this is an example of wong being right,"The government...

this is an example of wong being right,

"The government recognises the reality of Australia's current energy mix. If we're going to tackle climate change, we have to deal with the facts," she said.


Public should fund carbon plan: Wong

August 19, 2008 - 2:46PM

Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says a plan to bury carbon pollution under the ground should be funded by taxpayers because cleaner coal options are in the public interest.

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 said to be central to Australia's efforts to tackle climate change.

The plan appears to be a win for oil, coal and power companies, but Greens climate change spokeswoman Christine Milne says the procedure is risky and taxpayers should not clean up after coal companies.

Senator Wong said the Australian public had a strong interest in new technology for capturing and storing carbon emissions.

"There is a very strong public interest in ensuring that Australia invests in research and technology when it comes to cleaner coal options," she told reporters in Sydney.

In excess of 75 per cent of Australia's base load currently came from coal, Ms Wong said.

Coal also remained a very significant energy product for much of the world.

"The government recognises the reality of Australia's current energy mix. If we're going to tackle climate change, we have to deal with the facts," she said.

"We have to find a solution when it comes to coal-fired power generation.

"We need to do that for Australia. We need to do that for the globe," Senator Wong said.

"That doesn't mean that you don't also invest in renewables."

Senator Wong said the coal industry would inject money into the clean coal plan, and it had already made some investments in research and technology.

A House of Representatives committee has endorsed the draft laws for CCS, but it wants the government to assume legal responsibility if something goes wrong in the long term.

The greatest risk in CCS is said to lie in injecting the carbon under the ground.