Hogan attends Oireachtas meeting on wind turbines

Sinn Féin has facilitated an all-party Oireachtas meeting with the Midlands Alliance of the Wind Turbine Information Groups in Westmeath, Longford, Laois, Offaly and Meath.
Cllr Paul Hogan, who attended the meeting in Leinster House, described it as ‘informative, encouraging and heartening’.
“I recently attended a local Wind Turbine Information Group meeting in Ballymore. After the meeting I was asked to facilitate a meeting in Leinster House to ensure the issues and concerns raised by the Information Groups remained a priority on the agenda. I managed to secure this meeting, which was attended by 27 Oireachtas members or by their representatives. All parties and none were represented at the meeting,” he commented.
“A very informative presentation was delivered by Andrew Duncan and David Reid from the Lakelands Wind Turbine Information Group Daryl Kennedy from Killucan Wind Turbine Information Group. All of the main issues and concerns such as height, scale, noise, health, decrease in price of land, the allowed distance away from dwellings, and environmental issues were identified and discussed.
Many at the meeting stated that they supported alternative energies in principle, however these turbines amount only to an industrial and commercial enterprise that do not serve the local communities and do not have the support of the local communities, Cllr Hogan stated.
“This was the first time that this group could present the concerns of the communities they represent to such an array of legislators. Sinn Féin’s spokesperson Brian Stanley, a TD for Laois and Offaly proposed that a moratorium be put on the process until such time as there is an independent scientific assessment on adverse health impacts, a strategic environmental assessment and an independent cost benefit analysis are carried out.
“It is important that we continue to build momentum behind this campaign and I urge everyone to attend the public rally in Mullingar this weekend,” Cllr Hogan concluded.