Posts by Jeanette Fitzsimons

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  An open letter to Phil Goff, on reading Friday’s Herald - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Dear Phil, I am deeply disappointed you are letting Nick Smith’s electioneering define the Labour party, and apologising for that definition. It is hard to see how Labour will ever have an independent identity if it leaps to deny sensible policy whenever National attacks it. Even using their term, “nanny state” fails politics 101 – never repeat your opponent’s terms of abuse. read more
  September 12, 2009 5:17 pm - 180 Comments
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  ETS: No majority = FAIL - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  The really interesting question now is, where is National going to get a majority for its amendments to the ETS in the House? Peter Dunne on his own hasn’t got the votes. They need one more party. The Maori Party’s minority report makes it clear they do not support an ETS at all, and if there is going to be one they do not support intensity based allocation. They have a simple principle: the polluter should pay. So National can... read more
  August 31, 2009 10:58 pm - 45 Comments
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  ETS: Four minority reports = FAIL - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  The long awaited report of the special select committee to review the ETS – yes, that one with the terms of reference that didn’t even mention reviewing the ETS – you know, the one forced on the government by a coalition partner who then mostly didn’t even turn up to occupy their place on it – yes, THAT one – has finally reported. read more
  August 31, 2009 10:50 pm - 42 Comments
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  Fiddling the electricity market, while consumers burn - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Once again the government is fiddling with the electricity market to try to make it do two contradictory things. Once again it will fail. The Minister of Energy is gradually drip feeding results of the Electricity Market Review,  which is to be considered by Cabinet this morning. It seems it will abolish the Electricity Commission, [...] read more
  August 10, 2009 11:49 am - 9 Comments
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  Nick Smith doesn’t get it - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Nick Smith’s response to “Getting There“, the Green Party’s analysis of how much of a 40% greenhouse gas reduction target we could meet in NZ at low cost, was entirely predictable. We asked him 7 questions in the House today and are none the wiser. First, he refused to give any information about any work [...] read more
  August 5, 2009 10:32 am - 148 Comments
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  Town and Country at Loggerheads - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  There was a stark contrast between the Napier consultation meeting on our climate change target, and those in the major cities. We’re now reaping the consequences of several years of misinformation being fed to the farming community about climate science and it is driving the deepest town-country divide I have seen in my lifetime. Auckland [...] read more
  July 20, 2009 9:04 am - 127 Comments
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  Fitch is sending New Zealand a message - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  It is hardly surprising Fitch has signalled a credit watch on account of our current account deficit. The Greens have been pointing out the seriousness of our overseas deficit for many years. There is not much compassion in international circles for people who have been living beyond their means for many years and expecting others [...] read more
  July 17, 2009 5:57 pm - 72 Comments
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  Should being “bigger” get Rio Tinto off the hook? - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  I see the Tiwai Pt Aluminium smelter (still known to most of us as “Comalco” but actually Rio Tinto now) wants to go back on its power contract with Meridian because God let them down.  A transformer failure left them unable to run at full production for two months which meant they didn’t “take” at [...] read more
  July 6, 2009 10:24 am - 17 Comments
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  Gratitude for a climate change denier - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Thank goodness for climate change denier Senator Fielding of Australia. Didn’t think you’d ever hear me say that, did you? Senator Fielding is the one vote Rudd didn’t have yesterday to pass their “Carbon Reduction Plan” – or Emissions Trading Scheme in our language. And that is a good thing, because the proposal was so [...] read more
  June 24, 2009 1:19 pm - 29 Comments
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  100% Pure ‘Clean Green’ GE llamas? Um, no. - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Just over a week ago, the High Court ruled that ERMA breached the law in accepting applications from AgResearch to import and experiment on a range of genetically modified animals. I described the application at the time it was lodged as: A huge application to genetically engineer a wide range of animals, plus human and [...] read more
  June 17, 2009 9:21 am - 4 Comments
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  Jeanette replies to Gordon Campbell - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  [Jeanette is writing in response to Gordon's recent article in the Wellingtonian] MMP is obviously rough on journalists who can’t conceive of anything other than a 2-party system. But the country has had MMP for 15 years now and it’s time to catch up. I can’t imagine anyone is under any illusion, after our fight [...] read more
  May 19, 2009 7:01 am - 21 Comments
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  The ETS and Strings theory - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Hi Strings, you raised some really interesting questions in the comment section of this ETS post and I’m sorry I haven’t had time to answer them till now: We can’t “leave agriculture out of Kyoto” – it is already in, for all countries, and all countries have liabilities that include all their emissions above their [...] read more
  May 18, 2009 11:18 am - 18 Comments
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  Farming and the ETS – the latest from the select committee - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Yesterday we heard all the farming related submissions. Federated Farmers continued to be the most extreme – agriculture should be entirely left out of the ETS because food production is important. But in NZ methane and nitrous oxide from farming are the large half (51%) of our emissions. Leaving them out means taxpayers fork out a hefty subsidy to farming, or other energy users pay twice as much as they otherwise would. read more
  May 6, 2009 7:30 am - 112 Comments
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  Jeanette questions Salinger sacking - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  By hiding behind the public service rules the minister of Research, Science and Technology has shot himself in the foot. What seemed like the safest path to a new minister may in the end prove the most embarrassing. Tuesday, with my question in the House, I tried to give Wayne Mapp an opportunity to express [...] read more
  April 30, 2009 10:55 am - 33 Comments
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  When is fair fair in the ETS? - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Yesterday’s select committee hearings on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) were a lesson on how to do it. We had invited all the iwi submitters to present in the early afternoon, just as we have grouped other like-minded submitters. But instead of each taking their individual 15 minutes for presentation and questions, they organised themselves [...] read more
  April 29, 2009 2:15 pm - 14 Comments
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  To Save Happy Valley Coalition, From Jeanette - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  I was absolutely gutted yesterday to hear that Solid Energy has moved into our beautiful valley to begin its destruction. I wish I could be here [in Christchurch] with you today. I want to celebrate all the people who have kept vigil at the camp, walked five hours to get there in hard weather, given [...] read more
  April 26, 2009 8:01 pm - 70 Comments
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  Govt misses big picture for the Kyoto trees - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  The revised “net position” of New Zealand’s Kyoto liability shows why forest sinks should never have been tradable against emissions from burning fossil fuels. This was a central argument at Kyoto in 1997 as the world struggled to set rules for reducing emissions internationally. The EU, and environmentalists, for different reasons, argued that forest sinks [...] read more
  April 20, 2009 8:33 am - 44 Comments
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  Will entry of energy sector to ETS be delayed? - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  It now seems almost certain that electricity, stationary energy and industrial emissions will not come into the Emissions Trading Scheme on Jan 1 next year as provided for in the legislation.The Act provides for detailed allocation plans to be developed and brought to Parliament for each sector that is trade exposed and so qualifies for [...] read more
  March 14, 2009 9:47 am - 16 Comments
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  Shock Announcement: Normal maintenance to proceed under National - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  We look forward to more announcements from this very busy government that schools will buy chalk this year, trains will refuel, nurses worn out uniforms will be replaced and the harbour bridge repainted. The press secretaries will be working overtime. It is, of course, entirely a good thing that Transpower will do essential maintenance on [...] read more
  February 13, 2009 11:32 am - 41 Comments
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  Putting the ETS “on hold”? - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Question time yesterday gleaned a little more information about the Government’s plans for the ETS – and showed the full extent of their ignorance of how the scheme works.Many people have been wondering what John Key meant when he said he would “put the ETS on hold” while it was reviewed. We now know it [...] read more
  December 17, 2008 9:08 pm - 77 Comments