FoEA welcomes statement from Chris Bowen
Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says he’s requested a review of how Australia measures the fossil gas industry’s rogue methane emissions.
Speaking at a town hall meeting in suburban Melbourne last night, Mr Bowen said he had started the process of requiring Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory to properly manage and account for the huge amounts of methane released into the atmosphere by the gas industry.
The announcement follows a call by Friends of the Earth Australia (FoEA) in February for the government to fully account for methane emissions, with subsequent reports published by outlets including the ABC the West Australian and The Canberra Times.
“It’s fantastic news that the government is taking this issue so seriously,” said FoEA Offshore Fossil Gas Campaigner Jeff Waters.
“We applaud Mr Bowen for his excellent work in jumping on this issue so quickly and look forward to learning how new accounting methods might expose a worrying situation,” he said.
“The offshore oil and gas industry, in particular, is now on notice.”
Speaking at the forum, which was hosted by Jagajaga MP Kate Thwaites, Mr Bowen also promised to raise the possibility of using a gas industry levy to pay for much needed recycling facilities for decommissioned oil and gas platforms and pipelines.
At the moment, a temporary levy of 48c per barrel is being paid by the entire industry to help clean up and remove a decommissioned (retired) gas platform in the Timor Sea that was abandoned after its owner went broke.
FoEA wants the government to indefinitely extend this levy to pay for new rig recycling centres in Victoria, WA and the NT to process the 14 Sydney Harbour Bridges-worth of steel that the industry wants to dump on the sea floor.
Although he made a point of saying such an initiative is outside his portfolio, Mr Bowen promised to take the issue up with the Resources Minister, Madeleine King.
“That Chris Bowen is promising to raise this issue with his colleagues shows his genuine commitment to the environment,” Jeff Waters said.
“Let’s hope that by raising it with the Resources Minister, Mr Bowen can help get this idea off the ground.”
“Hundreds of solid, ongoing jobs will be created, and, by using the levy, we can make sure this industry cleans up its own mess and doesn’t write off the $60b clean up cost on tax.”
FoEA has published a new website and petition to start the process of mobilising the public into action: www.recycletherigs.org
Key Facts:
– Chris Bowen tells forum he’s ordered a review of methane gas accounting practices
– Minister promises to raise extension of decommissioning levy on industry to pay for recycling
