Donald Trump has "suffered a new defeat in his legal challenge to an offshore wind farm" that the U.S. property mogul "fears will ruin the view from his controversial golf course" in northeast Aberdeenshire, according to Mure Dickie of the FINANCIAL TIMES. An Edinburgh court "dismissed a Trump Organisation request for a review of the Scottish government’s decision to approve the planned 11-turbine project 3.5km away from his coastal golf development" at the Menie Estate. The ruling was the "latest low" in Trump’s "rollercoaster relationship with Scotland." The Trump organization said that Friday’s court decision was "no surprise" and would be "appealed against to the UK Supreme Court and European courts" (FT, 6/5). The HERALD SCOTLAND reported former Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond has described Trump as a "beaten man" after the U.S. billionaire's lawyers "lost a challenge against an offshore wind farm." Salmond, who has been "involved in a bitter dispute with Trump since his SNP administration approved plans for 11 turbines to be built near the businessman's Menie estate in Aberdeenshire, called on him to accept the Court of Session's decision 'with good grace.'" Lawyers for Trump "went to the Edinburgh court to obtain a a review of the Scottish Government's decision not to hold a public inquiry on the wind farm application and their decision to grant consent for the project." The petition was dismissed in February last year and Scotland's most senior judge, Lord Gill, has now "ruled that the earlier decision was legal." He has now released his judgment, in which he states, "None of the considerations founded on by the petitioners comes anywhere near to supporting the petitioners' suspicions" (HERALD SCOTLAND, 6/5).
ENVIRONMENTALISTS WIN: In London, Severin Carrell reported environmental campaigners have urged Trump to "stop trying to thwart Scotland’s search for green energy." World Wildlife Fund Scotland Dir Lang Banks said that the appeal court’s ruling was "welcome news for anyone interested in cutting carbon emissions." Banks: "Once again the courts have seen through Trump's flimsy, misguided attempts to frustrate Scotland's ambition to create clean power and green jobs. It's now time for Mr. Trump to stop wasting any more time and money on this case." Scottish Green Party Co-Leader Patrick Harvie said, "This spurious legal action has gone on too long already, and we cannot allow Trump’s inflated ego to delay our renewables industry a moment longer" (GUARDIAN, 6/5).
