed - Age

[hatrack]

THE long-running saga of the orange-bellied parrot and the Bald Hills wind farm has ended with Environment Minister Ian Campbell overturning his controversial decision to block the $220 million project.

The reversal was variously hailed as a "humiliating backdown" by the Federal Opposition, a victory by the Victorian Government, a vindication by the developer, regrettable by the anti-wind farm Coastal Guardians and a "real blow" by the local federal MP, Liberal Russell Broadbent. State Planning Minister Justin Madden said: "It is a case of a yellow-bellied minister trying to save an orange-bellied parrot." Senator Campbell banned the 52-turbine wind farm in South Gippsland in April, citing a consultant's report which found that one orange-bellied parrot a year could be killed — at 23 existing and proposed wind farms in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

Modelling with the same data used in the report suggested a wind farm at Bald Hills alone would result in one parrot being killed every 667 years in the worst case, and 1097 years in the best case. The Opposition said Senator Campbell's decision to protect one "theoretical parrot every 1000 years" was like something from a Monty Python script.

Labor said the ban was to appease vocal wind farm opponents in the marginal seat of McMillan. It was revealed in court that Senator Campbell had ignored advice from his own department that the wind farm could be built without significantly affecting the parrot.

EDIT

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ministers-backflip-on-wind-farm/2006/12/21/1166290679112.html

[Double T]

1. Wind Turbines have a low environmental impact and ALL nations........

need to install many more units to provide for the increasing demand for electrical power generation.