Grant District Council Mayor Richard Sage continues to grossly misrepresent the Acciona Turbine issue; you call it what you like, I call it lying, and as per previous blog, I'm sick and tired of it.
Mr Sage was repeatedly on ABC Radio yesterday (19 Feb 2013) stating that "changes to the legislation" had made it "un-economical" for Acciona, and that this will save the valuable "visual amenity" of the area.
He carefully avoided the reality of Council's role in trying to force Turbines on Allendale residents after the original development was rejected under "visual amenity" by the Environment, Resource, Development Court (ERDC); Council were immediately 'co-appellant' with Acciona in appealing that decision in the Supreme Court.
"Visual Amenity" meant squat when Grant Council were using rate-payers money to attack a local resident by appealing the residents ERDC Court win on that very issue.
It was the Allendale EDRC win that brought about the 'Fascist' legislation of the Development Plan Amendments October 2011, which DC of Grant officially supported with tbeir written submission, thus completely contradicting Mr Sages animated opposition at the forum December 2011.*
I find it fundamentally impossible to take either Mr Sage, DC of Grant, or Acciona at face value on the Allendale turbine issue.
The argument that Acciona have come to this decision over years directly conflicts with the timetable of applications and approvals, court cases and Acciona/DC Grants' appeal and the withdrawal of that appeal immediately after the DPA (Oct 2011), and declaration that they would proceed with Allendale.
Acciona have been fully committed at every stage and it is inconceivable that they have invested this amount of time, money and effort without careful consideration of whatever it is that has genuinely brought this project undone.
It is my personal experience that there are a number of questions that both Acciona and DC of Grant need to answer about all aspects of the project, and I believe that this is the genuine reason for the cancellation of the project.
I think similar issues of potential malfeasance and/or gross mismanagement ended the Green Point Project. There is an excellent article on turbines in todays' The Border Watch by Anelia Blackie that is worth looking at (credit where credit's due).
Wind Turbine opponents such as myself will continue to pursue the Allendale/Acciona issue; as I say, I don't trust any of the people involved. It would not surprise me in the least if this was a way of avoiding scrutiny of past discretions and/or failures, and I am deeply concerned that a new project by a different company will be immediately rammed into the same vicinity.
Any such new application would immediately help the DC of Grant and Acciona diffuse activism about their actions as opponents would be forced to concentrate their efforts on dealing with the new proposal.
In the appropriate context, I often say things hoping to be wrong, that is I apply my understanding of the motivations and behaviours of our elected public officials (and employees eg. CEOs) to predict their selfish machinations.
On the Wind Turbine issue, the behaviour of DC of Grant, Rann/Weatherill State Government, turbine host landholders, and the turbine developers themselves is self-evidently self-serving. From the subsidies/bribes that hosts receive, through the massive taxpayer 'renewable subsidies' that Turbine companies receive per erect Turbine*.
Everybody involved has their snout in the trough, and everybody else is irrelevant to them.
Congratulations to Mr Richard Paltridge, his family, and supporters for the extraordinary effort and they thoroughly deserve their every success.
Yet again, a handful of private citizens have had to take on their elected officials to not only protect themselves and their neighbours, but all South Australians'. We've just seen the exact same thing in New South Wales, where a couple of determined local protesters have forced the gross corruption of Labor ministers and their mates into the ICAC, the media and the public eye.
These issues (NSW ICAC) of corruption and nepotism plague South East politics.
The Allendale/Acciona/DC of Grant Wind Turbine issue is one of a number of such issues eg. Piccaninnie Ponds* that requires thorough scrutiny, but I can't imagine it's going to happen so it'll just have to appear here on this blog repeatedly. Cheers.
Tomorrow - Mount Gambier Jail Expansion - Importing Adelaide's Paedophiles.
* - See previous blogs
No comments:
Post a Comment