logic has grown wings and is long gone

What has happened in Qld this last week is nothing short of shameful.

DERM lost control of a "controlled" environmental back burn and couldn't put out the raging forrest fire that was fanned by frenzied journalistic and media winds ... there has been damage and jobs lost.

Federal and State Labor's environmental policies as they relate to Australia's future energy needs is somewhere between a farce and a shambles ... logic has grown wings and is long gone.

# On one hand, Julia Gillard announced today in Federal Labor's revised environmental policy that life just got tougher for any future coal fired power stations ... significantly more stringent emmissions standards.

# On another hand, this doesn't apply to existing coal fired power stations, not even in a staged manner.

# On another hand Anna Bligh with single minded determination has nearly crippled the emerging clean coal industry of UCG in Queensland by an unjustified heavy handed political smear on CXY re benzene and toluene contamination in groundwater, despite the company's prior proof its water monitoring results were in order and that the company was in full compliance with conditions of its MDL. I understand CNX's gasifier 1 is in "idle mode" (imo, that is PR speak for inoperable and shut down) and like CXY, they cannot reactivate an ongoing pilot burn without fullfilling a whole host of new environmental conditions. Ditto with LNC I understand.

# On another hand the Coal Seam Gas industry has met with delays from Federal Labor Environment minister Garrett as the industry addresses a range of environmental concerns including the hoarey one of drainage water disposal.

# On another hand, Anna Bligh is ropable with Federal Labor over them roughing up "her" emerging coal seam gas Gladstone LNG industry ... despite that there is widespread use in the CSG industry of fraccing fluids that contain benzene and toluene ... despite the fact that drainage water drawn from coal seams to induce gas flows can contain naturally occuring benzene and toluene and, unlike UCG, this water is brought to the surface and discharged.

# On another hand, Federal and State planning authorities all predict a steady increase in power demand ... a demand that will significantly increase the cost of power to industry and consumers.

# On another hand, Federal Labor cant face up to the cost implications of its own ETS pledges and so has a) has effectively extended the life of existing, aging, heavily polluting power stations and b) has effectively tied the hands of operators trying to develop new greener energy solutions, including UCG.

Do you get the feeling Federal and State Labor is so busy growing hands that they have no time to work out how to use them? ... I do!


On matters environmental and on matters relating to the future energy security of Australia, Federal and at least Qld State Labor should lose their upcoming elections ... their policies are an absolute shambles, with not an ounce of logic, but with a tonne of agenda aimed at getting themselves re-elected ... they are serving themselves, not the nation on these two critical issues.

What makes me sick to the core is that there isn't a journalist in the land with the knowledge, insight and inclination to take them to task and hold them accountable for such shortsightedness and lack of vision.

Gawd, I wish I could be debating Julia at 6.30pm this Sunday night.

Dex