coal Archive

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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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  The Government’s Earth Day celebration? - by frog

  
  
  
  Well, the Government really got into the spirit of Earth Day yesterday, a day to “inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment”. However, it’s focus was a bit below the layer of earth that sustains life, and was all about celebrating coal. First, the Minister of Conservation announced he’d redrawn the boundaries of Otago’s [...] read more
  April 23, 2009 8:27 am - 59 Comments
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  Happy Valley heating up - by frog

  
  
  
  Here’s a bit of an update of what is happening in Happy Valley at the moment from a local: It’s very noisy in Happy Valley these days, with 2 drill rigs and a water pump pounding away. They’re all within 200m of the protest camp. Solid Energy is drilling 35 test holes to give them [...] read more
  March 17, 2009 9:00 pm - 2 Comments
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  Coalergy: Smudge - by frog

  
  
  
  I suppose this could just as well star Gerry Brownlee, the way he goes on about sexy coal and carbon capture and storage…. read more
  February 9, 2009 3:34 pm - 1 Comment
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  Conservatives call for effective ban on thermal generation without CCS - by frog

  
  
  
  The debate in the UK has been slowly heating up since the middle of last year, when a right-wing think tank called on the Labour government to impose gradually reducing emissions standards for all power plants. The effect would have been a ban on new coal plants without Carbon Capture and Storage, (CCS), while allowing [...] read more
  January 30, 2009 10:52 am - 3 Comments
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  Carbon Capture and Storage not right for NZ - by frog

  
  
  
  Now that Gerry “Sexy Coal” Brownlee holds the Energy portfolio, it’s time to look once again at his favourite meme. Should we be investing in new coal fired generation, in the hopes that Carbon Capture and Storage, (CCS), will rescue us from the emissions downside? Recently published research says that CCS is questionable at best [...] read more
  January 29, 2009 3:54 pm - 8 Comments
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  Save Happy Valley celebrates 3rd anniversary - by frog

  
  
  
  The Save Happy Valley Coalition celebrated the occupation’s 3rd anniversary on the weekend. The valley is home to endangered kiwi and snails in a precious forest-edged red tussock wetland. Destroying this special place to mine coal that will contribute to climate change is doubly criminal. While the occupation has so far protected the valley from [...] read more
  January 27, 2009 9:43 am - 1 Comment
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  Imminent extinction for august snail - by frog

  
  
  
  The Department of Conservation says that the powelliphanta augustus snails are not faring so well in their new homes. Up to 40% mortality is evident in the new populations established just within the last 2 years.Over 6000 snails have been gathered up and thrown in DOC fridges for the crime of daring to live on [...] read more
  November 28, 2008 3:39 pm - 13 Comments
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  Don’t look back, Don - by frog

  
  
  
  Don Elder waxed poetic about the prospects for NZ coal this week at Solid Energy’s maiden annual meeting in Auckland. We have more coal resource energy per capita than Saudi Arabia has oil. In a world of increasing demand, and increasingly constrained supply of energy, New Zealand is now the lucky country. Sorry, Don, but [...] read more
  November 26, 2008 11:24 am - 59 Comments
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  Solid Energy fires up coal seam gas generator - by frog

  
  
  
  It is an interesting proof of concept that unfortunately emphasises the least efficient use of the coal seam methane resource. Scoop captured the press release: Speaking today at Solid Energy’s Annual Meeting in Auckland, Chief Executive Officer, Dr Don Elder says that in a first for New Zealand, coal seam gas is now producing enough [...] read more
  November 24, 2008 4:32 pm - 17 Comments
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  CoalFinger - by frog

  
  
  
  This summer, from the people who bought you the dairy conversion of John Key’s electorate office, comes the latest blockbuster: Here’s the CoalFinger website and its international quit coal campaign. read more
  November 2, 2008 7:16 am - 3 Comments
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  An unusual request - by frog

  
  
  
  I just received this email this morning: Dear Sir/Madam, This is mathew gary and I will like to order coal. Do get back to me with the types and cost for the ones you do carry and let me know if there is an extra cost when using visa or master card. Kindly get back [...] read more
  September 18, 2008 9:29 am - 6 Comments
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  Pike River Coal Mine gets a Gold Star from DoC - by frog

  
  
  
  Yeah, great work with the ducks and trees; now about all those carbon emissions… But the climate is not DoC’s responsibility of course, it’s just the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff for the 25% of biodiversity the IPCC estimates may go extinct by the end of the century… At least the Greens made [...] read more
  September 15, 2008 5:34 pm - No Comments
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  Dirty ol’ Arctic - by frog

  
  
  
  According to the American National Science Foundation coal burning, primarily in North America and Europe, has contaminated the Arctic and is potentially affecting human health and ecosystems in and around Earth’s polar regions. Detailed measurements from a Greenland ice core showed pollutants from burning coal–the toxic heavy metals cadmium, thallium and lead–were much higher than [...] read more
  August 21, 2008 11:07 am - 1 Comment
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  A dangerous untruth - by frog

  
  
  
  A company called E.ON is using some familiar scare tactics in order to win approval for a new coal fired electricity plant in the UK. The Guardian reports that E.ON says the lights will go out without their station and that they can ‘clean up’ the coal by buying offsets. E.ON’s claims for coal are [...] read more
  August 2, 2008 4:02 pm - 10 Comments
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  Stuff inflames coal miles debate - by frog

  
  
  
  In a delicious attempt at greenwash, Stuff’s article on clean Pike River coal makes for hilarious reading. It claims that because Pike River has (wisely) decided to load the trains with coal a little closer to the mine, somehow there has been a miraculous reduction in emissions associated with the coal. Here’s the byline: CLEANER [...] read more
  June 18, 2008 4:02 pm - 8 Comments
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  A coal mining ditty - by frog

  
  
  
  A reader has sent in this ballad; Old King Coal was a dirty old soul And a dirty old soul was he; He stuffed up the air, to the climate’s despair; So he called for the CSC. Every denier has their denial, And a very fine denial has he; But there’s none so rare, as [...] read more
  April 24, 2008 8:54 am - 17 Comments
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  Solid Energy and Jeanette’s double act - by frog

  
  
  
  There’s a gentle irony, following yesterday’s coal protest, to see that Jeanette is one of the heroes in Solid Energy’s media release today. Both Solid Energy and Jeanette have been celebrating Mairehau High School which is, with the help of a Renewable Heating for Schools Grant from EECA, switching its heating system from coal to [...] read more
  April 23, 2008 5:02 pm - 13 Comments
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  Support for ‘keep coal in the hole’ - by frog

  
  
  
  Greenpeace called last night for Labour and National to support Jeanette’s six-point plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal. Coal is the most climate-damaging fossil fuel. “It smacks of hypocrisy for New Zealand to claim any leadership role on tackling climate change while coal-mining continues to expand,�? said Mr Boxer. “Political parties need to [...] read more
  April 23, 2008 9:05 am - 7 Comments
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  Keep the coal in the hole - by frog

  
  
  
  This afternoon Jeanette presented Solid Energy with a gift from the Green Party to mark Earth Day – a stocking containing a lump of coal – a traditional gift at Christmas for naughty girls and boys. But, as Jeanette says, it’s not just Solid Energy that has a coal addiction problem: [I]mportant as oil is, [...] read more
  April 22, 2008 5:21 pm - 28 Comments