CCWA: Environment Minister Gives LNG Producers Free License to Pollute (Australia)

Western Australia’s peak environment group has condemned Environment Minister Bill Marmion’s decision to remove all controls on carbon pollution from Chevron’s Wheatstone gas development, currently anticipated to produce 10.4 million tonnes of carbon pollution every year.

The decision comes after the Minister went against the EPA’s advice by approving the proposed Kimberley gas hub with no controls on carbon pollution.

CCWA Climate and Energy Program Manager Jamie Hanson said, “While every day Western Australians are doing their bit to reduce energy use and carbon pollution, the WA Government is removing all controls on carbon pollution from our most polluting industries.

“EPA documents reveal the Minister’s latest decision is likely to result in an additional 2 million tonnes of carbon pollution each and every year of operation. That’s as much as 250,000 homes.

“With these recent decisions, Minister Marmion has singlehandedly cancelled out the benefits of every single solar panel in Western Australia.

“The pollution controls on these projects were designed to ensure that the facilities achieve international best practice. Instead they will now be some of the worst polluting LNG facilities in the world.

“Western Australians expect strong regulations to control pollution from industries in WA. Instead Minister Marmion has delivered the opposite – and who knows what industrial facilities the Minister will remove pollution controls on next.

“The Minister has said that these conditions aren’t necessary now that we have a Federal carbon price. The Minister is wrong, as the EPA’s recent report made clear – any market needs supporting regulation to help it function properly.

“As is well recognised, the Federal legislation sets up a pure market system that requires complementing state-level regulation. This is what the Premiers and the Prime Minister agreed to at COAG last year, but now Minister Marmion is failing to hold up his end of the bargain.

“Further, it is important to realise that LNG producers have been given such generous concessions under the Commonwealth Government’s carbon price that there is very little incentive for them to reduce carbon pollution, let alone meet world’s best practice environmental standards that the Premier has repeatedly promised for this project.”

The original EPA report recommending conditions can be found here.

[mappress]
Source: CCWA, January 23, 2013; Image: Chevron