With a clear majority: the cantonal council of St. Gallen rejects higher obstacles for wind turbines

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>

In one of the motions, the SVP faction called for a legally required minimum distance of 1,000 meters between inhabited buildings and wind turbines.

In addition to the noise, a wind turbine has other negative effects on people, the group argued. These include shadows, an “optical suppression effect”, ice blasts in winter and “inaudible infrasound”.

The government rejected the proposal. A fixed minimum distance of 1000 meters is necessary “neither for environmental protection nor for safety reasons”. According to federal noise protection regulations, wind turbines would have to meet an upper emission limit.

In the council, the spokesperson for the SVP faction said that the plan in the canton was to specify 17 locations for wind turbines in the structure plan. Nine of them are located in the immediate vicinity of settlements.

The FDP spokesperson explained that the parliamentary group was in favor of pragmatic solutions and did not support further restrictions. The central EPP faction argued in the same way: this “prevention policy” must be clearly rejected. The Greens, the SP and the Green Liberals also spoke out against this. The motion was ultimately rejected by 74 votes in favor and 33 against.

A second SVP motion, calling for a general ban on wind turbines in forests, also failed with the same number of votes. The protection of the forest is already guaranteed by federal law, it was said, among other things.

A third SVP initiative – also a motion – is against the St. Gallen government’s intention to define the wind energy zones with a cantonal plan for special use. The municipalities must be responsible for this, the SVP demands. This proposal has not yet been discussed. (SDA)

Source:Blick