by Simon Johnson
Campaign groups yesterday demanded that SNP Ministers stop being a “mouthpiece” for the wind industry and represent their concerns about the spread of turbines.
Scotland Against Spin, a nationwide group protesting against the proliferation of wind farms, published an open letter to Fergus Ewing, the SNP’s energy minister, calling for a summit. Signed by 39 anti-turbine groups covering a large swathe of rural Scotland, it challenged the Scottish Government to give equal weight to the views of people and buisnesses whose lives have been harmed by wind developments.
The call followed a meeting Mr Ewing held last month attended by more than 200 people including resentatives of wind farm companies during which he lambasted the UK Government’s decision to exclude new onshore wind farms from claiming a subsidy from April next year, 12 months earlier than expected.
The Inverness and Nairn MP promised to pass on their views to his Tory counterparts in London but Scotland Against Spin said the views of local communities had been ignored.
Graham Lang, the group’s chairman, said Nicola Sturgeon had promised to stage a summit for wind farm campaigners when the Scottish Cabinet visited Cupar in Fife last month. He said “With over two thirds of the UK’s wind turbines there is now hardly a community in Scotland where a decisive majority is not opposed to further wind development.
“Our Government can’t just be a mouthpiece for the wind industry when it deals with Westminster. It has to speak for all of Scotland.”
In his letter, Mr Lang said: “Listening – and being seen to listen – only to those who make their living from an extremely generous system of public subsidy cannot be right and will give rise to the impression that government policy is skewed in their favour”.
The letter was signed by campaign groups from rural areas as well as the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, the Scottish Wild Lands Group and the Scottish Campaign for National Parks.
SNP ministers were furious with the decision to scrap the subsidy which is funded by the Renewable Obligation that comes from a levy on household bills. Wind farm companies claimed the decision would cost consumers £3 billion in higher prices.
Although energy policy is reserved to Westminster, the SNP government has used its control over the planning system in Scotland to encourage the construction of thousands of turbines.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said “We are always ready to listen to a broad range of views and we will contact Scotland Against Spin shortly to engage with community and campaign groups.”
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