30 March, 2017
Senate inquiry highlights NSW Government’s failure to protect health of Hunter region residents
Today’s Senate report into coal-fired power stations highlights the failure of the NSW Government to set and enforce pollution standards strong enough to protect public health, especially in the Hunter Valley. [1]
“We are calling on the NSW Government to set standards for particle pollution and nitrogen and sulphur compounds that are equal to world’s best practice,” said Nature Conservation Council Senior Energy & Climate Campaigner Dr Brad Smith.
“The Senate report blows the whistle on the NSW Government for failing to protect the health of people who live in the Hunter by not setting strong pollution standards for coal-fired power stations. (See page 71 of the Senate report, paragraphs 5.22-5.26)
“Children in the Hunter have the highest rates of asthma in NSW, and it is well known that particle pollution from coal-fired power stations, as well as sulphur and nitrogen compounds, are bad for lung health. [2]
“Generations of Hunter locals have suffered health problems because emissions from power stations and the coal mining industry have been too high. Many people have died younger than they should have because pollution controls set by the NSW Government have been too lax.
“We welcome the committee’s call for the Federal Government to make the NSW Government enforce standards that protect public health, especially in the Hunter.”
The Nature Conservation Council is also calling for coal-fired power stations in NSW to be phased out by 2030 and replaced by renewable energy sources and storage technologies.
“The NSW Government needs to develop a strategy for a just transition and for ramping up renewables investment to ensure the state’s energy needs are met,” he said.
“Renewable installation rates over the next five years need to double to prepare the state for the scheduled closure of Liddell Power Station in 2022. We are calling on the Turnbull and Berejiklian governments to urgently develop a comprehensive plan to ramp up renewables investment to replace the state’s old polluting coal-fired power stations.”
The Nature Conservation Council is calling on the Berejiklian government to:
- Set enforceable targets to source 50% of NSW’s electricity from renewables by 2025 and 100% by 2030;
- Develop a plan for a quick and orderly phase-out of coal-fired power stations that is fair to power-station workers;
- Create incentives for the development of storage technologies, including batteries and pumped hydro.
References
[1] www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Coal_fired_power_stations/Final_Report
[2] http://www.theherald.com.au/story/454532/hunter-high-in-child-asthma-and-obesity-rates/
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Air pollutionClimate and energy
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