Friday, 15 June 2012
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Metgasco and Richmond Valley Council partners in unlawfully dumping of coal seam gas mining wastewater
These articles raise as many questions as answers about the apparently cosy relationship between Metgasco and Richmond Valley Council mayor, councillors, senior management - remembering Mayor Col Sullivan supported Cr. Stuart George's decision to become a land administration officer with this CSG mining company in 2011.
Lock the Gate Northern Rivers:
Lock the Gate Northern Rivers has received confirmation from the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) that Metgasco have been disposing of wastewater from its coal seam gas exploration activities illegally at the Casino Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for almost a year.
This wastewater disposal practice represents a violation of both the gas company’s water management plan as well as the Richmond Valley Council’s STP license and both parties have been told by the EPA to stop immediately.
This information is contained in a letter from the EPA to lawyers acting for Lock the Gate Northern Rivers which was received late last week. A copy of the letter is available on request.
“We found out in March that Metgasco may be removing wastewater from their holding ponds to stop them overflowing and raised our concerns with Richmond Valley Council at that time,” said Boudicca Cerese, spokesperson for Lock the Gate Alliance Northern Rivers.
“Council then referred the matter to the EPA who have now confirmed that Metgasco have disposed of more than 1 million litres of CSG wastewater at the Casino sewage plant since March 2011 in breach of conditions for management of the plant.”
“This disposal practice makes it obvious that Metgasco’s holding ponds are unable to contain the volumes of wastewater produced in drilling operations, despite repeated assurances by them that the ponds are sufficient and will not overflow during heavy rainfall events.”
“The whole matter indicates complete disregard by Metgasco of the regulations under which this industry is supposed to operate, an apparent lack of concern for the impacts of their activities on the environment, and an inability to properly manage the operations which they are undertaking”.
“What we are seeing is an abysmal failure of the current system to properly manage this harmful industry, with industry and local council both flouting existing regulations and a state government that is failing in its duty of care by neglecting to monitor and control the industry.”
“We are calling on the state government to suspend all of Metgasco’s CSG operations in the region and fully investigate their activities to ensure that no further unlawful practices are taking place.”
“It should not be up to local residents to monitor and report on these companies – that is the role of government and for all their talk about strengthening regulation of the industry, they are currently missing in action on this issue,” she said.
The Northern Star 13 June 2012:
But Metgasco has failed to see what all the fuss is about.
In a statement, chief executive Peter Henderson said that all of the company's operations, including the management of "produced water", was approved by "government authorities".
He also said the discharge was safe.
"We have independent technical advice that produced water ... can be discharged safely to the local sewage plant," he said.
Council general manager John Walker said the council had misinterpreted its licence conditions, but he said the council alerted the EPA after concerns regarding the practice were raised with the council.
"We did it, we thought it was okay, it's not okay so we won't do it any more," Mr Walker said.
On Saturday 8 September 2012 all NSW councils will hold an election, including Richmond Valley Council. Something residents and ratepayers might like to start thinking about right now.
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Tell Yahoo! Japan to stop advertising whale meat
NRDC Save Bio Gems June 6, 2012:
Do you care about whales? Do you ever use the internet giant Yahoo!? Then you should know that Yahoo! Japan is selling whale and dolphin products on its website, including meat from endangered species.
Although Yahoo! has banned the sale of whale products on all its other sites, its Japanese subsidiary – Yahoo! Japan – continues to sell whale products. That means Yahoo! – through its 34% interest in Yahoo! Japan – profits from the illegal slaughter of whales.
According to a report just issued by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), in March 2012 Yahoo! Japan offered 249 whale products for sale – including sashimi, bacon, and canned whale meat.
The International Whaling Commission has banned commercial whaling since 1986. Yet Japan continues to kill whales under the guise of “scientific research” – even within the boundaries of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary established by the IWC in 1994 to protect whales.
Each year, Japan issues itself “scientific research” quotas to kill some 1,000 minke, fin, sperm, Bryde’s and sei whales in the Antarctic and North Pacific oceans. Many of these whales were hunted nearly to extinction and are only now rebounding from centuries of overhunting.
By selling whale products, Yahoo! Japan is helping Japan’s efforts to evade international law and kill whales for commercial gain.
Join NRDC, EIA and the Humane Society in urging Yahoo! Japan to stop the sale of all whale products.
Earlier this year, Amazon’s Japanese website was found to be selling whale products. In response to public outrage, Amazon swiftly announced a ban on all such sales.
Now is the time for Yahoo! to follow Amazon’s lead. Click here and tell Yahoo! to use its influence over Yahoo! Japan to permanently ban the sale of all whale products on Yahoo! Japan's website.
The whales need our help!
O'Farrell Government confirms Carbon Price Modelling correct according to the Member for Page
NSW Government confirms the carbon price modelling is correct
Page MP Janelle Saffin has shown Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to be at odds with his State colleagues in NSW about the impact of the carbon price on the cost of living.
“I asked the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and Minister for Industry and Innovation Greg Combet, in Parliament last week about the measures that the Federal Government is putting into place to help families, pensioners and communities with the effect of the carbon price,” said Ms. Saffin.
“The carbon price is designed to bring the level of polluting gasses down over time which will benefit generations for years to come,”
“It’s a complex scheme as it’s about restructuring the economy and I want to see that it has as little impact as possible on people.”
The Minister responded to the question from the Page MP by asserting that Mr Abbott’s claims that the price impact of the carbon price will be “unimaginable” were extremely deceitful.
“I note that in Page, the NSW Government said the carbon price impact on Ballina Shire Council will be $61,799. But what it failed to point out to locals is that this represents an increase of just 0.4 per cent of the council’s total rates income,” said Ms Saffin.
Mr Combet, in answering the question from Ms Saffin, advised that the NSW Local Government Minister recently issued a press release showing council rates will rise 0.4% as a result of the carbon price.
“For the average household, Deputy Speaker, this is 6 cents a week,”
“The NSW Government, has actually confirmed the Treasury forecasts, .
“To help households, this Labor Government is providing tax cuts, increases in family payments, pensions and other benefits.
“All up, an extra $10.10 per week on average will be delivered through the Government’s Household Assistance Package.” said Mr. Combet.
In Page, more than 33,000 pensioners will receive extra $338 extra per year if they are single and an extra $510 per year for couples; more than 12,700 people will receive increase in family assistance payments and; 43,000 taxpayers will receive a tax cut.
Ms Saffin said the Federal Government’s household assistance package should be welcomed by people living in Page.
“Most families feel the pressure of modern costs of living but Mr Abbott’s negative scare mongering won’t do anything to help households cope with these pressures,”
“In contrast, the government’s payments will put extra cash into household budgets to provide real relief and help with cost of living pressures.” said Ms Saffin.
Wednesday 6 June, 2012 Media contact: Matt Dunne 0417 287 456
Tony Abbott & political posters 'n' placards
The Finnigan's Home of The BISONs on 1st June 2012:
Tony Abbott is Upset Over this in Tanya Pilbersek's Electoral Office
But he is happy with this
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
North Carolina attempts to make a law turning back the sea
From NewsObserver on 28 May 2012 – a story of systematic attempt by North Carolina government to deny the extent of potential climate change effects:
Several local governments on the coast have passed resolutions against sea-level rise policies.
When the General Assembly convened this month, Republican legislators went further.
They circulated a bill that authorizes only the coastal commission to calculate how fast the sea is rising. It said the calculations must be based only on historic trends – leaving out the accelerated rise that climate scientists widely expect this century if warming increases and glaciers melt.
(e) The Division of Coastal Management shall be the only State agency authorized to develop rates of sea-level rise and shall do so only at the request of the Commission. These rates shall only be determined using historical data, and these data shall be limited to the time period following the year 1900.
Rates of sea-level rise may be extrapolated linearly to estimate future rates of rise but shall not include scenarios of accelerated rates of sea-level rise.
Rates of sea-level rise shall not be one rate for the entire coast but, rather, the Division shall consider separately oceanfront and estuarine shorelines.
For oceanfront shorelines, the Division shall use no fewer than the four regions defined in the April 2011 report entitled "North Carolina Beach and Inlet Management Plan" published by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The oceanfront regions are: Region 1 (Brunswick County), Region 2 (NewHanover, Pender, and Onslow Counties and a portion of Carteret County), Region 3 (a portion of Carteret County and Hyde County), and Region 4 (Dare and Currituck Counties).
For estuarine shorelines, the Division shall consider no fewer than two separate regions defined as those north of Cape Lookout and those south of Cape Lookout.
(f) Any State agency, board, commission, institution, or other public entity thereof and any county, municipality, or other local public body that develops a policy addressing sea-level rise that includes a rate of sea-level rise shall use only the rates of sea-level rise developed by the Division of Coastal Management as approved by the Commission. If the Commission has not approved a sea-level rise rate, then the sea-level rise policy shall not use a rate of sea-level rise.
Scott Steel, closet marsupial, accidental blogger, poll analyst - seer
Yet another who foresaw the wreckage Abbott & Co would make of the political process in Australia.
In Crikey on 8 September 2010:
With two country independents backing Gillard, the Labor party will now pass the only threshold needed in Australia to form government – a majority on the floor of House. There is no other test, there is no other requisite, there is no other qualification needed to control the Treasury benches.
But this constitutional reality will not stop some. Indeed, it merely marks the beginning of what will become a long festival of delusion, conspiracy and outright lies – where its hysteria will only be surpassed by its grubby bitterness and its commercial exploitation.
With so many having invested so much in the defeat of the Labor government – including the leadership of what was once the national broadsheet of this country – to be denied victory by political inches, leaving a fragile incumbent holding the most delicate of majorities and being reliant on a handful of cross-benchers representing ideologically discordant electorates, creates a result that will not be respected.
What we will witness over the next 18 months or more is a Great Unhinging –an orgy of hysterics that will far surpass the duplicity, dishonesty – let alone the complete arsehattery – that substituted for public debate on matters of government during the previous 12 months.
The goalposts of what constitutes government legitimacy will be moved from the constitutional to the convenient, from the reality of the parliamentary majority to concocted nostrums about mandates to govern.
Every policy and utterance the government or the Independents make will be creatively analysed, deliberately distorted and whose fabricated consequences will be shouted from the rooftops. This will not be an exercise in political analysis, but an infection of pathological political syphilis. It will not just be a campaign against the government, but one rolling, frenzied campaign after another, where each new contrived outrage will assume a greater level of mania than the last.
The Independents will be targeted in a way they are probably not prepared for – they will be demeaned, ridiculed and treated with contempt, where their honourable characters will be distorted into debased caricatures. The character assassination will be ferocious and their connection to their electorates will be serially brought into question, particularly from a group of ostensibly inner urban media elites whose acquaintance with New England and Lyne extends no further than peering down from 30,000 feet as they fly between capital cities.
But it won’t just be the usual suspects here. There will be an angry that we haven’t seen for a long time, from a group of disgruntled political zealots.
The Liberal and National parties have a profoundly successful ability at attracting a disproportional quantity of the most embittered, politically pungent elements of Australian society as supporters – a dark, angry, belligerent underbelly that believes the only acceptable outcome of any political contest is the one they believe in…..
Monday, 11 June 2012
A factual perspective to the school funding debate
Letter writer Phil Francis points out some salient facts in the education funding debate in today's Daily Examiner.
Heavy lifters
Why did the comprehensive Gonski review call for changes to the way schools are funded? Because public schools are there for all - they do the 'heavy lifting' by catering for disadvantaged children.
Consider these facts . . .
Public school/Private school enrolments are in the ratio 66:34. The equivalent ratio for 'At Risk students' is 79:21; for ESL New Arrivals Program: 91:9; for Students with Disabilities and Special Needs: 80:20; for Indigenous Students: 86:14; The proportion of students enrolled in remote public schools is 1.8% compared to 0.8% in private schools; for very remote schools 1.2% compared to 0.3%. These figures delve to the heart of where funding should be directed.
Public schools have a legal and moral responsibility to be open to all students; private schools don't and aren't.
Phill Francis, Wooloweyah
On the NSW North Coast the third tier of government continues to chaff under short-sighted O'Farrell Government policies
Clarence Valley Shire Council
Committee: ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY
Section: Notice of Motion – Councillor Sue Hughes
Date: 12 June 2012
Item: 14.005/12 COAL SEAM GAS
To the General Manager, Clarence Valley Council
SUMMARY
I propose that the following report and notice of motion be submitted to Council.
PROPOSED MOTION
That Council:
1. Acknowledge their statutory responsibilities in relation to planning development applications and assessment, Council as a matter of social responsibility and in the long term sustainability interests of the environment and the community which they represent, support a moratorium on Coal Seam Gas activities within the Clarence Valley area until there are clear land use legislation and policies enacted by the NSW Government to responsibly guide and regulate the Coal Seam Gas industry.
2. Note the 35 recommendations in the Report from the NSW Government's General Purpose Standing Committee No. 5 on Coal Seam Gas and write to the NSW Government expressing the desire for the outcomes to be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
3. Notes the list of roads handed to the Mayor in Lismore at the regional rally 12 May 2012 by residents of the Ewingar district declaring the road reserves CSG free.....................
Coffs Harbour City Council
NOM12/3 – Opposition to Private Shooting in National Parks.
14 June 2012
Councillor Mark Graham has given notice of his intention to move:
Purpose:
That Council note:
1. The NSW Government is seeking to allow private shooting in national parks and other conservation reserves.
2. The NSW Government proposes to allow private shooting in conservation reserves in the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area.
3. It is irresponsible for any government to be proposing an activity which will be dangerous to members of the public and others who use conservation reserves for recreational purposes.
4. While feral animal control is an important activity, it is only safe and effective when undertaken professionally and as humanely as possible. This can only be achieved through the resourcing of professional control programs implemented by state conservation agencies.
That council:
1. Oppose this dangerous proposal by the NSW government; and
2. Write to the Premier and the Environment Minister in opposition to the proposal to allow private shooting in conservation reserves.
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