Thursday, October 31, 2013

SBS On Demand | TV and Online Video - Heritage Fight Ep2

SBS On Demand | TV and Online Video - Heritage Fight Ep2
Broome citizens and the traditional custodians of the land, the "Goolaraboloo" united together to protect what is priceless to them.

Green Institute ||| \"One

Green Institute ||| \"One

"One stop chop" web seminar

 Wednesday 6th November 2013 8:00PM to 9:00PM
 Via your computer
How a one stop shop turned into one stop chop
Tony Abbott is rushing Australia back to the 1970s with plans to put the states in charge of one stop shop environmental approvals. Instead of the Commonwealth deciding whether actions with nationally significant environmental impacts should go ahead, the states will be in control. That means actions affecting World Heritage, mega coal mines, and threatened species would be decided at state level by governments with strong pro-development agendas.
In this seminar, hear what happened when a similar arrangement put the states in charge of logging in Australia’s native forests and what it means for Australia's environmental treasures. This is essential listening for conservation groups and everyone working to protect Australia's wildlife and special places.
Speakers
Felicity Millner, Principal Solicitor at the Environmental Defenders Office, Victoria and co-author of One Stop Chop. How regional forest agreements streamline environmental destruction
Margaret Blakers, Director of the Green Institute

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Police attack student protest | REDFLAG

Police attack student protest | REDFLAG

Students protesting against education cuts were attacked by police in Melbourne on Wednesday. Seven were arrested during the demonstration. Sarah Garnham, spokesperson for the Victorian Education Action Network which organised the rally, told Red Flag:
“Victoria Police clearly had a premeditated agenda of attacking our peaceful protest. They came out of nowhere. Riot cops moved in on the crowd and pulled people out. One of the first people they arrested, Lauren Stevenson, was unconscious as they pulled her towards the paddy wagon. We attempted to get an ambulance to her, but police said an ambulance would not be allowed to attend because she was under arrest. So they put her in the paddy wagon unconscious and drove away.”
Among those arrested was Jay Wymarra, the 2014 First Nations Officer at the La Trobe student union. Garnham says that his arrest was no coincidence: “Organisers of the protest believe this is in accordance with the racial discrimination that is well known in Victoria Police; they regularly harass and arrest indigenous people.”
- See more at: http://www.redflag.org.au/article/police-attack-student-protest#sthash.cyHRbbor.6mU4Eb4z.dpuf

Fitzroy Crossing sweating through record hot spell | Perth Now

Fitzroy Crossing sweating through record hot spell | Perth Now

pn kimberley
Fitzroy Crossing has been sweating through a record long hot spell. Photo: Jody D'Arcy Source:PerthNow
THE Kimberley town of Fitzroy Crossing is sweltering under its longest hot spell since temperature records started in 1997.
For the past 29 days residents in the community, 400km east of Broome, have had to deal with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.
Are you there? Send your pics to readerpics@perthnow.com.au

Resident Belinda Bonfield, 31, said it took two years to adjust to the heat after moving to the Kimberley town from the Sunshine Coast in 2005. 

“It still knocks you out at the start of the hot season, you’re body adjusting back into the heat but that first year it’s an initial shock to the body,” Ms Bonfield,  who works as an area manager for the Shire of Derby said.

Climatologist John Relf said with high temperatures forecast for tomorrow and Thursday, Fitzroy Crossing would have its hottest October on record ever with an average maximum temperature of 42 degrees centigrade.

EXPOSED: U.K. FRACKERS REPLICATE U.S. FRACKING INDUSTRY'S LIES AND MISINFORMATION | Occupy.com

EXPOSED: U.K. FRACKERS REPLICATE U.S. FRACKING INDUSTRY'S LIES AND MISINFORMATION | Occupy.com

Fracking has been shown to devastate the environment and pose a severe threat to human health, according to the UN Environment Programme. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, asserts that shale along with other unconventional oils must stay in the ground to prevent a climate disaster.
But despite the clear and unmistakable warnings — and due to its close ties to the oil and gas industry — the U.K. government is pushing ahead. The recent U.K. Shale Gas Environmental Summit, held last week in London, was the fracking lobby's attempt to elevate the argument that it's both ecologically safe and economically wise to drill for gas through the toxic process known as hydraulic fracturing.
Protesting outside the conference, however, the group Frack Off offered one insight, among many: that the content and contributors to the so-called "Summit" reflect the way U.K. frackers are emulating the American fracking industry's approach.
- See more at: http://www.occupy.com/article/exposed-uk-frackers-replicate-us-fracking-industrys-lies-and-misinformation#sthash.nqNpGhi2.dpuf

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Kimberley named No.2 in Lonely Planet list of regions to visit in 2014 | Travel | Travel News and Holiday Deals | | Perth Now

Kimberley named No.2 in Lonely Planet list of regions to visit in 2014 | Travel | Travel News and Holiday Deals | | Perth Now

King George Falls. Picture: Tourism WA
King George Falls. Picture: Tourism WA Source: Supplied IT's not surprising the Kimberley has been named in Lonely Planet's top 10 regions to visit in 2014.That's the opinion of Tourism Council of WA chief executive Evan Hall.
"It's worth travelling a continent, it's worth travelling from Perth to see," he told Perth Now.
"It just confirms we've got really amazing places."
"The Kimberley is one of the most sparsely populated regions on the planet and one of the most starkly beautiful, carved by giant gorges, dimpled with deep, cool pools, and home to a coastline that could make Australian east-coasters weep,'' Lonely Planet spokesman Adam Bennett said.
Read more about the Kimberley being named in the top 10 as part of Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2014, or scroll down to enjoy photo highlights from the region.

Fracking fears wrong: Marmion - The West Australian

Fracking fears wrong: Marmion - The West Australian


The State Government has thrown its full support behind the development of a fracking industry in WA despite environmental concerns about the use of the controversial technique to unlock billions of dollars worth of shale gas.
Mining and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion gave the industry the strongest possible endorsement after a green group accused the Government of putting the Broome water supply at risk of contamination.
Environs Kimberley raised the alarm after Goshawk Energy was issued a petroleum exploration permit for a vast area that includes the Broome water supply reserve and the site of a bitter protest over the James Price Point development.
Mr Marmion said he was aware of community concerns about fracking and WA was working on the world's best regulatory standards.
He said fracking provided a huge opportunity to create long-term jobs and economic activity, with significant commercial production just five to 10 years away.
"I strongly believe we can achieve this without compromising the environment or safety," he said.
Mr Marmion, a former environment minister, blasted sections of the environmental lobby for what he said were alarmist tactics and pseudo-science to argue against fracking.
"They need to be honest and up-front about their real objective, it is not about fracking," he said. "It is to prevent natural gas becoming a major fuel source for the generation of energy as opposed to renewable energy."

Monday, October 28, 2013

Conservation groups hold crisis meeting to stop handover of approvals | World news | theguardian.com

Conservation groups hold crisis meeting to stop handover of approvals | World news | theguardian.com


The memorandum of understanding signed 10 days ago by the prime minister, Tony Abbott, the environment minister, Greg Hunt, and the Queensland premier, Campbell Newman, and the Queensland environment minister, Andrew Powell, “looks like a straight handover of approval powers,” said the chief executive of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Don Henry.
The MOU states that Queensland must “ensure that matters of national environmental significance are separately identified and assessed, taking into account commonwealth guidelines, plans and policies” and that the state assessments must “meet commonwealth standards”. The Commonwealth pledges to avoid “to the greatest extent possible … imposing additional conditions”.
The MOU is intended as a template for legally-binding bilateral agreements between the commonwealth and each of the states - fulfilling the Coalition’s election promise to create and environment assessment “one-stop shop” and to remove “green tape”.
In a statement announcing the MOU had been signed, Abbott said it would “slash the growing burden and duplication of red and green tape which is a handbrake on investment in Queensland because two sets of environmental approvals cause delays to projects and investment across the state and the country.”
“The one-stop shop does not replace any state or federal environment laws – it simply streamlines the process, ensuring just one application, instead of two, needs to be made.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

In King Coal's Kingdom - 360documentaries - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

In King Coal's Kingdom - 360documentaries - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
IMAGE: (GETTY IMAGES) 

For many of us, the Hunter Valley conjures up a glass of Semillon or Shiraz. It might surprise you to learn that the Hunter is also one of the top thoroughbred horse breeding areas in the world, home to billion dollar investments from horse fanciers like Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.
But the real ruler of the Hunter Valley is King Coal. Along with his fluoro soldiers he is marching up the Valley. Sixty-four per cent of the Upper Hunter is now under exploration licences for coal mining and winemakers, horse breeders, local residents and even some mine workers think the coal industry is out of control.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Fukushima - A Global Threat That Requires a Global Response

Fukushima - A Global Threat That Requires a Global Response

The story of Fukushima should be on the front pages of every newspaper. Instead, it is rarely mentioned. The problems at Fukushima are unprecedented in human experience and involve a high risk of radiation events larger than any that the global community has ever experienced. It is going to take the best engineering minds in the world to solve these problems and to diminish their global impact.

When we researched the realities of Fukushima in preparation for this article, words like apocalyptic, cataclysmic and Earth-threatening came to mind. But, when we say such things, people react as if we were the little red hen screaming "the sky is falling" and the reports are ignored. So, we’re going to present what is known in this article and you can decide whether we are facing a potentially cataclysmic event.

There are three major problems at Fukushima: (1) Three reactor cores are missing; (2) Radiated water has been leaking from the plant in mass quantities for 2.5 years; and (3) Eleven thousand spent nuclear fuel rods, perhaps the most dangerous things ever created by humans, are stored at the plant and need to be removed, 1,533 of those are in a very precarious and dangerous position. Each of these three could result in dramatic radiation events, unlike any radiation exposure humans have ever experienced.
This article was first published on Truthout 


Thursday, October 24, 2013

Land in Qld's Bowen Basin released for coal mining exploration - Business - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Land in Qld's Bowen Basin released for coal mining exploration - Business - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The State Government has released nearly 1,300 square kilometres of land in central Queensland for coal mining exploration.
The seven parcels of land released for exploration are spread across the northern Bowen Basin.
Two sites east of Middlemount, two small allotments between Nebo and Moranbah, and three large areas west of Glenden have all been made available by the Department of Natural Resources.
It follows State Government changes to the way exploration permits were assessed, speeding up the approval process.
Mines Minister Andrew Cripps says tenders can now be compared against each other, ensuring land is allocated to the best company for exploration.
He says the tender process also gives the opportunity for junior explorers to make their mark.
Mr Cripps says his department has cleared a backlog of about 1,400 exploration permits across Queensland since the changes.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

SBS On Demand | TV and Online Video - Heritage Fight Ep1

SBS On Demand | TV and Online Video - Heritage Fight Ep1

Broome citizens and the traditional custodians of the land - the Goolaraboloo - united together to protect what is priceless to them.

Study finds gas industry exaggerates job numbers, impact | Toowoomba Chronicle

Study finds gas industry exaggerates job numbers, impact | Toowoomba Chronicle


A study by The Australia Institute has questioned claims made by CSG lobby group the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association that the industry had created "more than 100,000 jobs" last year.
The institute said Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed only 9372 additional jobs were created in the oil and gas industry last year.
The Australian reports Australia Institute senior economist Matt Grudnoff noted there were 173,537 jobs created across the nation last year, which would mean that if APPEA's claim was true, 58% of jobs created nationwide would have been in the gas industry.
"This would be a truly amazing achievement if it were true, and at the same time it would probably show that the growth in the Australian economy was extremely narrow, being focused almost entirely on the gas industry," Mr Grudnoff said.
The study also found the gas industry was being disingenuous about the impending gas shortage and increase in price.
It said the price rise was being caused by linking the eastern gas market with the world market through the three large LNG export facilities at Gladstone.
"At the moment gas producers in eastern Australia cannot export to the world market where the gas price is significantly higher," the report stated.

Tony Abbott says UN climate head is 'talking through her hat' about fires | World news | theguardian.com

Tony Abbott says UN climate head is 'talking through her hat' about fires | World news | theguardian.com

Part of Australian life: Tony Abbott and the federal MP for Macquarie, Louise Markus, are briefed by Rural Fire Service incident controller David Jones (second right) and RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.
Bushfires are 'not a function of climate change': Tony Abbott and the federal MP for Macquarie, Louise Markus, receive a Rural Fire Service briefing about fires in the Blue Mountains. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Tony Abbott has accused the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, of “talking through her hat” for suggesting there was a link between global warming and bushfires.
The head of a United Nations committee on climate change told CNN this week global warming was "absolutely" linked to wildfires and heatwaves.
"Yes there is, absolutely," Figueres said when asked whether there is a link between climate change and wildfires. "The World Meteorological Organisation has not established a direct link between this wildfire and climate change – yet. But what is absolutely clear is the science is telling us that there are increasing heatwaves in Asia, Europe, and Australia; that these will continue; that they will continue in their intensity and in their frequency."
But asked about the remarks on on radio 3AW on Wednesday, Abbott said: “The official in question is talking through her hat.”

New Brunswick fracking protests are the frontline of a democratic fight | Martin Lukacs | Environment | theguardian.com

New Brunswick fracking protests are the frontline of a democratic fight | Martin Lukacs | Environment | theguardian.com


This is the vast and enduring violence that is scarcely spoken of: a history of dispossession and resource theft under the guise of the "law." What Harper and every premier now offers indigenous peoples are promises they will have "every opportunity to benefit." They won't. In Elsipogtog, unemployment tips 80 percent and they want jobs, but fracking is too great a risk. As many as twenty people crowd into one house, in a community that needs 500 new homes. Their share of a multi-billion dollar resource rush will be destitution and despair on its outskirts.
But in the protest movement against shale gas, many young Indigenous people have discovered a new reason for hope. Like one young man, 17 years old, who has camped at the site for the last weeks. "I'm worried about the water and the future of my children," he says. He is among the terrifying warriors that shale gas-drunk politicians unleashed an armed police force on last week. Anxious that this might come, Levi-Peters sent a message this summer to the Premier. "You're going to make criminals out of us, because there is no way we can allow the fracking," she wrote him. His office never bothered to reply. She now has his response: Harper's pioneers aim to march on.
Unless, of course, Canadians are prepared to break with the past. Many are. Tens of thousands have signed petitions, and many others marched alongside indigenous peoples in dozens of cities and towns since Thursday. It is a sign that the the actions of the New Brunswick and the Canadian government may backfire. What the government and corporate media crave now is more mayhem, to sell to the public the repression they have sought all along. What they fear most is a movement armed only with drums and eagle feathers and a sacred relationship to the land, touching the hearts of ever more Canadians.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

▶ John Pilger's Utopia: watch the world exclusive trailer | Film - YouTube

▶ John Pilger's Utopia: watch the world exclusive trailer | Film - YouTube

Published on Oct 21, 2013
Watch the trailer for Emmy and Bafta winning film-maker and journalist John Pilger's epic new documentary about Australia

SPA-07 - Canning Basin

SPA-07 - Canning Basin

goshawk.jpg
Goshawk Energy holds 100% of the SPA Licence over SPA-07.
Goshawk Energy is conducted an airborne surveys over the licence area in the first half of 2013.
SPA-07 covers 1,558 km2 or 385,000 acres of the Fitzroy Trough and provides exposure to multiple conventional and unconventional plays, including:
  • Conventional Gas – Devonian Carbonate reservoirs sourced from the Ordovician Goldwyer shale
  • Unconventional Gas and Condensate – Laurel shale formations, similar to the Three Forks play of the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin, USA
The licence is poorly explored with only 1 well deep well drilled by WAPET in 1956 (Fraser River 1 – 3,091 metres) and 120km of 2D seismic acquired between the 1950’s and 1980’s.
 
The licence is well located in close proximity to both infrastructure and existing discoveries:
  • 35 km north of Yulleroo discovery which contains an estimated 332 Bcf of recoverable gas and 13.4 million barrels of associated liquids in the Laurel Formation
  • 50km north of Ungani discovery which has potential reserves range of 8 to 20 million barrels in high quality dolomite reservoir in the Laurel Formation
  • 100km east of Woodside’s proposed James Price Point LNG hub
  • 15 km north of the Great Northern Highway, 90 km west of Broome and 40 km east of Derby
  • 100km west of existing oil production at the Blina and Sundown oil field complex

Scientists say climate change link to bushfires demands action - 21/10/2013

Scientists say climate change link to bushfires demands action - 21/10/2013
With claims that current climate policies would lead to more bushfires, Deputy Greens Leader Adam Bandt was accused of politicising the a natural disaster, but scientists say the link between global warming and fires is established and demands action.

Fracking linked to rape, meth addiction, and STDs | Grist

Fracking linked to rape, meth addiction, and STDs | Grist

Yet another reason to hate fracking: It’s connected with an increase in STDs, car crashes, drug-related crimes, and sexual assault in areas where the oil and gas industry sets up shop. Or in Vice-speak, fracking workers have “an insatiable appetite for raw sex and hard drugs.” Writes Peter Rugh on Vice:
Critics of fracking have compared it to raping the Earth, but where drilling has spread, literal rape has followed. Violence against woman in fracking boomtowns in North Dakota and Montana has increased so sharply that the Department of Justice (DoJ) announced in June that it plans to spend half a million dollars investigating the correlation…[T]he DoJ speculated that “oil industry camps may be impacting domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the direct and surrounding communities in which they reside.”
Yikes. You can “correlation doesn’t equal causation” all day, but Rugh is persuasive: Fracking workers are overworked, undertrained, and seven times more likely to die on the job than the rest of us. (On a rig, 12-hour shifts are the new normal.) So workers are under an unbelievable amount of stress — and it’s yielding antisocial results. Food and Water Watch certainly agrees:
“We’ve found that fracking brought a host of social costs to communities where drilling has begun,” said FWW’s Program Director Emily Wurth. “These are the real costs of fracking that are never discussed.”

Monday, October 21, 2013

BROWSE LNG PROJECT — INQUIRY | Robin Chapple MLC

BROWSE LNG PROJECT — INQUIRY | Robin Chapple MLC

on ROBIN CHAPPLE: I assure the Attorney General that the scuttlebutt comes from informed sources. At that time the Kimberley Land Council was really concerned about compulsory acquisition. It had earlier told the Premier that it was having trouble because too many diverse groups were making decisions, opposing or arguing among themselves, and it did not think that it could come up with an agreement for the Premier within the time frame. It was suggested to me that members of the KLC and the Premier determined that one of the ways to fast-track this proposal was to opt for compulsory acquisition. As I say, it is scuttlebutt—I cannot prove it—but, clearly, compulsory acquisition then took place. The Premier originally stated that only 2 500 hectares of land would be compulsorily acquired. Subsequently, he changed the number to 7 500 hectares and 2 500 hectares of seabed. That information was announced by Erin Parke on the ABC. After the compulsory acquisition, details of which appeared at page 90 of The West Australian on 15 April 2009, the compulsory acquisition was challenged by Phillip Roe and Neil McKenzie. Chief Justice Martin ruled in 2011 that the compulsory acquisition process was invalid because the three notices of intention to acquisition did not include descriptions of the land. That was a fundamental mistake. It was only to be botched a second time when an attempt was made to fix the first problem.
A second compulsory acquisition was lodged in March 2012 and again was ruled invalid. Mr McGowan said at the time that the Premier’s intervention, and his decision that he knew better than commercial proponents, Aboriginal people and the people of the Kimberley, had resulted in that outcome. Mr McGowan said that all of the blame lies with the Premier. As I have long said, those who botched this from the very beginning are those in the Department of State Development. The department has repeatedly been incompetent when deciding on major developments in this state, whether it be around Geraldton or other locations. I remember the proposals of Premier Geoff Gallop to guarantee eight projects for the Burrup, yet none of them eventuated. Minister Grylls has admitted that mistakes have been made by the department in compulsory acquisition. Unfortunately, the government had made so much investment in Broome on the back of a functioning gas processing facility north of the town that he was concerned that if that investment did not push ahead, it would not have any particular value. Every time we deal with these matters, we lose money. There are bad processes and there is no real structural integrity. When I worked for BHP, we would do a complete cost analysis, evaluate everything and hopefully come up with a well-defined project in which all the boxes were ticked. An absolute litany of mistakes seems to have been made here. That is why I believe an inquiry is needed, not necessarily to badger the government, but to look at the departments that have been behind the development of these proposals, their presentations to the government and the way the government has had to deal with the fallout of the failure of just about every inexorable part of these proposals. I believe those agencies that have provided incorrect or misleading information to ministers and the government need to be held to account in some way. I admit that I did not like the proposal, but what we are seeing is a level of abject incompetence through all departments. I have a lot more to say and I have only a minute left.
The compulsory acquisition process was a failure. I did want to deal with the Department of Indigenous Affairs. I am sure the minister was waiting for me to refer to that. Members should know that the department had all the reports on which the EPA had based its decisions that there should be no development in that area, yet it came to the estimates hearings and said that it had only just found out it had all the reports that recommended there should be no development. They had written a briefing note to the Department of State Development identifying the very same reports that DSD should have got, but then it found out that it had written this report and that it may never have been sent. The department had the information. When the minister’ two officers went to James Price Point, they were handed the documents; they determined it was a site.

snopes.com: Fukushima Emergency

snopes.com: Fukushima Emergency

Japan's nuclear watchdog has now declared the leak of radioactive water from Fukushima a "state of emergency." Each day, 300 tons of radioactive water seeps into the ocean, and it's now clear that TEPCO has engage in a two-and-a-half-year cover-up of immense magnitude. 
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/fukushima.asp#x28qOSzE4hk41FVS.99

Agreement will lead to 'massive destruction': Milne - Breakfast - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Agreement will lead to 'massive destruction': Milne - Breakfast - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)


Queensland has become the first state to sign up to a transfer of development approval powers from the Commonwealth to the states.
Government and business say scrapping the double handling of assessments will unlock valuable investment and create thousands of jobs.
But green groups say the Coalition Government is effectively handing over responsibility for project approvals to the states, over riding hard fought environmental protection standards.
Greens leader Christine Milne told Breakfast that the deal will lead to 'massive destruction' of many significant sites in Australia.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Tourism mecca's water supply on fracking alert

Tourism mecca's water supply on fracking alert

Fresh from fighting off Australia's biggest gas hub, the people of tourism mecca Broome now face another challenge: fracking in their water supply.

Fairfax Media can reveal an oil and gas company is negotiating with native title groups after the West Australian government issued it exploration rights over a 3750-square-kilometre patch of the Kimberley, including most of Broome's groundwater reserves.

The company, Goshawk Energy, has compared the area's geology with the Bakken formation in America's Williston Basin, that country's largest oilfield and the centre of its controversial fracking boom.

The recently released petroleum title is believed to contain conventional reservoirs where oil and gas can be easily pumped from the ground and unconventional reservoirs, where the resources are trapped in rock seams. It is the trapped oil and gas that requires fracking, the high-pressure injection of water and chemicals underground.

Environmentalists are concerned about the risk of potential fracking to Broome's water supply. ''We see problems from all over the world with fracking for shale gas and there is so much concern that some countries, like France, have banned it because of risks of contamination to water supplies,'' said Environs Kimberley executive director Martin Pritchard, who is calling for a moratorium on fracking in the environmentally sensitive area.

But Goshawk Energy, owned by geologist Will Barker and former Woodside manager Andrew Leibovitch, says progress is in the ''very early stages'' and the company needs to better understand - possibly through seismic testing - the area's geology.

''We wouldn't do anything until we did a full environmental review and got full regulatory and government approvals,'' Mr Leibovitch told Fairfax.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/tourism-meccas-water-supply-on-fracking-alert-20131019-2vtvn.html#ixzz2iCqOhaiT

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Coalition states back plan for 'one-stop shop' for environmental assessments | World news | theguardian.com

Coalition states back plan for 'one-stop shop' for environmental assessments | World news | theguardian.com


Port Gladstone
A port expansion underway in Gladstone, Queensland. The Coalition is seeking to streamline the way environmental assessments are conducted for major projects. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP
The federal government’s contentious plan to devolve power for environmental assessments has won enthusiastic backing from the Liberal-run states.
Greg Hunt, the environment minister, wants to create “one stop shops” to assess the ecological impact of major projects such as coal mines and ports.
Hunt said: “I have spoken to ministers from all six states and have been heartened by their response but will leave each minister to speak for themselves.
“The government will work with each state across the country progressively to strike agreements to reach a national one-stop shop scheme.”
This system, which the government claims will “slash red tape and increase jobs and investment”, will be run by the states. Currently, major projects have to be approved by the states and the federal government, under its Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Actobligations.
The Coalition said there should be one process for environmental assessments, with a single lodgment and documentation portal. Local government will also be encouraged to be involved in the process.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

RIGZONE - Woodside Says May Build 3 Floating LNG Plants for Browse

RIGZONE - Woodside Says May Build 3 Floating LNG Plants for Browse


DAEGU, South Korea Oct 15 (Reuters) – Woodside Petroleum could build three floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants for its Browse project, the chief executive of Australia's biggest oil and gas firm said on Tuesday. The firm, which plans to make a final investment decision on the project in 2015, scrapped a $45 billion onshore proposal for Browse this year and opted for cheaper floating LNG plants. "The next big signal for the marketplace is when the project enters front end engineering and design which we hope will be in the middle of next year," CEO Peter Coleman told Reuters. 

"The basis is three floating vessels for Browse. That will be firmed up as we finalise the basis of our design." With $190 billion worth of LNG projects underway, Australia is set to become the world's largest LNG exporter by the end of the decade, but more than half of the seven LNG plants currently under construction have suffered large cost blowouts. According to analyst estimates, choosing to use floating LNG technology would mean a cost savings of 20 percent. 

Woodside has already signed on Shell, a joint venture partner and considered to be the global front-runner in floating LNG technology, to develop the Browse gas fields. Other joint venture partners include BP Plc, PetroChina , Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Corp. - See more at: http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/129589/Woodside_Says_May_Build_3_Floating_LNG_Plants_for_Browse#sthash.27P2j8eo.dpuf

RIGZONE - Woodside Says May Build 3 Floating LNG Plants for Browse

RIGZONE - Woodside Says May Build 3 Floating LNG Plants for Browse


DAEGU, South Korea Oct 15 (Reuters) – Woodside Petroleum could build three floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants for its Browse project, the chief executive of Australia's biggest oil and gas firm said on Tuesday. The firm, which plans to make a final investment decision on the project in 2015, scrapped a $45 billion onshore proposal for Browse this year and opted for cheaper floating LNG plants. "The next big signal for the marketplace is when the project enters front end engineering and design which we hope will be in the middle of next year," CEO Peter Coleman told Reuters. 

"The basis is three floating vessels for Browse. That will be firmed up as we finalise the basis of our design." With $190 billion worth of LNG projects underway, Australia is set to become the world's largest LNG exporter by the end of the decade, but more than half of the seven LNG plants currently under construction have suffered large cost blowouts. According to analyst estimates, choosing to use floating LNG technology would mean a cost savings of 20 percent. 

Woodside has already signed on Shell, a joint venture partner and considered to be the global front-runner in floating LNG technology, to develop the Browse gas fields. Other joint venture partners include BP Plc, PetroChina , Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Corp. - See more at: http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/129589/Woodside_Says_May_Build_3_Floating_LNG_Plants_for_Browse#sthash.27P2j8eo.dpuf