Donald Trump Demands Scotland Nix Wind Turbines

DINBURGH, SCOTLAND - APRIL 25: Donald Trump speaks during a press conference following his address to the Scottish Parliament on April 25, 20012 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Trump spoke of his concerns over a proposed wind farm, mooted to built near his new GBP 1 billion golf resort, telling the Scottish Parliament that they will destroy tourism in the country. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

EDINBURGH, Scotland -- He came, he saw, he blustered.

Donald Trump on Wednesday swept into Scotland's parliament to demand the country end plans for an offshore wind farm he fears will spoil the view at his exclusive new $750-million-pound ($1.2-billion) golf resort.

In a typically blunt display, the New York property tycoon told an inquiry into renewable energy to stop the wind power efforts in the country's north.

"Scotland, if you pursue this policy of these monstrous turbines, Scotland will go broke," he said. "They are ugly, they are noisy and they are dangerous. If Scotland does this, Scotland will be in serious trouble and will lose tourism to places like Ireland, and they are laughing at us."

Members of the committee are looking at how achievable the Scottish government's green targets for 2020 are. The plans for 11 200-foot (60-meter) tall wind turbines are part of the government's goal of positioning itself as a leader in renewable energy.

When challenged to produce hard evidence about his claims on the negative impact of turbines, Trump said: "I am the evidence, I am a world class expert in tourism."

The public gallery burst into laughter.

Trump claimed Scottish leader Alex Salmond and his predecessor Jack McConnell gave him verbal assurances a wind farm would not be built off the coast of his resort.

"They wanted my money," Trump said. "I was lured into buying the site, after I had spent my money they came and announced the plan. At the time I bought the land I felt confident the wind farm was not going to happen."

The inquiry heard that Trump paid 4.5 million pounds ($7.2 million) for the majority of the land eight miles (12km) north of Aberdeen in January 2006. The resort is due to open on July 10.

There was an irony to Trump's complaints: When Salmond backed Trump's plans for the result, he was hailed a "great man" by the tycoon.

But Trump turned on the leader over plans to put the wind turbine farm off the coast and within view of the golf course. He claims the turbines will ruin the environment and will be bad for tourism.

The course was built on sand dunes despite protests from locals and environmentalists. The dunes, which were home to rare wading birds, were bulldozed to make way for the fairways in 2009 and 2010.

Scotland's tourism agency said its own research shows 83 percent of UK visitors will not be turned off by turbines.

"We are both reassured and encouraged by the findings of our survey which suggest that, at the current time, the overwhelming majority of consumers do not feel wind farms spoil the look of the countryside," said VisitScotland chief Malcolm Roughead.

Related on HuffPost:

From our partners

• Widespread Greenland Melting A Sign Of Things To Come - Climate Central
• How Two Determined Sisters Set Up A Pet Rescue Pipeline To Colorado - Mother Nature Network
• 11 Images And Facts About A Misunderstood Creature - Mother Nature Network

Comments

[Seer Clearly]

03:02 AM on 05/30/2012

One always has to wonder why such a wealthy, famous man has to play the part of the helpless victim so often.

[Seer Clearly]

03:01 AM on 05/30/2012

Bloviating ignoramus. Bloviating ignoramus. Bloviating ignoramus.

It just sounds so cool... and so appropriate.

[bbrown99]

03:55 PM on 04/28/2012

bbrown99

This is classic Trump publicity bluster and attempted intimidation. C'mon Donald. You are experienced and knowledgeable in the ways of business law. What makes you think that unofficial, "inside information" gleaned over dinner is somehow an enforceable commitment from a sovereign government. If one of your apprentices proposed that level of investment based on that kind of assurance, you would fire them in a heartbeat.

[LauraKY]

01:31 PM on 04/27/2012

Maybe we can pay Scotland to keep him. He can pretend to run for office there every couple of years and give the U.S. a break.

[George Repper]

12:11 PM on 04/27/2012

Donald Trump is a self styled expert on every item under the sun. Nobody really cares what
he thinks but he likes to make noise. [e-mail]

[Scion Ops]

07:01 AM on 04/27/2012

why not replace all the turbines near the golf course by one wind turbine strategically placed in front of the "Donald"'s buccal orifice

[Lftrsuk]

06:39 AM on 04/27/2012

It's mind-numbingly depressing to think that elected representatives like Alex Salmond, can believe what the renewables industry want us all to believe, that energy from renewable technologies can, as if by magic, have no environmental impact. Other than being noisy and eyesores wind turbines are not 'green' by way of resource use either. Their capacity factors are so pathetic that, for every useful kWh of electricity they generate, they use 54X more steel and concrete than the same amount of power from breeder reactors: http://lftrsuk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/how-green-is-wind-turbine-in-my-valley.html

Alex Salmond had better take a good look at the prospects for breeder reactors in the UK: http://lftrsuk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/energy-revolution-la-guillotine-for.html He'll still be around in the 2020s and 2030s, when global breeder deployment will be racing ahead and he will certainly have to explain his naive thinking behind the policies he currently trumpet, as he watches the renewables industry decline to a low, single figure % of total energy produced.

[Seer Clearly]

03:01 AM on 05/30/2012

The technology for breeder reactors has been around for 50 years and yet none have been built. That's because they're dangerous due to the need for non neutron-moderating coolants and expensive because of their multiple coolant isolation loops. And of course, they produce plutonium which highly dangerous should it leak out, or find its way into nuclear weapons. After Fukushima, I can guarantee you that absolutely none will be built. To bring them up simply reveals that you have a hidden agenda or are a paid lackey... or are woefully out of date and ignorant about nuclear power.

If you are interested in "breeding" nuclear fuel, go check out the liquid thorium reactor, which is neither unsafe nor as overwhelmingly expensive as a traditional breeder.

[cherokee1934]

11:08 PM on 06/14/2012

I don't feel that the turbines are all that much of an eyesore. And I don't think that they make that much noise. As for breeder reactors, for get them. I don't think that we will be building any here any time soon and I reposted part of "Seer Clearly" below.

If you are interested in "breeding" nuclear fuel, go check out the liquid thorium reactor, which is neither unsafe nor as overwhelmingly expensive as a traditional breeder.

[David Fechter]

01:42 AM on 04/27/2012

What a pig. Trump only cares about serving the rich in order to suck the maximum money out of their pockets. He uses other peoples money and take as many cuts out of the invested money as possible. He takes fees up front, then percentages of profits and finally a percentage of ownership. It's a win, win and win system for Trump and f---- the investors, the environment and the locals. His career is full of failures where investors and banks have lost huge sums and yet he came out smelling like a rose. Trump's best quote goes something like, " Bankruptcy is not my problem.........it's the bank's problem." Trump will take credit for the sun rising in the morning. "The Donald" sees the opulence of every part of a project, such as the gold plating a toilet, as the proof of his success. What is Donald Trump flushing down those gold plated toilets?

[souzasounds]

11:20 PM on 04/26/2012

The Buffoon Tycoon strikes again, just like his conspiracy cohorts on the right saying wind power is bad for the environment. They have been pushing this notion on Fox "News" and right-wing radio for a while now, so expect 1/2 of the USA to believe the crappie.