Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WIND FARM PROTESTORS NOT HAPPY JOHN
The Australian Environment Foundation will join with local residents and Landscape
Guardians
groups near
Daylesford to protest to the Premier, John Brumby who will
officiate at a ceremony tomorrow morning to mark the commencement of a new wind
farm.
The Foundation is critical
of yet another new wind farm project for Victoria while
fundamental questions remain unanswered about the cost of power produced,
greenhouse gas emission reductions and effects on rural communities.
At a packed community meeting on Tuesday night, Dr Sarah Laurie
GP
spoke of
major health issues local residents were experiencing that were identified with
already operating wind farms.
“We have requested a meeting with the government to call for a moratorium on any
further wind farms until they have undertaken an independent review to satisfy some
basic questions about wind farms in Victoria” said Max Rheese, executive director of
the Australian Environment Foundation.
“Evidence from operating wind farms in Australia and overseas show most are
incapable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to any significant degree, they
produce power that is double to triple the cost of conventional power stations, are
unreliable and raise serious health issues for rural communities.”
“Substantial evidence exists to show that meeting the government’s 2020 Renewable
Energy Target by mainly using wind power will drive up electricity prices for
households and industry, but fail to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly
because of the need to back up wind farms with gas turbines.
“Wind farms do not work as well as most people think, with an average power
generation of just 30 per cent of stated capacity from projects already in operation in
Victoria.
“People are being forced from their farms with serious health issues from wind farm
operations
and this has not been addressed. This also needs to be the subject of
independent review” said Mr Rheese.
The Great Renewable Energy Rort Wind farming in SE Australia
-
ENDS -
Protest site is located 10km south of Daylesford on the Daylesford-Ballan Road
[C141] at Leonards Hill.
Contact: Max Rheese 0428 621320
The Australian Environment Foundation is a not-for-profit, membership-based
environment organisation having no political affiliation. The AEF is a different kind of
environment group, caring for both Australia & Australians. Many of our members
are practical environmentalists – people who actively use and care for the
October 7th 2010
NEWS 
