Members' Business — S6M-09435 Alexander Burnett: Ensuring a Just Transition for Rural Communities

That the Parliament believes that what it sees as the Scottish Government’s failure to listen to local communities has resulted in an unjust transition to net zero taking place in rural communities across Scotland, including those in the Aberdeenshire West constituency; recognises what it sees as the vital importance of an energy strategy that uses a mix of energy sources to achieve a just transition and protect the livelihood and character of rural communities; acknowledges what it sees as the significant concerns of local communities and local authorities, which, it believes, have overwhelmingly opposed industrial sized onshore windfarm proposals, but have then been overruled by the Energy Consents Unit * *; notes the view that the Scottish Government should ensure that local community objections to renewable energy developments are a key factor in considering when approval should be granted; further notes the calls for the Scottish Government to introduce legislation for a mandatory minimum megawatt-hour community benefit contribution rate from renewable energy developments, which would increase in line with inflation; recognises the role that it believes that community benefit should play in ensuring that communities receive fair compensation as part of a real just transition in areas where renewable energy developments are being considered, and notes the calls for the Scottish Government to implement the recommendations of the joint review by the UK and Scottish governments of ETSU-R-97 on all new onshore windfarm developments, in particular, the recommendation that controlling values for noise during the night should not be higher for night-time than during the day.