New Coal Mine to Blow Carbon Budget

Media release – various groups, 29 September 2022

Groups call on Jeremy Rockliff to condemn new coal mine

Million-tonne coal torpedo blasts hole in ‘Brand Tasmania’ and taints genuine ‘green hydrogen’ prospectsWhy does Tasmania’s Rockcliff Government apparently support new, million-tonnes-a-year coal mine?

• What part of the International Energy Agency’s Roadmap to Net Zero 2050 – including the part that says no new fossil fuels needed – does the Rockliff Govt not understand?

• In a flagrant example of Community Rights ignored and denied, land owners, farmers & tourism operators around Fingal have not been consulted

A growing number of conservation, climate, social justice and science groups from lutruwita/Tasmania today queried how the island’s Rockliff Govt can claim lutruwita/Tasmania is a climate leader while, at the same time, appearing to support the huge new coal mine proposed in the middle of a beautiful landscape at the Fingal Valley.

There are no scenarios in which more and new fossil fuels are acceptable. We call on Premier Jeremy Rockliff to condemn the coal mine proposed at Fingal, re-affirm his government’s commitment to green hydrogen and rule out any new coal mines in lutruwita/Tasmania.

It’s hard to understand how, on the one hand, Premier Rockliff can talk about the island being a climate leader and transitioning to a ‘low emissions economy‘, while at the same time, his government appears to support this new 1-million-tonnes-a-year coal mine.

The Rockliff Government urgently needs to make clear that it does not support this huge new coal mine. Human-produced carbon dioxide and methane levels have never been higher.

This proposal is also completely at odds with Tasmania’s Climate Bill that recently passed through the House of Assembly.

The Rockliff Government also needs to rule out using toxic coal to produce emissions-intensive brown hydrogen. If the Rockliff Government wants to destroy the island’s nascent genuine green hydrogen* industry, using coal to produce brown hydrogen is a good way to go. Tasmanian-made brown hydrogen won’t just taint Tasmania-made green hydrogen, it will taint ‘brand Tasmania’ too.

Last week, Vanuatu’s president, Nikenike Vurobaravu, made history when the Pacific island of Vanuatu became the first nation to support the international Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty at the 77th United Nations General Assembly. (Vanuatu is a comparable size and population to lutruwita/Tasmania.) This is true climate leadership.

*’green hydrogen’ refers to hydrogen generated by genuinely renewable energy sources. ‘Brown hydrogen’ refers to hydrogen generated using fossil fuels.

Media release on behalf of the following groups

• FLAC (Frontline Action Against Coal)

• Grant (Grassroots Action Network Tasmania)

• Wilderness Society (lutruwita/Tasmania)

• Doctors For The Environment

• AYCC (lutruwita/Tasmania)

• Tasmanian Conservation Trust

• Climate Action Hobart

• Nipaluna Climate Collective

Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader, 29 September 2022

New Coal Mine Disaster for Tasmania?

The proposed new coal mine for Fingal is a looming Tasmanian climate disaster. It would have major consequences for the island’s brand, economy, and future green industry development.

Many Tasmanians will be confronted by revelations another mainlander is making big promises to build a new coal mine on this beautiful island.

Disturbingly, in Parliament today, the Rockliff Government failed to rule out support for the black hydrogen project.

In a ludicrous attempt at greenwashing, the coal mine proponent has claimed the entire process will be ‘zero emissions’, and the end product will be ‘green hydrogen’.

This is despite overwhelming scientific evidence of the climate impact of simply digging up coal, and the subsequent release of massive quantities of methane.

What we’re looking at here is a black hydrogen project that could damage our green hydrogen future. If it goes ahead, this black hydrogen operation will also undermine the international reputation of Tasmania’s prospective green hydrogen industry.

This mine would hurt Tasmania’s hard-won clean, green, and climate positive brand – one that’s relied upon by primary producers, tourism operators, hospitality venues, and other small businesses.

The Greens gave both the Premier and the Minister for Energy an opportunity to put their opposition on the record. Rather than reassuring Tasmanians, they appeared to imply possible support – including taxpayer funds – for this greenwashed, climate disaster.”

This is a plan to produce black hydrogen, plain and simple. Confirming to Parliament there’ll be no access for the proponent to government support of any kind should be a no-brainer.

The Premier has a range of options to halt this proposal, including refusing to renew the project’s mining lease when it expires in 2023. Other options include refusing to carry the coal on publicly-owned railways, refusing support for further approvals or extensions, and stopping the proponent from accessing state-owned infrastructure at Bell Bay.

If Jeremy Rockliff is serious about Tasmania’s climate and brand future, he must make it clear his government does not support this coal mine or the production of black hydrogen, and take all steps to prevent it going ahead.