i'm more interested in fergusons consistant message re australia...

i'm more interested in fergusons consistant message re australia future energy security as can be witnessed in the following quote,

""Australia could store a significant amount of its carbon emissions underground (in either gas or liquid form), Mr Ferguson said.

"Australia's energy security depends on us balancing Australia's oil and gas exploration and production capacity with our capacity to capture and store greenhouse gases," he said.""


Clean coal gets the green light

By Cathy Alexander

August 15, 2008

A FEDERAL parliamentary committee has given the green light to burying carbon pollution under the ground - and suggested taxpayers pay any clean-up bills.

The world's first laws to allow companies to capture carbon dioxide emissions from power stations and bury them under the seabed are under consideration in Canberra.

Called Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) - or "clean coal" - the technology is held by some to be central to Australia's efforts to tackle climate change.

A House of Representatives Committee has endorsed the draft laws, with a key change - it wants the government to assume legal liability if something goes wrong in the long-term.

The proposal appears to be a win for oil, coal and power companies who want to use CCS technology.

The Greens have called foul.

Greens climate change spokeswoman Christine Milne said taxpayers should not clean up after coal companies.

"The ... committee has poked its nose out of the pocket of the coal sector long enough to tell the Australian community that we will be the ones to carry the can for the mega-profitable coal giants," Senator Milne said.

"(The Government) needs to explain why the polluter shouldn't pay for cleaning up its own act and carry the risk of burying carbon pollution."

Senator Milne said CCS technology was doubtful and risky.

But Labor MP Dick Adams, who chaired the committee, said taking long-term legal liability away from operators would encourage them to invest in CCS.

CCS was crucial for Australia's future, Mr Adams said.

"This is a very important industry for the future of Australia, for the public interest, and for the national interest," he said.

"We need to find ways to assist the industry to begin."

Mr Adams said the greatest risk in CCS appeared to lie in injecting the carbon pollution under the ground. Liability for this would continue to rest with the operators, he said.

As time advanced, the risks of carbon leaking out lessened, he said.

And if something went wrong due to an operator's mistake, they would still be liable, according to Mr Adams.

He said transferring long-term legal liability to the government was important because operators may cease to exist, and someone had to assume liability.

"We feel that in the longer term situation ... that governments will become responsible anyway," he said.

Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson welcomed the committee's report and the bipartisan support for CCS. He said he would consider the committee's proposed amendments.

Australia could store a significant amount of its carbon emissions underground (in either gas or liquid form), Mr Ferguson said.

"Australia's energy security depends on us balancing Australia's oil and gas exploration and production capacity with our capacity to capture and store greenhouse gases," he said.

The House of Representatives Primary Industries and Resources Committee today tabled its report into the Draft Offshore Petroleum Amendment (Greenhouse Gas Storage) Bill 2008.