Climate change plan faces federal threat

Adelaide Advertiser
Thursday 30/8/2007 Page: 14

KEY state plans to combat climate change, including controls on emissions and electricity generation, are now under threat from new federal laws. One of these is the Rann Government's world-first climate change law which sets emission and renewable energy targets. The State Government has told a Senate inquiry that one clause of a new federal Bill will have far-reaching consequences for at least five areas of SA law involving climate change.

Under the proposed federal law, introduced by the Howard Government on August 15, a single national framework for reporting greenhouse gas emissions would be established. One of the major clauses in the legislation denies the states the right to collect their own data on emissions. The federal legislation is being examined by a Senate committee before a final vote is taken.

A Government source said the state would not be able to set any targets for emissions because it would not have the information from companies about how much they were discharging into the atmosphere. "How can you set targets under those circumstances?" the source said. The contentious "clause 5" of the legislation prevents the states from forcing any companies to provide any information about greenhouse gas emissions or energy provisions. "This could result in much of the data now required for the operation of state legislation and programs simply not being collected," the submission says.

SA says in its submission that not being able to collect the data will make most of the core mechanisms of the SA climate change law, including the setting of targets, "unworkable". It says other state laws affected include the licensing of power generation, gas distribution, the role of the Essential Services Commission and greenhouse gas impact assessment processes. SA also questions the timing of the introduction of the federal law which does not come into effect until 2012. "It may result in the cessation of many state and territory greenhouse programs," the submission says. "So there will be very few greenhouse mitigation strategies operating for four years at a time when reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is critical. This legislation has far-reaching consequences."