[Greens-Media] Plans to double Collie coal shows lack of long-term thinking: Greens

[Dortch, Eloise (Sen S. Ludlam)]

Plans to double Collie coal shows lack of long-term thinking: Greens
MEDIA RELEASE, Monday 10 August 2009

Moves to more than double the number of coal-fired power stations in
Collie within the next four years reveal the utter lack of leadership by
the old parties on climate change, the Australian Greens say.
"Within Collie, we've got four existing coal-fired power stations
including Muja C and D, Collie A and the privately-owned Bluewaters 1.
By the end the year, Bluewaters 2 will be running and there are plans to
re-open Muja A and B and build Bluewaters 3 and 4 by 2013," Senator
Siewert said.
"In addition, the Government seems keen to progress the Perdaman urea
plant in Collie, which will need 12 gigalitres of water each year for
processing and will emit millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases each
year.
"Even the Collie community, which has supported the coal-mining industry
for decades, knows this is unsustainable.
"Local river swimming and fishing pools have already dried out due to
mine dewatering and demand by the power industry for water. People's
backyard bores are sucking up dirt.
"If we just looked at the impacts on rivers and the water table alone we
would say this is a bad idea - but the existing and the proposed power
plants in Collie are among our biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.
"It's time Federal and State governments started developing transition
strategies for regional communities such as Collie, instead of locking
them into dead-end industries such as coal," Senator Siewert said. 
"We need Government to start thinking about the long-term to secure the
future health, viability and amenity of our towns."

For more information or media inquiries, please call Eloise Dortch on
0415 507 763

Eloise Dortch
Media Officer to Senators Rachel Siewert and Scott Ludlam 
Australian Greens
Mobile: 0415 507 763 
Web: www.greensmps.org.au