Queensland Premier will demolish environmental funding programs
Australia: Queensland Premier axes environmental funds 28. MARCH 2012 PV Magazine, BY: SHAMSIAH ALI-OETTINGER The new premier of Queensland Liberal National Party’s (LNP) Campbell Newman plans to axe the state’s climate change and renewable energy programs, including funds allocated for solar flagship programs. The Newman government is said to be planning the abolishment of eight of the former Labor government’s environmental funds, the 300 million Australian dollars (AUD) climate change fund and the AUD50 million renewable energy fund.
The other funds identified were the Queensland smart energy savings fund, the future growth fund, solar initiatives
package, waste avoidance and resource efficiency fund and the local government sustainable future fund. The FITs will however remain for Queensland’s home solar power systems at AUD0.44/kWh for surpluselectricity fed into the grids….
Victoria backs out too The state of Victoria also decided to back out of the 2020 20% emissions reduction target that was set by the Labor government. The conservatives supported this scheme when Labor was in power. The pressure mounted on the Victorian government from opponents such as Exxon Mobil.
: http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/australia–queensland-premier-axes-environmental-funds_100006254/#ixzz1qXst4p48
Queensland’s Land Court’s decision for Xstrata – a devastating blow for the environment
Green group attacks Xstrata mine nod Yahoo Finance By Annie Guest and Sam Burgess | ABC –28 March 12 The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has criticised the Land Court over its ruling on the Wandoan mining project in the Surat Basin on southern Queensland’s Western Downs.
Yesterday, the state’s Land Court gave the final go-ahead for the Xstrata mining company to develop Australia’s biggest open-cut coal mine near Wandoan, north-west of Toowoomba.
The Land Court recommended the Queensland Government approve the project and new Liberal National Party (LNP) Premier Campbell Newman says he is excited at the prospect.
Lobby group Friends of the Earth and seven local landholders had tried to halt the project on environmental grounds and say they are devastated with the court’s decision. Farmers say the development will consume prime food-production land and destroy lifestyles….. Continue reading
Voters in Mt Isa electorate have no choice on the uranium issue
Fiona Lake , commenting on Queensland election policies With leaking tailings dams already in her electorate, it is astonishing that Betty Kiernan is in favour of a uranium mine on her doorstep.
And so much for a democracy providing us with a real choice, with the 3 main contenders all in favour of uranium mining.
I’ll be voting for whoever publicly guarantees that they will not be considering uranium mining in their term of government and I bet I’m not the only one. Voters need firm policies and they need them right now, not each way
bet ‘we might consider it’, statements.
Parties say uranium mining could happen in Queensland ABC rural news By Paul Sutherland , 21/03/2012 The LNP and ALP candidates in Queensland’s Mount Isa electorate both say their parties’ opposition to uranium mining in the state could change….
Labor member Betty Kiernan says while her party opposes mining the mineral, there’s no reason why the policy won’t be overturned….
Rob Katter, the Katter’s Party candidate for the electorate, made his position clear – if that party wins in Saturday’s election, uranium mining would be legalised…. http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201203/s3460350.htm
Small scale, decentralised solar energy paying off for Queensland
Queensland has embraced small scale solar – and that is set to continue.
Queensland Aims For 9000 Gigawatt Hours Of Renewable Energy Generation, by Energy Matters, 10 Feb 12, Queensland Renewable Energy Plan (QREP) 2012 has been launched by Energy Minister Stephen Robertson – and the future of solar in the state continues to look bright.
“QREP 2012 places Queensland front and centre of Australia’s clean energy future. It positions Queensland to leverage up to $8.9 billion in renewable energy investment and deliver 9000 gigawatt hours of renewable energy generation by 2020,” said Minister Robertson.
The Minister sees the state benefiting from the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Future initiative.
“Substantial opportunities will emerge for Queensland from this national plan. With a strong ongoing program of initiatives and new focus on collaboration and capacity building, QREP 2012 aims to position Queensland as a primary beneficiary.” Continue reading
Solar power and energy efficiency save money for Queensland hospital
Hervey Bay solar projects keep powering on, My Sunshine Coast, 2 Feb 12, Energy Minister Stephen Robertson has welcomed another key milestone in the Bligh Government’s $4 million plan to help power Hervey Bay with clean energy.
Mr Robertson said Queensland Health had now completed contractual arrangements with ABB Australia to install a $1.3 million 266 kilowatt solar panel system at the Hervey Bay Hospital.
“Depending on the weather, installation will begin within a few weeks on a solar panel system that will generate approximately 385 megawatt hours of energy each year, saving the hospital around $20,000 per year on electricity costs,” Mr Robertson said. “It will also help to reduce the hospital’s carbon emissions by 400
tonnes a year.
“An interactive web-kiosk and large screen television showing the energy being produced by the system daily, monthly and annually will also be installed in the hospital’s foyer as an education tool for visitors.
“This project and the $2.7 million Fraser Coast Community Solar Farm are part of the Bligh Government’s commitment to renewable energy
projects…. “ABB will draw from our global expertise in the solar industry to deliver a solar power system which operates at high efficiency, providing a lower cost per kilowatt production. “Our innovative technology and expertise is gained by our involvement in many of the world’s largest turnkey solar projects.
“The hospital has already reduced its energy consumption significantly by implementing a number of energy efficiency initiatives, and with the addition of the renewable energy from this system, they will become more self sufficient.”
http://www.mysunshinecoast.com.au/articles/article-display/hervey-bay-solar-projects-keep-powering-on,246
Radioactivity over Sunshine Coast likely to have come from Lucas Heights Nuclear Facility
In a long article, Paul Langley traces the history of nuclear radiation releases and coverups. Marcus Grezechnik of Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) was reassuring, and vague about the origin of this radiation But – this same Marcus Grezechnik is one of the authors of the only research study done on radioactive clouds in Austtralia. That study of radioactivity in the atmosphere above Melbourne, in 2008 and 2009 found that the source was the Lucas Heights nuclear facility, in Sydney. – Christina Macpherson
That cloud of reactor gas reported off the Sunshine Coast – Not Fukushima. It’s Lucas Heights, Paul Langley’s Nuclear History Blog, 14 Jan 2012,
Quote: “Evaluation of radioxenon releases in Australia using atmospheric dispersion modelling tools.
The origin of a series of atmospheric radioxenon events detected at the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) International Monitoring System site in Melbourne, Australia, between November 2008 and February 2009 was investigated. Backward tracking analyses indicated that the events were consistent with releases associated with hot commission testing of the Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation (ANSTO) radiopharmaceutical production facility in Sydney, Australia. Forward dispersion analyses were used to estimate release magnitudes and transport times. The estimated (133)Xe release magnitude of the largest event (between 0.2 and 34 TBq over a 2 d window), was in close agreement with the stack emission releases estimated by the facility for this time period (between 0.5 and 2 TBq). Modelling of irradiation conditions and theoretical radioxenon emission rates were undertaken and provided further evidence that the Melbourne detections originated from this radiopharmaceutical production facility. These findings do not have public health implications. This is the first comprehensive study of atmospheric radioxenon measurements and releases in Australia. Crown Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rick Tinker, Blake Orr, Marcus Grzechnik, Emmy Hoffmann, Paul Saey, Stephen Solomon. Evaluation of radioxenon releases in Australia using atmospheric dispersion modelling tools. Journal of environmental radioactivity. 2010 May;101(5): 353-61 ” end quote.
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, 619 Lower Plenty Road, Yallambie, Victoria, Melbourne 3085, Australia. rick.tinker@arpansa.gov.au
Journal of environmental radioactivity 2010 May http://www.nextbio.com/b/search/article.nb?id=20346548
Mysterious radioactive cloud detected by Geiger counter over Sunshine Coast
Radiation cloud ‘not harmful’ , Sunshine Coast Daily, Kate Clifford | 14th January 2012 A RADIOACTIVE cloud lingering off the Sunshine Coast on Sunday was not dangerous, according to the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.
Caloundra IT manager Peter Daley picked up the cloud’s radioactivity on his Geiger counter, a device that measures ionizing radiation in the atmosphere. The reading was taken at 6.30pm and measured 0.80 microsieverts, which is eight times over the average level of radiation in the atmosphere.
Mr Daley said he was concerned the cloud could have formed from a radioactive fall out from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. “This may be just a one off but even still, any exposure to an increase in radiation is not good,” Mr Daley said. He first noticed the hike when his Geiger counter began erratically beeping.
He then watched the rise in radiation fluctuate for three hours, peaking for 20 minutes at 0.80. “I was shocked to hear the Geiger alarm going off, I have been recording radiation in the atmosphere for four years and the highest it has ever gone was 0.20 microsieverts.”
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency senior environmental scientist Marcus Grezechnik said the reading was unusualbut not concerning for the Coast…..
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/01/14/radiation-cloud-not-harmful-sunshine-coast/
Poll shows Queenslanders reject uranium mining, and uranium sales to India
Queenslanders reject Julia Gillard’s uranium sales to India, Galaxy Poll finds, by:Steven Scott , The Courier-Mail November 21, 2011 PRIME Minister Julia Gillard’s plan to allow uranium sales to India has been rejected by a majority of Queensland voters. And only a third of the state’s Labor voters back Ms Gillard’s controversial plan, a Galaxy poll conducted exclusively for The Courier-Mail found….A meeting of left-wing Labor MPs in Canberra yesterday vowed to use the conference to fight against Ms Gillard’s plans to sell uranium to India because it has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. “It is a sell-out of everything we’ve stood for as a party over the last 40 years,” Left faction convener Doug Cameron said.
About 56 per cent of the state’s voters are opposed to selling uranium to India, according to the poll of 800 people on November 16 and 17. Opposition to the plans is even higher among Labor supporters, with 61 per cent rejecting it. The plans have pitted Ms Gillard against Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, who has refused to lift a ban on mining the state’s considerable uranium reserves….. http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/poll-backs-ban-on-uranium/story-fn7kjcme-1226200652135
Queensland to keep ban on uranium mining
Bligh against uranium mining despite Gillard push ABC News, 15 Nov 11 Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says her State Government remains opposed to mining uranium, with no intention of revisiting that policy.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard is heading for a showdown with the Left of her party, as she pushes to have Labor drop its ban on exporting uranium to nuclear-armed India……Ms Bligh says her State Government will not change its policy, despite Ms Gillard’s push. “If there is a debate at national conference about whether or not Australian uranium should be going to countries like India, it won’t change the policy that we have in Queensland, which is that we don’t mine our uranium,” she said……
A mixed “blessing” for Australia in radiation cleanup breakthrough
It is comforting that Queensland’s Professor Zhu tells us that radiation cleanup will still be needed, even if the world abandons nuclear power. In that case, it is good that Australia might provide other parts of the world with a technology to help in this.
On the other hand, Professor Zhu tells us “we have the technology to do the cleaning up for the world.” This is far from comforting, especially when we realise that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation is involved. ANSTO is well known as a promoter of nuclear technology. There are some in Australia, like John White, Ron Walker and Robert Champion de Crespigny, and others – who would just love to make several $billion out of importing foreign nuclear wastes into Australia.
This new “radiation absorbent’ might be just the technology they want? – Christina Macpherson
Breakthrough to help clean up contaminated water, Brisbane Time s, 2 Nov 11 Brisbane scientists have helped developed an intelligent absorbent, which they hope will solve the problem of how to clean up water contaminated with radioactive waste. The research team believes the technology will benefit industries rangingfrom mining to medicine, plus assist in clean-up efforts after nuclear disasters.
One gram of the absorbent can “effectively purify at least one tonne of polluted water”, according to Professor Huai-Yong Zhu from Queensland University of Technology Chemistry. The absorbent, developed in collaboration with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and Pennsylvania State University in the United States, effectively locks in the dangerous radioactive material and extracts it from the water.
It uses titanate nanofibre and nanotube technology. Professor Zhu said the technology would run the contaminated water through fine nanotubes and fibres, trapping radioactive ions.
The absorbent could then be safely disposed without the risk of leakage, even if the material became wet. “This saves large amounts of dangerous water needing to be stored somewhere and also prevents the risk of contaminated products leaking into the soil,” Professor Zhu said……Even if we decide that nuclear energy is not the way we want to go, we will still need to clean-up what’s been produced so far and store it safely.
“Australia is one of the largest producers of titania that are the raw materials used for fabricating the absorbents of titanate nanofibres and nanotubes. Now with the knowledge to produce the absorbents, we have the technology to do the cleaning up for the world.”
Christina Macpherson It all might be rather fanciful anyway. If you go to “comments” on this item, you will see a comment from a radiation expert, who throws cold water on the whole proposal, anyway, and wonders why, if it’s so great “why this breakthrough is not on the front page of the IAEA “?
Brisbane to get electric buses
Electric buses bound for Brisbane streets, Brisbane Times, Tony Moore, October 28, 2011, Brisbane is set to have its first fully electric bus, which can be fully charged in 10 minutes, within two years. brisbanetimes.com.au understands an official announcement will be made late next month and a prototype being built for Brisbane City Council is expected to be on the road within two years.
Brisbane-based firm Varley Electric Vehicles, based at Virginia, is in the design phase for the Brisbane electric bus project. Varley’s divisional manager for electric vehicles, John Bettini, and said both the council and the state government were involved in the project…. Mr Bettini said Varley was working with several multinational and Australian firms and believed a prototype would be ready early in 2012.
“We are developing a fast-charge electric bus which is capable of being charged within 10 minutes,” he said.
“We are in the design stage and the prototype will be built early next year.” Varley Electric Vehicles won a $250,000 state government grant in June to convert carbon-fuelled buses to electric…
Xstrata mining company, like its close friend Glencore, out to wreck renewable energy in Australia
The mining giant Xstrata is now behaving just like the company that is the world’s most ruthless, secretive and lacking in integrity – Glencore.
This is hardly surprising, as the two companies are as thick as thieves, and tipped to merger very soon. or might have already merged. Glencore’s CEO, South African -born Ivan Glasenberg, took the trouble to become an Australian citizen. Glencore very recently listed as a public company. Both actions designed to further Glencore’s interest in Australia, as Glencore bought into Xstrata Australia.
It’s a dead shame that Australian governments can lie down and let these rapacious corporations, known. especially in Glencore’s case, for illegal activities and environmental degradation – walk all over efforts to get renewable energy happening in this country.
Given the government’s description of CopperString [ involving renewable energyplan]as a “once in a generation opportunity,” it now seems extraordinary that it should agree with the proposal by Sims, a noted economic rationalist, to allow “the market” – effectively Xstrata – to decide the fate of the project….
Xstrata gas deal sinks renewables hub, Climate Spectator Giles Parkinson, 7 oct 11, Hopes of building one of Australia’s largest renewable energy hubs in north Queensland appear to have been dashed after the Swiss-based global mining giant Xstrata signed a deal instead with AGL Energy to build a gas-fired power station in Mt Isa. Continue reading
Queensland’s solar tariff helps create $3.5 billion in new investment
Queensland’s tariff, which pays 45c per kWh, had helped thousands to access clean power…“[Queensland will avoid] going down the path of other states in collapsing their schemes and causing such dislocation amongst a somewhat new and still vulnerable part of the economy.”….Current policies to promote renewable energy in Queensland would create $3.5 billion in new investment and 3500 new jobs.
Solar cuts are ‘foolish’: Roberston – Narooma News, GRAHAM READFEARN, 06 Sep, 2011 Queensland Energy Minister Stephen Robertson has accused other state governments of being “foolish and shortsighted” for cutting payments to promote solar energy.Mr Robertson told the Ecogen renewable energy conference in Brisbane yesterday that recent decisions in Victoria and New South Wales to cut back payments for homeowners with solar power would damage the industry. Continue reading
Queensland government adopts most recommendations for renewable energy development
Qld considers green power, 9 News, 11 Aug 11, The Queensland government hopes to increase the state’s use of renewable energy with new measures such as introducing it to all indigenous communities. The parliament’s Environment and Resources Committee released its report into powering more of the state with renewable energy sources in May.
Noting around 30 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions come from Queensland, it made 14 recommendations to drive an increase in green power sources.
The Queensland government this week responded to the report and has accepted 10 of those recommendationsQueensland will now aspire to the federal government target of sourcing 20 per cent of the state’s electricity from renewable energy by 2020, and will consider using upfront subsidies or interest-free loans to encourage customers to switch to renewable energy sources such as solar power.
The government also gave in-principle support for a plan to introduce renewable energy systems into 34 remote indigenous communities that rely on diesel generators for power….http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8284274/qld-considers-green-power
Promising economic future for Queensland with renewable energy
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Eco Business, , August 9th, 2011
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A coalition of social, union, environmental and research organisations today said the federal government’s clean energy future plan would provide unprecedented investment in Australia’s renewable energy resources and energy efficiency, with the potential for major job creation, especially in Queensland.
The Southern Cross Climate Coalition, comprising The Australian Conservation Foundation, The Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Australian Council of Social Services and The Climate Institute, made the claims in an analysis that also urges the federal government to release measures to meet Australia’s international climate finance obligations, in advance of the next round of climate negotiations in Durban in December. Continue reading
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