Antinuclear

On Tuesday the MCA publicised a report by the Coal Industry Advisory Board that called for governments to commit similar resources to carbon capture and storage as they do to renewable energy.

The report was written by representatives of some of the world’s biggest coalminers, including Anglo American, Glencore and Peabody, as well as by Peter Morris of the MCA.

In a section directly aimed at Australia, the report called for a public campaign to promote carbon capture and storage, and for governments to support so-called “high-efficiency low-emissions coal” (HELE) among other technologies……

In December a report from the Australian National Audit office sharply criticised the federal government’s investments in carbon capture and storage. It found that despite a commitment of more than $2bn, little had been achieved…….

Following a move by its own shareholders, BHP agreed to review its membership of industry and business groups such as the Minerals Council. That review, published in December, concluded that unless the MCA adapted its advocacy activities within a year, it would cancel its almost $2m yearly membership, which makes up about 17% of the MCA’s revenue from memberships.

Specifically, the review said the MCA must stop prioritising the affordability and reliability of energy over emissions goals. It also noted that although the MCA regularly said it supported a “technology neutral and market based approach,” it actually advocated policies that gave preferential treatment to coal…….https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/23/minerals-council-steps-up-coal-advocacy-despite-bhp-call-for-neutrality