We knew there were problems with the National Covid Recovery Committee (NCC) suggesting gas pipelines from WA to the eastern states as part (or all?) of their covid-19 recovery plan,
but it seems the PM has suffered Gas attacks as well:
That backwards slide has continued throughout this year, primarily through Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor’s “Gas fired recovery” efforts. The crux of this project is a massive expansion of Australia’s fossil gas extraction, transport and burning within Australia, sure to result in an extremely significant increase in Australia’s domestic and exported emission footprint, both of which have grown primarily due to gas over the past years.
Let’s be blunt.
In any other universe, recovering from one public health crisis by worsening another would spark immediate backlash. An “asbestos led recovery” would be career-ending; as would a “tobacco led recovery” or a “AK-47 led recovery”. But fossil fuels have locked their harm so deeply into our lives that we have become desensitised to this incredible, radical significance of proposing to hurt humans as a pathway to helping them. What is happening here is simultaneously deadly and ludicrous.
— Ketan Joshi, renew economy, Sept 15th, “Morrison casts dark shadow over energy transition with massive gas intervention”
there is nothing accidental or haphazard about the Coalition’s latest threat to the energy industry; the attempt to force-feed more gas generation into Australia’s main grid and the massive government subsidies promised to extend its infrastructure and open up new gas basins. It may not make much sense, on any level, but that just makes it all the more sinister.
Morrison has made clear he wants the post-Covid recovery to be led by gas, and appointed gas lobbyists to direct the recovery plan. Taylor is seeking to hijack the two key renewable energy bodies to support gas and CCS, and has spent two years erecting bollards trying to slow down the clean energy transition.
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and Philippa Rowland,