Doctors for the Environment call for NEG to be rejected

November 24, 2017

A letter on Nov 19th from Doctors for the Environment Australia addressed to State Premiers, Energy and Environment ministers points out the problems with the Government’s National Energy Guarantee (NEG):

The States must continue their strong leadership at the approaching COAG Energy Meeting, totally rejecting the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) because of its egregious denial of action on pollution and global warming and its deleterious effect on Health.

Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) represents hundreds of medical experts across Australia. We are supported by a Nobel laureate, recipients of the Australian of the Year award and many other distinguished health professionals.

DEA is deeply disturbed by the health implications of the Government’s proposed (NEG) plan. As more analysis accumulates it is increasingly evident that the NEG is designed to encourage continued burning of fossil fuels. It is also clear that the NEG will lead to much less investment in decarbonisation of the energy market, leading to more pollution and rising CO2 levels. It is extraordinary that the design proposes no further reduction in CO2 emissions between 2020 and 2030. It thus fails Australia’s commitment to COP 21 in Paris.
— read the full letter at the DEA website

Adelaide FoE Notes, Clean Futures, Renewables

NEG needs more work

November 24, 2017

COAG energy ministers agreed today (Fri 24 Nov) to commission more design work on the Turnbull government’s proposed National Energy Guarantee, forcing the renewable energy industries in Australia into a new era of policy uncertainty.

The decision was expected, given that Queensland could not vote due to its state election tomorrow, the Liberal governments in NSW and Tasmania would always support it, and Victoria earlier this week declared itself open to finding out more about the plan.

This left South Australia and the ACT in the minority in their opposition to the NEG – or, as federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg put it in a press conference in Hobart this afternoon, they “they had their say today, and they lost.”

The federal government was forced to abandon its original tactic of asking the states to actually approve of the NEG, instead merely seeking consensus on doing further work. (more…)

Adelaide FoE Notes, Renewables

GM Moratorium

November 23, 2017

Bob Phelps writes:

A big win this week with SA’s GM Moratorium extended till 2025. The Greens Mark Parnell shepherded his Bill through the SA Upper House. http://www.farmonline.com.au/story/5064557/sa-set-to-extend-gm-moratorium/

Our media release is here.

But passage through the SA lower house isn’t a formality. The SA Government must pass it in the last sitting week (27-29 Nov) before Parliament rises for the March 18, 2018 election.

To ensure the Genetically Modified Crops Management Regulations (Postponement of Expiry) Bill 2017 passes into law, please email:

  • “Health Minister Peter Malinauskas MLC ” <Healthministerforhealth@sa.gov.au>
  • “Premier Jay Weatherill” <cheltenham@parliament.sa.gov.au> and
  • “Leon Bignell – Minister for Agriculture” <ministerleonbignell@sa.gov.au>

— from the Gene Ethics newsleter

Adelaide FoE Notes

Rally Against the Dump: Dec 2nd

November 16, 2017

DATE: Saturday December 2,

TIME: 11am

WHERE: Parliament House Adelaide, Kaurna Land.

RALLY TIME! Join us on the steps of Parliament House to call on politicians to say no to a radioactive waste dump in SA.

FB RSVP: HERE

WEB: www.dontdumponsa.net

In its effort to find a site to house Australia’s radioactive waste, the Federal Government’s National Radioactive Waste Management Project (NRWMP) has three sites currently under consideration in South Australia – one at Barndioota in the Flinders Ranges and two in Kimba on the Eyre Peninsula. Some of this nuclear waste is a hazard for hundreds of years and some for thousands of years.

Radioactive Nuclear waste dumps for non-SA wastes are illegal in SA. In response to earlier moves to dump waste in SA, Parliament passed a law to say No: the Nuclear Waste Facility (Prohibition) Act 2000. The objects of this Act are “to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people of South Australia and to protect the environment in which they live by prohibiting the establishment of certain nuclear waste storage facilities in this state.”

We’ve said no to radioactive waste in SA before and won and we’ll do it again!

(more…)

Articles, Nuclear, Old_Notes

Nuclear fuel waste: Extended Storage at Lucas Heights or target SA?

November 12, 2017

David Noonan has summarised the situation with the proposal to locate the federal nuclear waste dump in SA in a recent briefing document.

Nuclear fuel waste: Extended Storage at Lucas Heights or target SA?

Briefer (Nov 2017) by David Noonan, Independent Environment Campaigner

The Federal government has divided Australian community and is compromising safety in proposed import and indefinite above ground storage of ANSTO nuclear wastes in South Australia.

Since April 2016 the Federal government has solely targeted regional communities in SA for a proposed above ground Store to take irradiated Nuclear Fuel Waste (NFW) and long lived Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) from the ANSTO Lucas Heights reactor facility in NSW.

The ARPANSA CEO formally considered this proposed NRWMF Store and stated in May 2015:
“This plan will have the provision for ILW storage above ground for approximately 100 years.”

This nuclear waste storage plan compromises safety by importing long lived reactor waste to SA without any waste disposal capacity or even a program or plan for potential disposal of NFW and ILW. Safety requires these nuclear wastes are isolated from the environment for over 10,000 years.

The proposed 100 year Store in SA for 10,000 year nuclear wastes is a divisive, unsafe and unnecessary plan – given ANSTO’s capacity to retain these nuclear wastes at Lucas Heights.

(more…)

Articles, FoE, Nuclear, Transport