Fossil fuel subsidies in #Budget21 :
- money for billionaire Twiggy Forest's gas generator.
- more for other gas gens.
- subsidies to new gas basins.
- subsidies for oil.
Fossil fuel subsidies apparently the best examples of "economic resilience", presented without irony immediately above funding for disaster response funding.
Including 'the Australian Climate Service'
Santos' Barossa LNG project would be Australia's highest CO2 LNG project and amongst the highest in the world.
It would produce more CO2 than actual LNG.
Commonwealth govt loves it so much it gets a shout out in the budget.
Ongoing "contingent liabilities" so complex they can't be quantified,
- free insurance for Chevron in case its Gorgon CCS project fails again in the future,
- various costs of an oil import crisis (if only there was some form of energy we could generate domestically)
In Treasurer @JoshFrydenberg's speech for #Budget21, he announces new subsidies for gas, and then without any irony, pivots immediately to rhetoric about protecting the environment.
Funding to crack open two more new fracked gas fields, and
$2.2m over 3 years for the Northern Land Council to "facilitate land use agreements... in the Beetaloo sub basin". Loose change for traditional owner agreement, subtle.
#Budget21 includes money to build roads for fracking trucks in the Beetaloo Basin. Literally called the "gas industry roads upgrade program".
Fossil gas subsidies in #Budget21
- spray of $ for projects that don't need it, shouldn't be funded
- new funding to design a "framework" for even bigger govt funding for gas pipelines.
A year and a half after the govt put gas executives in charge of the COVID Commission, and weeks after COP26, we have today a new national plan to subsidise gas pipelines across Australia.
From the exec summary "Gas supplies are likely to fall short of domestic ///and export/// demand by the end of the decade if further action to unlock supply and deliver key infrastructure is not taken by industry"
Ie - subsidies to prop up bad investments in export terminals
Notorious non tax paying Santos has made clear that its interest in the Beetaloo is focused on exports.
higher petrol prices must have people thinking more about EVs. does anyone know, or have a simple modelling tool, for how much petrol prices impact the payback period for EVs?
obviously depends on lots of things - better fuel economy of alternative means less impact, amount of kms driven means more impact, etc.
and whether you are using real time pricing or own supply solar to charge
Clearest explanation I've heard of what Doherty modelling actually says and doesn't say just now from ACT Chief Minister.
Will be months before thresholds met and even then, "Broad brush talk of 'open up' does not mean there will no public health response".
Also, crucially, we are not starting from where the modelling starts - it assumes no/ v low outbreaks, not current situation
All journalists covering covid response should watch the ACT pressers. Beyond the local matters, super clear explanation of the national situation, calling out misunderstandings without blaming others