Ed Miliband prepares to wage a wind-powered war on the shires
Britain’s march of the wind turbines is about to resume. Ten years after the rural backlash that forced David Cameron’s government to cancel onshore wind developments, Ed Miliband is planning to do battle in the shires once again.If, as expected, Labour wins the election and he becomes energy secretary, one of his first acts will be to rewrite the planning rules that have blocked wind farm developments in England.“Our mission involves doubling onshore wind, trebling solar, quadrupling offshore wind and backing hydrogen CCS [carbon capture and storage], nuclear and other clean energy technologies,” he told a recent conference of wind farm developers.“We need all of these technologies…That’s why we would get started in our first weeks in office by overturning the Conservative onshore wind ban in England.”In a campaign marked by criticism that Labour has failed to be clear on its plans, Miliband’s directness could be seen as refreshing. But for many of those living in countryside areas pr...