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30/8/10. Friends of Felton cautiously welcomes the release of the Queensland Government’s strategic cropping land policy. While much of the detail of the proposed legislation has still to be established, the Government’s intention to protect farmland should be recognised as a significant step in the right direction.
FOF President Rob McCreath said
“Our population is growing, and our climate is getting hotter and drier. Cropping land makes up only 2.2% of Queensland – we must protect it all to provide food for future generations.”
“Some vitally important issues, which we have raised constantly, appear missing from the policy. Underground aquifers are the lifeblood of rural Queensland, and should be protected along with recharge areas. There must also be buffer zones to protect farmland, the environment, and communities around high impact developments such as open-cut coal mines”, he added.
Friends of Felton has campaigned for two and a half years against a proposal by Ambre Energy to establish a large open-cut coal mine and petrochemical gasification plant in the highly productive Felton Valley, 30km SW Toowoomba.
Full details on the policy document here
Media reports (click on the link) - ABC TV Stateline (video & transcript)
Courier Mail here and here
Toowoomba Chronicle
23/8/10. Our fundraising Race Day on Saturday was a great success. 230 people gathered in the Grand Marquee at Clifford Park, Toowoomba, and were entertained by the terrific Cool Nights Big Band. A large amount of money was raised for our campaign to protect farmland, the environment, and communities from mining development.
18/8/10. The Queensland Government's commitment to renewable energy was brought into question this week with revelations in the Courier-Mail that the Government-backed Cloncurry solar thermal power plant had barely got off the ground. The plant was supposed to be the centrepiece of the the Government's solar energy plan to take remote towns off the electricity grid. According to the report, the project had run into problems with glare from the plant's mirrors.
The following day, a second Courier-Mail report revealed -
Despite Energy Minister Stephen Robertson's claims yesterday that his department had commissioned the University of Melbourne to investigate glare issues, the university's Energy Research Institute said that was incorrect.
It is instead understood that one reason for the project delays related to the use of graphite blocks to store heat, instead of proven technology which used molten salt.
Mr Robertson said yesterday that the Government was awaiting an update from the company behind the power station, Lloyd Energy.
He said initial advice from the contractor indicated the technology did not appear to be economically viable.
"However it would be irresponsible to pull up stumps before we have all the necessary information," he said.
"If it doesn't stack up we will invest the remaining funding in an alternative solar project for Cloncurry."
The question must be asked, why invest $7 million in experimental technology when countries like Spain have proven designs in operation? After all, Friends of Felton research shows that the Darling Downs has higher levels of solar irradiation than the south of Spain (scroll down this page to find our renewable energy report).
Beyond Zero Emissions this week launched their Zero Carbon Australia 2020 plan - a plan to replace fossil fuel electricity with 100% renewable energy within 10 years, using wind power and large scale solar thermal. You can download the report from the BZE website here. The plan is backed by Melbourne University's Energy Research Institute and engineers Sinclair Knight Merz, and has earned the support of a number of high profile individuals including Malcolm Turnbull, Australia's former Chief Scientist Robin Batterham, and the International Energy Agency's Cedric Philibert.
Read reports here from SMH(Ben Cubby), SMH Business(Paddy Manning), and ABC Environment (Sara Philips)
It's worth remembering that the Queensland Government has a Renewable Energy Plan, which was released in June 2009. In the foreword, Premier Anna Bligh writes:
'My Government recognises that climate change is one of the great challenges of our age. With this plan we continue our efforts to rise to that challenge.'
Download the plan here -
To put things in perspective, click on the link below for an update on Queensland's coal industry -
10/8/10. Ambre Energy has released an 'Initial Advice Statement' for its proposed coal-to-fuel&pollution project at Felton. The IAS has been submitted to the Queensland Government as an application for State Significant Project (SSP) status - no surprises there, as the word is that projects with SSP status may well avoid restrictions under upcoming Strategic Cropping Land legislation. To help things along, Ambre Energy has been announced as a sponsor of the Queensland Government's own Major Projects Conference 2010, to be held in Brisbane in October. That's right - the State Government is being paid sponsorship money by a company desperately seeking approval for a highly controversial project. That's rotten.
As for Ambre Energy's plans for Felton, here are a few excerpts -
Ambre Energy Limited subsidiary, Ambre CTL Limited, proposes to develop Australia’s first commercial scale coal-to-liquids project at Felton, 30km south west of Toowoomba, Queensland. The project, ambreCTL, will have an overall footprint of 2,000ha and will incorporate an eight million tonnes per annum open cut mine to supply four million tonnes per annum of feed coal to an above ground coal gasification facility for on-site liquid fuel production.In addition to the coal-to-liquids facility and open cut mine, the site will contain a coal preparation plant, dams, conveyor systems, and a power generation plant.
The conceptual mine pit limits are defined by Hodgson Creek to the south and east, Pittsworth-Felton Road to the north and the ability to extract the coal economically to the west.
The main elements of the mining and coal preparation operation are shown in Figure 2.2 and include:
clearing of vegetation ahead of mining and selective stripping of the topsoil to be stockpiled for later use in the rehabilitation program
drilling and blasting of the overburden
overburden removal by conventional truck/loading unit methods
separation of the coal and waste plys with dozers
mining of the target seams and removal of the waste plys
processing of the ROM coal through crushers prior to processing through a CHPP plant
washing of the coal in the CHPP prior to processing in the CTL plant
disposal of the coal fine and coarse rejects from the CHPP into a tailings dam and/or waste dumps and
reshaping of waste dumps, replacement of topsoil and revegetation of all mined out and backfilled areas.
Water will be required for the coal mining, CHPP and CTL process operations. Potential sources of water for the project include the following:
recycled water from the South East Queensland water grid
wastewater from water treatment plants in the Toowoomba region
water harvesting on-site and
other government-controlled sources.
As part of the EIS, a hydrologic and hydraulic model of the surface water catchment will be developed to determine the most appropriate location for mine infrastructure and the location of any flood mitigation measures considered necessary for the project. In this context, the project elements will be designed to isolate the mining and processing areas from Hodgson Creek.
The project will therefore include the construction of a flood protection levee on the western side of Hodgson Creek to prevent flooding of the pits and to ensure that properties upstream of the project are not impacted adversely during flood events.
Water run-off from mining activities has the potential to carry sediment which may impact on the local environment.
The ground water sources in the project area are the alluvial plains of Hodgson Creek, the Walloon sandstones, the Hutton (Marburg) sandstones and the basalts.
Ground water studies will be conducted prior to the start of mining operations to quantify aquifers and to ascertain the impacts of mining on these aquifers.
Water extracted by the mining process will be used for such purposes as process water and dust suppression.
The regional ecosystem map presented in Figure 3.1 shows remnant vegetation currently mapped in the area of the proposed mining leases.
The remnant vegetation area shaded pink is classified as ‘endangered’ under the Queensland Vegetation Management Act (1999).
The regional ecosystem map shows a small area of dominant endangered RE11.3.21, Queensland Bluegrass (Dicanthium sericeum) Grassland (shaded pink) and there has been a recording of a threatened plant species, Finger Panic Grass (Digitaria porrecta). Additional rare or threatened flora taxa may be present in the project area...
As well as being listed as an Endangered Regional Ecosystem in Queensland, RE 11.3.21 is a component of the Critically Endangered Ecological Community ‘Natural grasslands on basalt and fine-textured alluvial plains of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland’, protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) as a matter of national environmental significance.
Mining will result in the removal of remnant native vegetation, predominantly Coolabah (Eucalyptus coolabah) and Mountain Coolabah (Eucalyptus orgadophila) woodland as well as a smaller area of Queensland Bluegrass dominated grassland.
During operation, impacts on air quality will be generated by the following activities:
dust from the mining operations and coal handling processes
flue gas emissions from the CTL processing facility and
plant odours.
The principal dust sources will include heavy mining equipment movements, topsoil stripping, coal handling and coal haulage to the rail load out. During mining operations, dust generation will be managed by the use of water for haul road watering, sprays on crushers and transfer points, and progressive rehabilitation.
Flue gas emissions from the processing facility will contain standard combustion products including CO2, H2O, N2 and trace amounts of other pollutants including NOx, SOx, CO and VOCs. Appropriate plant design and operational controls will ensure that these emissions are maintained within acceptable limits and legislative requirements.
The project is expected to produce approximately 4.2 Mt/yr of CO2, of which more than 79 percent (3.4 Mt/yr) will be captured in a high purity form during processing.
Ambre Energy will continue working with government to find solutions related to CO2 storage; but until such options are available, the captured CO2 will be safely vented on-site.
Due to the topography, the ambreCTL site is highly visible from adjacent public roads and presents a vista of cultivated paddocks extending up to vegetated hill tops. Due to the small rural population, there is a limited amount of domestic lighting. This results in a clear night sky. This landscape will be progressively removed as activities associated with mining and the work areas will need to be illuminated continuously.
Ambre Energy will undertake a stakeholder engagement and consultation program to identify and inform stakeholders of the proposed project, EIS timeframes and decision-making processes, and to provide adequate opportunities for stakeholders to raise issues, voice concerns, ask questions and contribute to the studies.
Mitigation measures will be developed to minimise adverse impacts and maximise benefits to local and regional communities.
In addition to the potential hazards already identified as associated with an open cut mining operation, there are potential hazards associated with the production, storage and transportation of ULP and LPG.
You can download the entire horror story here -
10/8/10. A group of Tara residents has formed a blockade to stop gas company QGC from carrying out seismic testing on residential land on the outskirts of town.
Courier-Mail report here
5/8/10. Hundreds of farmers and environmentalists gathered outside State Parliament in Brisbane yesterday to demand action to protect our farmland, our environment, and our communities from mining.
The protest was the lead story on the evening news bulletins of all 4 major TV channels.
Watch the video reports here -
Channel 10 (recommended!) Channel 9 Channel 7 ABC
PlaceStory (recommended)
4/8/10. Felton Hall was packed last night for an election forum for the electorate of Groom. Sitting MP Ian MacFarlane (LNP) was joined for the debate by Chris Meibusch (ALP) and Frida Forsberg (GRN).
ToowoombaNews.com.au report here
ABC Rural Report here - includes audio link
31/7/10. Farmers near Chinchilla, have blamed the nearby Carbon Energy underground coal gasification(UCG) plant for the deaths of turtles and higher-than-normal mercury levels in Kogan Creek. According to the Australian, tests conducted by the local Landcare group in January revealed mercury levels five times the allowable limit.
The ABC quoted Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown. who raised concerns about the time taken for the State Government to act.
"We were informed back in March of this year that there was an incident of concern at Kogan - we immediately forwarded that on through the departments through to DERM," he said.
"Now we followed up on probably six occasions what was happening and we still have had no response to that initial concerns back in March.
"These products shouldn't be there - I don't care where they've come from - they shouldn't be there so we must find out where it is.
DERM Director-General John Bradley said more test would be carried out
"There is no evidence of exceedence of stock watering guidelines so we don't see exceedences in relation to benzene or toluene as was detected at Kingaroy.
"We don't see exceedences in relation to heavy metals - we see some hydrocarbons there - but it's not yet clear whether or not those hydrocarbons are explained by naturally occurring sources."
Local farmer Rob Lohse said he became worried when turtles started dying several months ago.
"This is only in its early stages - the stuff next door to us, they've just started and we've got chemical in our water," he said.
"Kogan water supply comes off this creek and we're on Kogan Creek - it's a big creek and it ends up in the Condamine.
"Chinchilla water supply comes out of the Condamine - it just goes on, so it is serious."
More media reports -
ABC - more tests at Kogan Creek
ABC - Carbon Energy downplays fears
Toowoomba Chronicle - Anger over water test cover-up
Related coverage - ABC - Kingaroy residents continue fight
Nanango Independent MP Dorothy Pratt has called for the Cougar Energy underground coal gasification plant near Kingaroy to be shut down.
An article in today's Sunday Mail reports:
In a letter to Premier Anna Bligh on July 16, a day after the issue was debated at Estimates in State Parliament, Mrs Pratt asked why it took four weeks for the Government or Cougar Energy to reveal the contamination.
"Why was the community put in possible jeopardy for that period of time?" Mrs Pratt asked in an email to the Premier.
Cougar Energy had been open and informative and built up some trust in the community by creating a consultative group, Mrs Pratt argued.
"If Cougar Energy's monitoring recorded an issue on 16/6/2010 and if the Government knew on the 30/06/2010, was there a cover-up by both Cougar Energy and government? Was there an intention not to inform those at most risk of this breach as it would appear to be?"
After initially considering the project and offering 98 per cent support for it, Mrs Pratt wants the plant shut down.
"Obviously the process has failed, the company has failed and the government has failed to monitor sufficiently to protect the community. They can pack their meccano set and leave," she said.
Read the full article here
More media coverage -
Courier-Mail:Cougar sacks staff - report here
Courier-Mail:New tests show lower levels of chemicals - report here
Sunday Mail:Concerns over risk of beef contamination - report here
21/7/10. The impact of the underground coal gasification(UCG) pollution incident at Kingaroy deepened today with the news that farmers in the surrounding area have been banned from selling their cattle until their properties have been cleared of chemical contamination. Read the Courier-Mail report here.
Meanwhile, the ABC reported that the head of Biosecurity Queensland, Dr Ron Glanville, has 'no clear advice yet for livestock producers with cattle or horses who have consumed water within the two-kilometre radius of the Cougar Energy pilot plant. He says this is a type of chemical contamination that they have never dealt with before, and his department is still collating all available information to allow them to give solid advice.'
"All we're asking livestock producers to do at this stage is to hold off selling livestock if they can, until we can get a better handle on the situation and give them better advice," Dr Glanville says.
"We haven't got any test results yet on the animals that have been drinking the contaminated water, because we haven't had to deal with this sort of chemical issue before, and there's no developed test for animals at this stage, but we're working on that at this stage as well."
20/7/10. Contamination of groundwater at Kingaroy by the cancer-causing chemicals benzene and toluene from the Cougar Energy Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) plant has highlighted the health risks of Ambre Energy's proposed coal-to-fuel project at Felton.
Ambre Energy plans to gasify 8 million tonnes/year of coal above ground at Felton in a petrochemical plant after open-cut mining.
If underground coal gasification pollutes groundwater with cancer-causing chemicals, it’s likely that above-ground gasification would pollute the air with the same chemicals. Four thousand people live within a 10km radius of the proposed Felton project site, including the residents of Pittsworth. The health risks of the proposed Ambre Energy project have just become clearer and more frightening. The Queensland Government must stop the Ambre project immediately.
Friends of Felton has proposed the establishment of renewable energy infrastructure at Felton as an alternative to coal mining development.
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Renewable energy - a better option for Felton
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19/7/10. The Cougar Energy Underground Coal Gasification(UCG) plant near Kingaroy has been shut down by the Queensland Government after traces of carcinogenic benzene and toluene were found in groundwater. Read the Courier-Mail story here, and ABC news report here. ABC Lateline reported that Cougar Energy had detected benzene and toluene in April, but had taken until the end of June to inform DERM (Dept Environment & Resource Management). A DERM officer has been stood down for taking another 2 weeks to act.
This incident highlights the inadequacy of the environmental regulation of the mining industry in Qld. Why should companies be allowed to monitor their own operations? Surely DERM should do the monitoring, and the companies should foot the bill.
There are a number of implications for Ambre Energy's proposed plant at Felton. Ambre Energy want to gasify coal above ground (after open-cut mining). If UCG produces benzene and toluene underground, then obviously the Ambre Energy petrochemical plant would emit the same chemicals from its chimney. What effect would that have on the health of nearby residents, eg those living in Pittsworth - only a few km from the plant? If UCG damages aquifers, then open-cut mining destroys them totally.
12/7/10.
Last week's visit to Felton by Greens leader Bob Brown has put Felton firmly on the national agenda.
'The jaws of death are opening wider for Australia, ensuring maximum economic damage when they finally snap shut, crocodile-style. Instead of making a smooth, early transition to a clean economy we are doubling up our coal bet, and the latest manifestation - coal-to-liquids - is a perfect example.'
So wrote Sydney Morning Herald journalist Paddy Manning on Saturday. Read the full article here
Manning puts the spotlight on Ambre Energy's proposed Felton project -
'So we are now countenancing a $3.5 billion proposal, from Ambre Energy of Brisbane, to develop an open-cut coal mine and the country's first coal-to-liquids petrochemical plant on about 2000 hectares of land at Felton, near Toowoomba, amid the fertile dryland cropping country of the Darling Downs.
'The greenhouse implications? Enormous. Ambre says its plant would emit 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, and that does not count the emissions from burning the petrol, which would add another 2.2 million tonnes a year. In ballpark terms, that is 1 per cent of the country's total current emissions for this one project.
'About 3.5 million tonnes of pure CO2 is captured as part of the gasification process and, while the initial plan is to ''vent'' it (you know where), Ambre aims to find storage sites in the nearby, prospective Surat Basin or - nirvana, triple whammy - use the trapped gas for enhanced oil recovery, targeting depleted oil fields in the Surat Basin.'
Senator Barnaby Joyce has been an outspoken supporter of our campaign. This morning in an interview with Belinda Sanders on ABC Southern Qld he accused the Qld Govt of hypocrisy on climate change.
'They're selling all the coal they can dig up, and they're banging on about climate change. What horse are they on?' he said.
When asked for his opinion on mining at Felton, he spoke about LNP policy to protect prime farmland, and stated that 'the land at Felton is as good as you'd see'.
Read the speech Barnaby Joyce made on Felton to the Senate last November below -
6/7/10. Greens leader Bob Brown visited Felton yesterday, and vowed he would do everything he could to stop the proposed coal mining development going ahead.
Senator Brown was met by Friends of Felton members in Pittsworth, and given a guided tour of the area Ambre Energy would like to turn into an open-cut mine and petrochemical plant.
Of particular interest were:- the egg-packing plant which packs 1 million eggs/day, 1km from the proposed project boundary; indigenous heritage sites around Mt Rolleston - the proposed petrochemical plant site; remnant vegetation including valuable koala habitat throughout the area; newly emerged wheat crops on the fertile rich black soil; Hodgson Creek - right next to the proposed mine site - an important tributary of the Condamine River in the headwaters of the Murray-Darling river system.
Toowoomba Chronicle report here (John Farmer)
ABC News report here (Sam Burgess)
Bigpond News report here
The Age report here
Listen to Bob Brown's interview with Steve Austin on 612 ABC Brisbane here
25/6/2010. Friends of Felton supporters were out in force today to greet the competitors in the Tour of Toowoomba cycle race as they passed through Felton on today's first stage from Clifton to Pittsworth.
Watch the YouTube video here
21/6/2010. Friends of Felton is appalled at the news that Ambre Energy is to sponsor the Queensland Government’s Major Projects Conference, scheduled for October 2010.
The Queensland Government website http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/news-media-and-events/registration-2.html sets the scene for the conference thus:
‘In keeping with the Queensland Government’s vision for Queensland through Toward Q2: Tomorrow’s Queensland, the Major Projects Conference 2010 will reflect the five ambitions of strong, green, smart, healthy and fair throughout this one-day, annual event.’
Government acceptance of the Ambre Energy sponsorship is an act of utter hypocrisy. Pretending that a coal-to-fuel project can be somehow labelled as ‘green, smart and healthy’ is ridiculous, and suggests this government is interested solely in short term financial gain with no regard to the future.
The Ambre Energy project would destroy a prime farming district, causing major damage to creeks and rivers in the headwaters of the Murray Darling Basin, while draining and polluting underground aquifers. In addition, it would devastate a large area of highly significant remnant vegetation, negatively impact a vibrant and cohesive rural community, destroy significant indigenous cultural heritage sites, consume enormous quantities of water and emit massive amounts of carbon dioxide.
How can such a project possibly be described as green, smart or healthy? How can acceptance of Ambre Energy sponsorship possibly be considered fair? Given that the Queensland Government is responsible for assessing and licensing mining proposals, it should not be accepting gratuities from controversial and unpopular proponents. It’s clear that the development assessment process has been hopelessly compromised.
Friends of Felton has proposed the establishment of renewable energy infrastructure at Felton as an alternative to coal mining development. Unlike the Ambre Energy proposal, this initiative certainly would be green, smart, healthy and fair.
9/6/2010. FOF had a stall at each of 2 events in Toowoomba last weekend. World Environment Day celebrations at Lake Annand Park had the theme 'Many Species, One Planet, One Future'.We made a lot of new friends.
Queensland Day celebrations at Picnic Point took place in very windy conditions - encouragement for visitors to find out more about our renewable energy plan.
Last night we had a fundraising function at the Toowoomba Repertory Theatre. Tickets sold out fast and the night was a great success.
30/5/2010.Premier Anna Bligh drove to Toowoomba on Friday, to spend an hour and a half talking about nothing much on commercial radio CFM, before driving back to Brisbane. As one of the CFM presenters put it 'this is about fun today, we're not talking about politics'!
A lively band of FOF supporters joined in the fun on the footpath outside to welcome the Premier. 'Felton' the koala presented Ms Bligh with a copy of our renewable energy study. She later told the Toowoomba Chronicle 'I gave them a commitment that I would read it, and I can tell you now that I will read it on the way back in the car'.
FOF saved the day - it wasn't a complete waste of the Premier's time after all.
Read the Toowoomba Chronicle report here
24/5/2010. The Felton Valley has great potential as a renewable energy site, a report out today reveals.
Sustainable Energy Systems consultant Trevor Berrill was commissioned by Friends of Felton to carry out a study of the renewable energy potential of the area, as an alternative to coal development.
Felton, 30km southwest of Toowoomba, Qld, is under threat from a proposal by Ambre Energy to build a large open-cut coal mine and petrochemical plant to convert the coal into liquid fuel.
The report says the Felton Valley has a number of attributes that make it suitable for development as a smart, distributed grid area, including:
- Access to good renewable energy resources of both wind and solar energy,
- Potential hydro storage/power sites,
- Potential usable land area that doesn’t conflict with current food production on fertile soils,
- Access to large and small electrical system transmission and distribution lines,
- A supportive community looking for an alternative to coal mining,
- Proximity to a major growth corridor in SE Queensland.
The report reveals that Felton has higher levels of solar radiation than southern Spain, a major global solar power region.
Recent data released by the Bureau of Meteorology shows that Australia is already feeling the effects of climate change. Every decade since the 1950s has been hotter than the one before. At the same time, our population is forecast by the Government to increase from 22million now to 36million by 2050, giving rise to concerns about possible food shortages in the future.
Renewable Energy at Felton is clearly a much better option than coal mining. It would protect the quality and quantity of food production capacity, the environment, and the community. It would produce clean power and provide lots of new jobs. This example could be replicated across the country, and provide a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
Download the report here -
20/5/2010. A large number of regional Queensland mayors and councillors gathered in Brisbane yesterday for a workshop organised by LGAQ on 'Royalties for Regions'. The workshop discussed the issue of returning a proportion of royalties to the communities they come from.
Toowoomba Regional Council mayor Peter Taylor told the Toowoomba Chronicle -
“There are so many impacts from mining. There needs to be some sort of mechanism to bring back some of the financial benefits the State and Federal governments reap."
Western Downs Regional Council mayor Ray Brown said mining companies injected massive wealth into State Government coffers.
“We just want a percentage of that for our communities,” Cr Brown said.
This seems like a sensible plan. The only problem is that as far as the Toowoomba Region is concerned, the Queensland Government gets very little in royalties from the existing mines at Millmerran and Acland, due to the existence of private coal rights. Mining companies have bought land with private coal rights attached, and are now paying royalties to themselves. If mining was approved at Felton, the Qld Govt would get no royalties for the same reason. See previous post on this page for more information.
Watch the 7.30 Report story on Acland from 3rd May.
20/5/2010. 500 farmers rallied near Cecil Plains on Wednesday to protest against the rapidly-advancing Coal Seam Gas industry. 4 major companies are racing to extract gas from under the Darling Downs, and pipe it to Gladstone for export as LNG. None of these companies has had an Environmental Impact Statement approved by the Queensland Government.
Rally organiser Dave Armstrong called for a moratorium on the industry until major environmental questions could be answered, including -
What impact does gas extraction have on the Great Artesian Basin?
Can gas companies guarantee that shallow aquifers, relied upon by farmers and communities, will not be adversely impacted by the industry?
What does the industry plan to do with the huge quantities of toxic salty water that is brought to the surface as part of the gas extraction process?
Mr Armstrong said 'We're fighting the complete industrialisation of land that has the best farming soil in the nation....we simply want a pause so that the science of what is happening is properly explored'
Meantime, the Queensland Government introduced new laws to Parliament this week. In a statement, Minster for Mines & Energy Stephen Robertson said the new laws 'aim to provide a more consistent and transparent process to improve landholders' rights when their land is accessed for coal seam gas exploration'.
"The resource and agricultural sectors are the backbone of the rural and regional Queensland economy and their co-existence is critical to the long term economic prosperity of the State," Mr Robertson said.
"The CSG industry has major potential to create job and investment in Queensland which is why we must get the balance right between supporting this growing industry and protecting valuable farmland, ground water supplies, and the environment generally," he added.
FOF response: How can farming co-exist with CSG if groundwater aquifers are drained & contaminated, and millions of tonnes of salt is dumped on the surface? How can the Qld Govt claim to be 'getting the balance right' when not a single mine or CSG project has been rejected because of its impact on farmland?
Courier-Mail reports here and here
Toowoomba Chronicle report here
Queensland Country Life report here
Watch the 60 Minutes report 'Undermined'
Larvatus Prodeo blog discussion here - Coal Seam Gas prospects: economic bonanza or future industrial wasteland?
The NSW Government today announced it would not allow the proposed Bickham Coal Mine, in the state's Upper Hunter, to go ahead due to the risk of contamination of a nearby river, and the threat to the region's thoroughbred horse industry.
Premier Kristina Keneally said she believed it was the first time the NSW Government had ever rejected a coal mine application.
Read the Sydney Morning Herald report here
Visit the Bickham Coal Mine Action Group site here
Lee Rhiannon, Greens MP and mining spokesperson welcomed the Premier's announcement.
"This is a great win for one community, but it only has wider significance if it is the start of a genuine shift by the NSW government from its addiction to damaging coal mining to investing in clean, sustainable energy production," Ms Rhiannon said.
"Knocking back this mine because of the $2.4 billion thoroughbred industry is a drop in the ocean, with many other mining proposals throughout NSW threatening precious water supplies and local industries.
"A true beginning will occur when the government gives appropriate weight to the impact of all coal mine proposals on local communities and the environment.
"This government has initiated the biggest expansion of coal mining in the state's history, at a time when climate change tightens its grasp on the planet.
"Premier Keneally should not stop at Bickham but now turn her eye to the other coal communities around the state hoping that today's decision signals the end of their fight to preserve their health and quality of life," Ms Rhiannon said.
With the Australian mining industry protesting loudly about the proposed 'Super Profits' tax, the publication of an essay in this month's edition of The Monthly by Guy Pearse couldn't be more timely. He puts the spotlight on 'King Coal', and examines the social, environmental, and economic impacts of the coal industry in light of the incestuous relationship between Governments and mining companies.
If you don't have time to read the whole essay, here are a few snippets -
Coalmining has a long history in Australia, but coal wasn’t an important export until the last few decades.
The coal push became a rush, and Australia quickly became headquarters for a global trade that bakes as it booms…..
Few appreciate the incomprehensible magnitude and pace of the current rush, or ponder its climate-changing consequences.
Coal used to be labour intensive: in 1908 it employed more than three-and-a-half times as many people (as a share of Australia’s population) as it does today.
With every tonne of coal generating 2.7 tonnes of CO2, our exports generate more than 750 million tonnes of CO2 annually – much more than the emissions occurring in Australia. The plan to double exports before 2020 puts us on track to overtake Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest carbon exporter in the next 15 years.
The scale of the expansion makes it easy to forget that the industry is the result of more than a century of deliberate and generous government subsidy.
….successive generations of politicians and bureaucrats have decided that doubling the stakes to stay at the table is the way to avoid paying coal liabilities. Just keep playing, and let the next generation cash in what’s left of the chips.
Governments are behaving as if the more hopeless their coal addiction, the less likely it is they will be asked to quit.
Queensland is currently spending more on coal-related infrastructure ($15.6 billion) than it has made from coal royalties over the past decade ($11.4 billion).
In NSW the planning laws have been rewritten so that protections that would normally apply can be swept aside by ministerial fiat once a project is declared to be of state significance – which most coalmines are.
Only in its wish to delve under the prime agricultural land atop the headwaters and aquifers of the Murray–Darling has the industry confronted formidable opposition. Farmers on the Liverpool Plains and the Darling Downs have the resources and know-how to give mining companies a black eye……
The food-versus-coal campaigns could spark a rethink of Australia’s support for the coal rush – and become much more than localised “NIMBY” battles.
So the coal rush rolls on, with no one really challenging the legitimacy of coalmining in the face of climate change…
And with few exceptions, no one wants the fight. Most can’t imagine our economy would still double in size by the mid-2030s if we phased out coal production entirely. We know precious little about what’s being gambled on coal: the rivers, farms, towns, schools, war memorials, families and countless dreams. Perhaps it’s time we started asking “What’s the rush?”
Read the whole essay here
Read Guy Pearse's Sierra Club Magazine article 'Addicts and Enablers' here
The security of Australia's food supply was the hot topic when Federal Shadow Minister for Agriculture & Food Security, John Cobb, visited Felton today to meet with the FOF committee. Accompanied by State Member for Condamine, Ray Hopper, Mr Cobb had earlier toured areas affected by Coal Seam Gas development around Roma, and visited the Haystack Rd area - threatened by both mining and CSG.
Earlier in the day, Senator Nick Xenophon launched an attack on Chinese food imports to Australia. Speaking at a conference in Adelaide, he said
"If we become reliant on one country (China) that can be unhealthy. If we don't keep our primary production up then there is a vulnerability in having to rely on another country for supply, whether there is a supply chain problem or a political dispute,"
"It is extraordinary that we can spend over $20 billion a year to protect our geographical borders and our strategic interests, and therefore our sovereignty, but we didn't think to protect our food production, leaving us dependent on countries we may not always have good relations with in the future." he added.
Given that Queensland has "enough coal to last 300 years" (Premier Anna Bligh 26/4/09), and that cropping land makes up only 2.2% of Queensland's land area (Qld Govt Feb 2010), common sense demands that it be protected from destruction by mining or gas extraction.
On the day that the Australian Government withdrew its Emissions Trading Scheme from parliament, amidst a storm of political point-scoring from all directions, it's worth reflecting on the recent 'State of the Climate' report released jointly last month by two of our most trusted scientific bodies - the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology.
The report makes the following conclusions -
Australia will be hotter in coming decades
Much of Australia will be drier in coming decades
It is very likely that human activities have caused most of the global warming observed since 1950
Climate change is real
In a blatant abuse of the democratic process, the NSW Government has introduced to State Parliament an amendment to mining legislation designed to circumvent the historic 5th March ruling of the Supreme Court of NSW which found in favour of two Quirindi farming families against BHP Billiton.
Tim Duddy, spokesman for the Caroona Coal Action Group said "It's gravely concerning that everytime the mining industry is shown to have done the wrong thing, they put pressure on the government to change things even if there's going to be huge environmental harm. It's unbelievable."
Readers of the Toowoomba Chronicle last week were treated to a free 4 page glossy brochure extolling the virtues of the latest version of Ambre Energy's dirty plan for coal development at Felton. The new project name 'ambre CTL' is supposed to refer to 'Coal-to-Liquids', but has been renamed by locals as 'Can't Trust this Lot'. This scepticism was proved to be well founded. An alert Toowoomba Chronicle reader drew the public's attention to the disclaimer in small print on the back page of the brochure -
'The information in this publication is distributed by Ambre Energy Limited as an information source only. The information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.'
Here are a few statements from the brochure which badly need verification -
'This new project is expected to have many welcome economic benefits for Queensland, including job creation, royalties and taxation income...'
(The State of Queensland would receive no royalties from this project - see previous post)
'A flood levee will be constructed to help ensure runoff does not enter Hodgson Creek'
(That's probably what the Ensham mine's owners said too)
'The facility will be designed as a zero liquid discharge facility....'
'Air emissions from the facility will be similar to the emissions from a gas-fired power plant'
'Ambre Energy does not intend to extract groundwater for the operation of ambreCTL'
(Drainage of groundwater aquifers is a certainty if this goes ahead. Who cares if it's intentional or not?)
'The production process will be designed using world's best practice for coal gasification, including CO2 capture, to reduce emissions'
(CO2 capture without storage is no more than a gimic)
'Ambre Energy will work closely with landholders to identify needs and concerns and to minimise uncertainty...'
(When will this policy be implemented we wonder?)
We've saved the best until last -
'Ambre Energy will work closely with local landholders, communities and interest groups to deliver positive environmental, social and economic outcomes for the local area'
(What a lot of rubbish!)
ABC Four Corners last night focussed on the health impacts of mining in the Hunter Valley, NSW. You can watch the program or read a transcript here.
Read some of the 687 comments sent to the online forum after the program screening.
Last week, the release of the National Pollution Inventory provided further proof of the impact of mining on communities. According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, 'In NSW, the Hunter Valley and the Lithgow regions rated as the state's most polluted areas because of the number of coal-based activities there. Singleton is one of the worst towns, surrounded by at least seven mines which together produced more than 18 million kilograms of dust, 7.4 million kilograms of nitrogen oxides and 4.9 million kilograms of carbon monoxide in the 2008-09 year.'
Friends of Felton is determined not to allow the Hunter Valley experience to be replicated on the Darling Downs. We must protect our farmland, our environment, and our communities.
Legal advice obtained by Friends of Felton indicates that royalties payable on any coal mined at Felton would not be payable to the Queensland Government.
Section 8 (2) (b) of the Qld Mineral & Resources Act 1989 states –
“Coal on or below the surface of the land is the property of the Crown except where that land was alienated in fee simple by the Crown before 1 March 1910……”
Farms at Felton were granted freehold title long before 1910.
In response to a Question on Notice asked on 23rd February 2010 by Dorothy Pratt MP, Minister for Mines & Energy Stephen Robertson revealed that in the last 10 years, coal royalties of $554 million had accrued to ‘parties other than the Crown’.
The Minister's answer confirms our legal advice. We know that mining at Felton would have terrible impacts on the environment, agriculture, and the community at large. If the State would gain no royalties, why on earth would the Government allow it to go ahead?
Read the Channel Nine news website report here
Listen to Rob McCreath's interview with Steve Austin on ABC 612 radio here.
Courier-Mail report here.
Earth Hour last night attracted widespread support around the world, to draw attention to the need to cut carbon emissions to combat global warming.
The ABC reported that cities around the world turned lights off for one hour to symbolise the need for urgent action. It reported that in Sydney, a 6.3% reduction in energy usage was recorded during the event - equivalent to 15.9 tonnes of carbon emissions.
This puts an interesting perspective on Ambre Energy's proposed Felton CTL project. The planned petrochemical plant alone would produce 3 million t/year of CO2, according to the company.
Total CO2 production from the 40 year life of the petrochemical plant would be 120 million tonnes
In order to offset the CO2 emissions from the Ambre petrochemical plant, Sydney would have to turn its lights out for 840 years!
This week's announcement from Ambre Energy has left so many unanswered questions. Here are a few for starters -
How can anyone take the plan seriously when there is so much doubt over the huge water supply required?
How could Ambre raise the funds to build a pipeline from Ipswich, and pump water over the Great Dividing Range, when Qld Govt policy is to return recycled water into Brisbane's dams if and when levels drop below 40%?
How can Ambre possibly get support for a project with such enormous greenhouse gase emissions?
Would this project not be an international embarassment, given that Australia already has the highest per capita emissions of greenhouse gases in the world?
And on a more local level -
Why won't Ambre hold a public meeting at Felton to explain its plans to the community?
Why won't Ambre tell the community who's on its so-called 'Community Liason Group'?
Media reports - Toowoomba Chronicle, and again, and again. ABC radio
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Proposed open-cut mine site 24th March 2010
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Ambre Energy have announced yet another major change to their plans for Felton.
They have abandoned the so-called Felton Clean Coal Project, which was to produce DME (di-methyl ether).
They now propose a project called ambreCTL (coal-to-liquids), to produce petrol.
Key details of the new proposal:
Project area - 2800ha.
Mine production - 8 million t/yr, coal washed to produce 4Mt/yr feed coal for petrochemical plant.
Plant production - 940 Ml/yr ULP, 150Ml/yr LPG, 19,000 t/yr sulphur.
Water consumption - 'at least' 4000Ml/yr.
Water source - 'probably' new pipeline to bring recylced water from Ipswich, 'possibly' coal seam gas water from Dalby.
CO2 emissions - 3 million t/yr, released into the atmosphere without capture & storage.
Site of proposed petrochemical plant to be moved 3km west from previous plan, putting it right next to Mt Rolleston, a local landmark well known for its aboriginal sites. It would also be adjacent to a free range chicken farm with 50,000 laying hens, and close to an egg packing plant which handles 1 miilion eggs/day.
Cost of project - $3.5billion.
EIS - the current EIS process will be stopped. A new mining lease application will be lodged, draft Terms of Reference for the new EIS will be released, and so on. In other words, we're back to Square 1.
We are outraged at this latest proposal. This is the 4th plan Ambre have put forward since they first came to Felton in January 2008. First they planned to make crude oil, then they said they'd produce DME, which they boasted was 'a clean new fuel for the century'. The company's advertising included pictures of green leaves protruding from a fuel nozzle (see below). Now all that has been thrown out the window. The subscript 'clean coal technologies' has been removed from the company logo.
This project would have unacceptable impacts on agriculture, the environment, and the community. It would transform a prime farming area with great environmental, social, and cultural importance into a pollution blackspot.
Ambre Energy has no credibility left. They think they can raise $3.5billion to get this project off the ground. They're dreaming.
The Toowoomba Region's tourism authority this week launched a new marketing campaign, with the slogan 'Lots to love'.
In a report in the Toowoomba Chronicle, Marketing Manager Geoff Thompson explained the focus of the campaign this way -
“It’s simple. There’s lots to love about our fresh country air, love our crisp winter mornings, love visiting friends and family, love the peace of the rural landscape and love the colourful change of seasons,”
There is indeed lots to love about Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, but by implication there is also lots to lose if we're not careful. Virtually the entire area is covered in coal exploration permits, mineral development licences, and mining lease applications. If anyone is in any doubt about the impact of mining in our region, we suggest you visit Acland - where the New Acland mine has been an environmental & social disaster.There's no fresh country air nor peaceful rural landscape there anymore...
We must learn from the Acland experience, and take a stand now to protect our farmland, our environment, and our communities from mining.
Friends of Felton had a stand at Clifton Show two weeks ago, and Pittsworth Show last weekend. We were greatly encouraged by the messages of support we received from members of the public. We sold shirts and stickers, gave out information brochures, and collected signatures for our petition.
Ambre Energy signed a 3 year sponsorship deal last year with Pittsworth Show, an issue that caused a fair bit of angst in the local community. Last year there was an Ambre Energy stand at the show, but this year there was an empty space in the pavilion.
Why didn't Ambre show up? We were looking forward to asking them if they had found a source of water for their planned coal-to-liquid fuel plant, if they'd found somewhere to put the 8 million tonnes/year of CO2 that would come from their petrochemical plant, and how their plans for land rehabilitation were coming along given that the Queensland Government has announced plans to protect cropping land.
The Queensland Government has launched an urgent campaign to save the koala. The Koala Response Strategy includes plans to prohibit development on koala habitat in the south east corner of Qld, around Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast.
There is a significant population of koalas in the Felton/Pittsworth area which would be decimated if open-cut mining was permitted in the area. These koalas must be protected too.
The Rudd Government has re-modelled its renewable energy target scheme to make large scale renewable energy more attractive. The change has been welcomed by the RE industry, which has had a number of projects on hold awaiting this announcement. Read the Australian report here.
FOF is investigating the potential for renewable energy at Felton. We know we can co-exist with solar panels and wind turbines, but we cannot with open-cut mines and petrochemical plants.
The Vancouver Winter Olympics has showcased Canada's natural beauty. It's hard to believe the country is home to one of the world's most environmentally destructive industries - the Tar Sands industry.
The Sierra Club, America's largest environmental group with 1.3 million members, has launched a campaign against plans to build a new pipeline to export tar sands oil to the USA. Read more here
What has this got to do with Felton you may ask? Well, quite a lot in fact. Ambre Energy's proposed coal-to-liquid fuel project at Felton would have a lot in common with the tar sands industry - widescale environmental degradation, huge water consumption, and enormous emissions of CO2.
Friends of Felton welcome the announcement that the Qld Govt plans to develop legislation to protect farmland from development. We have called for comprehensive land use planning for some time, and recognise this as an important first step.
On Wednesday, Minister for Infrastructure & Planning Stirling Hinchliffe made the following Ministerial Statement -
Government proposes to protect key food producing land
The Queensland Government has moved to give greater protection to the state’s most important food growing land from incompatible development such as mining, urban and other development.
Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe today announced the release of a discussion paper designed to conserve and manage key food producing land for the long-term.
This discussion paper sets out a planning framework for the protection of important food growing land and invites comments from interested stakeholders to help develop the framework further.
“The proposed new framework will provide increased clarity for agricultural, mining and urban sectors regarding the government’s expectations for strategic cropping land,’’ Mr Hinchliffe said.
“This will reduce uncertainty for investors and support sustainable industry growth.
“The proposed framework ensures mining, urban or other development that permanently alienates the land, or reduces its productivity, cannot occur unless it is overwhelmingly in the public interest.
“If a development cannot pass this public-interest test, it will not be approved and the proponents will have to investigate alternative locations.
“Alternately, mining development proponents will need to demonstrate that they can comply with the policy by fully restoring the land back to its previous crop production capacity.”
Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries, Rural and Regional Queensland Tim Mulherin said a key component of the framework would be the identification of strategic cropping land.
Mr Mulherin said the discussion paper and resulting feedback would help identify land areas with the best soil, climate, water supply (rainfall and/or irrigation) and infrastructure that supports cropping well into the future.
“Clear identification of these areas will signal to potential developers that there will be a higher set of expectations from the Queensland Government for avoiding impacts on the agricultural land resources in these areas,” Mr Mulherin said.
“While Queensland has a large area of agricultural land, due to poor soils and climatic conditions, most of it is suitable only for grazing.
“Only 3.8 million hectares, or 2.2 per cent, of the state is currently used for growing crops for domestic consumption and export.
“Not only is cropping land scarce, the soils that make it productive are a finite resource that have taken millions of years to develop.
“If we allow these soils to be destroyed by urban development and open-cut mines, for example, we will effectively be reducing our capacity to grow crops into the future to support Queensland’s long-term agriculture and food production.”
Mr Mulherin said the protection of Queensland’s cropping lands was vital to the state’s economy and positions Queensland for a future when there may be increasing global concerns about food security.
“Cropping land and the industries it supports are a key component of the Queensland agriculture and agri-food system, which in 2006-07 generated $22.7 billion dollars (about12 per cent of the Gross State Product), and supported one in eight Queensland jobs,” he said.
“The United Nations estimates global food production will need to increase by 50 per cent by 2030 and double by 2050 to meet demand.
“And yet the UN estimates up to 25 per cent of global food production could be lost by 2050 due to climate change, loss of agricultural land and water scarcity.
“It is therefore critical that our strategic cropping lands are safeguarded from incompatible development.”
Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Trade Stephen Robertson said it was important mining and agriculture were able to co-exist.
“The resources sector generates significant economic benefits in rural and regional Queensland,” Mr Robertson said.
“In order for these sectors to achieve co-existence we must have policy and planning tools in place that manage potential land use conflict and provide mutually beneficial outcomes to both sectors.
“An important part of the proposal includes examining opportunities to change the resources legislative framework, particularly the Mineral Resources Act 1989 and Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 1994 to enable consideration of strategic cropping land in the tenure assessment and grant process.”
Importantly, this new framework is not just about addressing land-use competition between mining and agriculture on the Darling Downs.
The new framework represents a comprehensive, state-wide approach that will ensure Queensland’s best cropping land resources are given the same consideration against all types of development that may permanently alienate the land resource.
The framework will guide future planning and development assessment by state agencies and local governments.
The new policy and planning framework will be further developed in coming months in consultation with stakeholders. Through this process the State Government will seek community input on the definition of strategic cropping land and the processes for assessing applications on this land.
The discussion paper is available at www.dip.qld.gov.au/croppingland and will be open to public submissions until March 12.
Toowoomba Chronicle report here
Four northwest Queensland mines will be charged for breaches of the Environmental Protection Act following contamination of waterways during last years wet season.
Read the Courier-Mail report here
Further evidence that mines and waterways don't mix.
Revelations in last week's Courier-Mail that senior cabinet ministers and government bureaucrats attended a secret dinner with mining magnate Gina Reinhart aboard a luxury cruise liner have raised questions over the approval process for mines in Queensland. It was later revealed that bureaucrats attending the dinner were required to declare the hospitality as a gift while ministers were not.
Guests at the dinner included Deputy Premier Paul Lucas, Minister for Mines Stephen Robertson, Qld Parliament Speaker John Mickel, Dept Premier & Cabinet Ken Smith, and Qld Resources Council chief Michael Roche.
The dinner took place shortly after Premier Anna Bligh met Ms Rinehart on December 17th to discuss and accept her application for the Government to declare an "infrastructure facility of significance" on a planned train line from her company Hancock Prospecting's two proposed central-west Queensland mines to the coast at Abbot Point
High profile businessman Dick Smith has warned that Australia may have trouble feeding itself in the future if population growth continues as projected. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently welcomed the prospect of a population of 36 million by 2050. Global population is forecast to increase from 6 billion now to 9 billion in the same period.
If we allow our best farmland to be destroyed by mining, where will the food come from to feed all these people?
In an interview on ABC Radio Qld Country Hour last Wednesday, Ambre Energy's Neil MacGregor let the cat out of the bag with regard to the scale of the project planned for Felton. When asked if Ambre planned to mine 12 million tonnes/year of coal at Felton, Mr MacGregor said it would be "much less than that", but declined to put a figure on it. He late referred to the Felton project as a "30 to 40 year" project. Ambre Energy's Annual Report 2009 claims the Felton coal deposit is 500million tonnes. Simple maths shows that 500 million tonnes divided by 40 years equals 12.5 million tonnes/year.
In the same interview, Mr MacGregor puts the cost of the project at $3billion. That's a lot more than the figure of $485million quoted by the Toowoomba Chronicle(2-9-09) and the Clifton Courier (9-9-09), reporting on a visit to Felton by Qld Resources Council CEO Michael Roche. Indeed, Ambre Energy's submisison to the Federal Government's CPRS Greenpaper states - “The estimated cost of the Demonstration Stage of the Felton Clean Coal Project is in the order of $400 - $600 million depending on varying projections on the cost of inputs.”
It is quite clear that Ambre Energy's Mining Lease Application over 355ha at Felton is merely the first stage of the huge 2800ha project for which they applied unsuccessfully to the Qld Govt for Significant Project Status in July 2008 - available here in two parts - part 1, part 2.
Friends of Felton insist that the Ambre Energy project must be assessed in it's entirety.
Ambre Energy executives visited Felton just before Christmas and revealed the following information about their proposed so-called Felton Clean Coal Project –
- They have not yet secured a supply of water for the project (16,000 megalitres per year at full scale).
- They have no plans for Carbon Capture & Storage, even though their own figures show the project would produce 3 tonnes of CO2 per 1 tonne of fuel.
- They may not proceed with plans to produce di-methyl ether (DME), as there is little demand for it in Australia.
- The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project may not be released this year.
Friends of Felton spokesman Rob McCreath said, “This is a clearly an unviable project, which would have disastrous consequences for agriculture, the environment, and the community at large.”
“Two years have passed since Ambre Energy first announced their plans for the Felton Valley. Local residents are virtual hostages, their lives and plans are in limbo.” Mr McCreath said. “The efficiency of the district’s cropping and horticultural industries is being reduced by the threat of the mine” he added.
Friends of Felton calls on the Queensland Government to intervene immediately to reject the Ambre Energy proposal, which is clearly not in the public interest.
The Age report
ABC Qld Country Hour report
Friends of Felton joined with environmental group Six Degrees to form a choir to sing carols outside the Queensland Government Executive Building in Brisbane yesterday. Two elves delivered 300 signed Christmas cards with the message 'All I want for Christmas this year is a commitment to protect good quality farmland and nature refuges from coal mining'.
The elves dumped two sacks of coal on the floor, and handed out gift-wrapped pieces of coal to passers-by.
Watch the video
Media report
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