[Greens-Media] O'Farrell government's plan to burn koala habitat for power

[John Kaye]

O'Farrell government's plan to burn koala habitat for power

Media release: 20 July 2012

A plan by the O'Farrell government to allow native forests to be logged for
fuel for power stations would ultimately lead to even more destruction of
habitat, increased air pollution and rising greenhouse gas emissions,
according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

('Native wood to be used for fuel', Sydney Morning Herald, 20 July, page
11, http://j.mp/smh130720)

NSW EPA Chair and CEO Barry Buffier announced last week his organisation's
intention to begin consultation on changes to the environment regulations
that currently prohibit the burning of native forests to generate energy.
(See: http://j.mp/EPAkoalaburn)

In Mr Buffier's 11 July media release he said: "Under these changes … trees
that might otherwise be made into pulp [,] can be burnt for electricity
generation."

Trees which have previously been logged and fed into industrial chip mills
in Eden and Tea Gardens (now closed) for export to manufacture pulp and
paper in Japan would be turned into fuel for the furnaces of purpose-built
or existing thermal power stations to create electricity.

Dr Kaye suggested that the changes were designed to rescue an already
heavily subsidised but failing woodchip industry from declining demand and
aggressive competition from cheaper product from the Pacific, South East
Asia and Australian plantations.

Dr Kaye said: "The O'Farrell government is about to expose the native
forests of NSW to a whole new form of exploitation, with appalling
consequences for the survival of native animals, the health of the local
environment and the state's carbon emissions.

"Despite being heavily subsidised, the wood chipping industry is struggling
to survive. The O'Farrell government is throwing it a lifeline to continue
to harvest tax payers' dollars and escalate the devastation of the state's
natural heritage.

"Sound economic and environmental policy would have long ago stopped wood
chipping and other low value-added exploitation of the state's native
forests. Instead the O'Farrell government wants to extend the devastation
and allow the industry to turn koala habitat into electricity.

"Despite the industry lobby groups' propaganda, native forestry biomass
electricity will not only devastate koala and other native animal habitat.
It will also increase the state's greenhouse gas emissions.

"The massive amount of carbon that is stored in the forests is released
when the trees are logged so that a whole-of-cycle analysis would show that
the emissions are many times greater than the equivalent sized coal plant.

"The forestry industry is a poor generator of employment and a potent
source of greenhouse gas emissions. Allowing native animal habitat to be
turned into electricity is neither green nor economically sound.

"Native forestry wood chipping has only survived because of political
patronage that propagated the myth that logging was environmentally
sustainable and added to the state's economy.

"Now the O'Farrell government wants to give the industry another lease of
life, this time based on the falsehood that burning koala habitat can
produce low carbon energy," Dr Kaye said.

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455


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John Kaye
Greens NSW MP
phone: 0407 195 455
web: www.john.nsw.greens.org.au
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