How do you know when a wind developer’s goon is lying to you? His lips are moving.
Riding roughshod over rural communities is just another day at the office for wind power outfits; lies, bullying and deceit are their tools of trade.
When these characters turn up and start spruiking tall tales about wonderful wind and the thousands of jobs that will soon emerge like mushrooms in a forest, it’s not long before community members wake up and move to a war footing.
Peaceful and prosperous rural communities, like Stanley on Tasmania’s north coast, are not prepared to become the wind industry’s next victims.
Adding to their long list of well justified grievances, is the fact that Epuron – the foreign owned outfit with plans to carpet their countryside with Chinese-made wind turbines – has been telling lies about the basis for land use option agreements being dangled in front of gullible landowners.
Epuron’s dodgy documents are giving landowners the deliberate and entirely misleading impression that TasNetworks (the State-owned grid operator) is party to the agreements (which it isn’t) and that TasNetworks has the power to compulsoraly acquire land if the owners refuse to sign up to Epuron’s bogus agreements (which it doesn’t), thereby forcing them to enter agreements on the false belief that their land will be taken from them, anyway.
So far, so wind industry.
The Tasmanian Times takes a look at the kind of skulduggery and subterfuge that the wind industry thrives on.
Epuron Exposed
Tasmanian Times
Statement – Respect Stanley Peninsula – No Wind Turbines Inc.
December 3, 2021
Yesterday the Legislative Council Government Business Scrutiny Committee exposed potentially misleading conduct of wind farm developer Epuron.
Epuron, a Sydney based renewables developer, is known for getting wind farm developments approved, then on-selling development approvals.
Epuron has come under increasing pressure from the communities of Stanley and St Patricks Plains in the Central Highlands. These communities speak of poor community engagement and insensitive and inappropriate choice of location. They say Epuron ignores biodiversity, scenic landscapes and proximity to Stanley, as well as the iconic landscape of The Nut and historic area of Steppes.
Yesterday The Legislative Business Scrutiny committee chaired by Hon Ruth Forrest MLC raised some uncomfortable questions for Hon. Guy Barnett MHA and TasNetworks, ultimately highlighting questionable conduct of developer Epuron.
With Tasmania lagging behind other states in regulating windfarm development, Guy Barnett is under increasing scrutiny for failing to pin down a date for release of the ‘Renewable Energy Coordination Framework’, Barnett sidestepped questions about whether the government would legislate requiring developers in Tasmanian to consider social license and visual impact, saying that government would do “what is best for the state.”
Given that Barnett’s plan for 200% renewable energy plan was announced in 2020, the failure to implement legislative and regulatory frameworks is simply not good enough.
This lack of legislative framework has opened the door for developers to call the shots, in Tasmania’s largely unregulated renewable energy environment.
Epuron have left option agreements for the transfer of power easements with landowners for them to consider. These documents make multiple specific references to TasNetworks as a beneficiary of those easements. By signing the document, the landholder appoints TasNetworks as power of attorney, and allows TasNetworks to establish an easement covenant for the sole benefit of TasNetworks over their land.
Ruth Forrest stated these documents have TasNetworks named “almost as a proponent” to which TasNetworks CEO Sean McGoldrick responded “I am aware that in various notices that they give out to landowners we were named. That was not something that had to do with an agreement. There is no agreement, we have not reached any agreement.”
Members of the Stanley community have expressed concern that Epuron could give the impression that they are acting as an agent for TasNetworks, thereby implying to landholders that TasNetworks will compulsorily acquire their land if they do not sign the Options Agreement.
Ruth Forrest further pressed Guy Barnett, asking if he will “take any action then, in terms of further communication with Epuron to say this potentially has been misleading? In terms of the community’s social licence that you said you respect and you have encouraged them to participate in.” Guy Barnett has conceded he is “absolutely willing to look into it.”
Members of the Stanley community are worried about what they see as Epuron’s potentially misleading conduct and will ask Hon Guy Barnett what the government intends to do about it.
In the meantime, introducing a legislative framework requiring ‘go’ and ‘no-go’ zones and social license would be a very good start. Stanley hopes that Guy Barnett will consider this in the best interests of the community and the State.
The introduction of legislative requirements may be uncomfortable for Guy Barnett as it potentially interrupts the unimpeded roll out of wind turbines throughout the state. But this is not nearly as uncomfortable as the wrath of a multitude of small and large communities who harbour genuine concerns about renewables roll out without regulation. Minister Barnett’s approach to regulated ‘go’ and ‘no-go’ areas will test his assertion that he has the interests of Tasmania at the forefront of his considerations.
Tasmanian Times
STOP THESE THINGS 
When a wind turbine catches fire, all the fire brigade can do is watch. At least in Germany, a wind turbine cannot be built closer than one kilometer from a village or woodlot.
Barnett will “do what’s right for the state.” What happened to “governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed?”
Yes, all so true as we experienced from NextEra and Wanzek. Around 108 of the wind trash became operational as of Oct. 9, 2021. Our TV reception is ruined! We’ve have a 14 foot super antenna for 9 years with no reception problem until Now. The trash forms a greed barrier too close to our house. Wish we could destroy them! Not a ‘Merry Christmas’ since we cannot watch decent TV.
The whole climate change hoax is the biggest scam that has ever been on this planet and the windy weasels will never be able to back it up with true facts.
Used car salespersons are looking good.
Simon Holmes à Courts mates are under attack from the nuisance sound from one of his beloved wind farms in Gippsland. His mother Janet Holmes à Court, was mentioned in an STT post as objecting to the proposed monstrous wind turbines in the lakes district of Tasmania. She is the Patron of Fly Fish Australia and it is one of her favourite fishing places.
As one of Australia’s wealthiest women, she is apparently powerless to stop the farcical rollout of these highly taxpayer subsidised regressive, destructive, unreliable, outdated machines and, this particular son, is apparently not interested in supporting his mother’s beliefs. It also seems her son would rather line his pockets at public expense.
This is no different than another rich lister Dr Andrew Forrest wanting to be involved in hydrogen production: As in the SA intention to convert from natural gas heating to hydrogen (another German Siemans subsidy?) or its loss making conversion to electricity – Electric vehicles are fair enough apart from the ridiculous price (Elon Musk makes his money from carbon trading) with the last century inland rail to travel at 115km/hr, slower than the old Flying Scotsman pulled trains.
How can so many things not make sense, unless our hand holding main political parties are operating in lockstep to satisfy international private finance rather than citizens interests? The simple answer is that the ALP-NLP agreed to a foreign economic consensus in the 1980s. Who else did?
We are now reaping those rewards in going technologically backwards, with some countries having recognised their anti nuclear folly, as former PM Bob Hawke did.
Gee, Joe Biden gets a new puppy and it makes international news! Mainstream media should be ashamed of themselves along with our politicians & many outdated scientists.
there are more lies in solar power, how sun shine is decided by the “photovoltaic experts “?