stop destructive longwall mining: TEC strongly objected to BHP Billiton’s decision not to present at public hearings of the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) into its proposed massive coal mine expansion south of Sydney. Instead contrary to procedural fairness they did it in private. TEC andother environment groups have also condemned BHPB’s environment assessment.  We released a new study into the dire impacts on headwater swamps.  The panel will report to the Minister for Planning in late April.

Following damage at several locations in the Southern Coalfield, BHP Billiton has been forced to back away from mining directly under major rivers. However the proximity of its mining to rivers means that cracking of the river beds and hillsides (see photo) still occurs and the company consistently makes no attempt to avoid damaging nationally significant upland swamps, which are vital in regulating the headwaters of the streams. 40 streams, 200 wetlands and 600 cliff lines could be affected by the mine. Several NSW Government agencies have also opposed mining but were directed to keep their presentations to the PAC private.

For more info and action check out our Don’t Drain Them Dry: Stop Under Mining Our Rivers! Campaign. Please DONATE to our campaigns.

green jobs plan for victoria: TEC joined Friends of the Earth and Boomerang Alliance on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne, calling for all Victorian political parties to commit to a Green Jobs package before the 2010 state election. Our comprehensive green jobs package would potentially deliver over 20,000 new jobs in green industries within 5 years: Energy and Water Efficiency (6,900 new green jobs by 2014), Public Transport (6,650 by 2014), Renewable Energy (4,000 now), Recycling (3,100 by 2014), Solar Water Heating (1,500 by 2020).

On 23 March the Victorian government announced a new program to extend recycling with over 900 new green jobs expected.  It will also increase the levy on waste going to landfill to help make recycling more competitive.  Green groups and recyclers have identified 12 new projects that could go ahead with an extra one million tonnes diverted from landfill.

who cares about the environment? TEC noted that that Australians are greener than their leaders when it responded to the Who Cares About The Environment in 2009 report released by NSW Environment Minister Sartor. The report indicated that the environment remains in the top five issues for NSW Government attention, both now and in the future, and the number of people who feel concerned to some extent about environmental problems now sits at 78%. Knowledge about the greenhouse effect has increased markedly since 1994, with over three-quarters of those surveyed believing climate change is happening (78%) and almost as many (69%) confirmed in the belief that the NSW Government should take urgent action on this issue.

A comforting insight to emerge is that the public thinks environment NGOs are far more credible than industry or politicians.

defending land clearing laws: TEC warned the NSW coalition that it must choose between a sound environment policy or environmental extremism after a farmers demo outside Parliament House. National Leader, Andrew Stoner stood outside Parliament and called for the NSW Native Vegetation Act to be torn up.  TEC Director, Jeff Angel said, to adopt such a position would plunge NSW back into the dark ages, threatening dozens of endangered fauna and flora, and creating massive carbon emissions.

Later the Opposition backed away from the comments. TEC will be discussing the land clearing policy with the Coalition in the near future.

air pollution worsens: TEC announced that Sydney’s Air Quality Sucks, and warned state political parties to get ready for a public health emergency, based on the findings of the Department of the Environment, Climate Change and Water report which projects Sydney's air quality to 2026. We suggested that poor air quality will be an obvious and very real political embarrassment,at the next state election due in summer, March 2011. The main smog chemical, ozone is caused by the reaction of auto and industrial emissions with sunlight. It is the third most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and methane. 

TEC will also soon begin a review of the city’s Action for Air strategy.

the truth about power price hikes: Successive NSW governments have failed to address the waste and inefficiency of our power-generation network over recent decades and the result is an energy market bent on encouraging consumers to use more electricity, by building more infrastructure, said TEC Director Jeff Angel, rather than introducing smart measures to reform the system we already have. TEC called for power to the people by encouraging household action on efficiency in response to the Independent Pricing And Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) endorsedment of massive price hikes (60%) over the next three years to build more infrastructure. 

TEC has estimated that up to a third of the projected expenditure can be avoided through energy efficiency measures. IPART said nothing about energy efficiency. Please DONATE to our campaigns.

carbon, capture & storage: TEC organised a debate on CCS in Melbourne with the Global CCS Institute and Canadian Government.  Industry said we must have CCS because coal power is important and will remain so.  Green economists and NGOs argued CCS was just a hope and should not receive the bulk of carbon action funding (with renewables getting more) and that industry not government, should be liable for long term risks such as escape of CO2.  Interestingly our Canadian speaker said the private sector does carry the risks in North America.

carbon action survey: TEC conducted a survey through our business engagement program, Green Capital, which revealed that a majority of businesses feel that taking decisive action on climate change is a business necessity and doing nothing is not an option. Business wants to act, said Jeff Angel, thinks it's necessary to act, and understands that action now will future-proof business for the moment when a price on carbon comes in. The survey showed there is broad disappointment at the failure of the CPRS to become law, but when it comes to energy efficiency there is a widespread belief that individual organisations could make savings of 10-20% by 2015 and 20-40% by 2020.

TEC’s Green Capital program is currently running a series of events on the subject.

www.tec.org.au