Gas Pipelines Planned For Cape York and Across Northern Queensland

Two members of FoE Kuranda and CSG Free Kuranda along with 120 people from around the country attended a Lock the Gate conference in Lismore. Some of the new gas proposals for our region that were discussed was the gas pipeline from New Guinea through Cape York as well as the gas pipeline coming across from the Northern Territory and on down to export facilities at Gladstone. These pipelines would also enable gasfields to be developed all along their route. Currently over half of Queensland and Australia is covered by coal and gas licenses and could be turned into gasfields.

Gas Pipelines Planned For Cape York and Across Northern Queensland

Two members of FoE Kuranda and CSG Free Kuranda along with 120 people from around the country attended a Lock the Gate conference in Lismore. Some of the new gas proposals for our region that were discussed was the gas pipeline from New Guinea through Cape York as well as the gas pipeline coming across from the Northern Territory and on down to export facilities at Gladstone. These pipelines would also enable gasfields to be developed all along their route. Currently over half of Queensland and Australia is covered by coal and gas licenses and could be turned into gasfields.

Naomi Hogan from Lock the Gate said these pipelines were "nothing but a gas giveaway to wealthy overseas companies that want to frack our land and send our gas offshore"."Fracked gas is expensive, risky and facing increasing scrutiny and bans across Australia and the world”

Environment Centre NT director Anna Bousted said in a statement “The pipeline would lock in climate pollution for decades to come," She called for a stronger renewable energy sector, which she said would "create far more jobs than the oil and gas sector, and ensure that benefits flow back to local communities, rather than line the pockets of overseas investors".

Japan Doesn’t Know How to Decommission Their ‘Melted-Through’ Reactors

The findings of a report, which has been given to the International Atomic Energy Agency, were revealed by the Yomiuri newspaper, described a "melt-through" as being "far worse than a core meltdown" and "the worst possibility in a nuclear accident."

Water that was pumped into the pressure vessels at Fukushima to cool the fuel rods has been confirmed to have leaked out of the containment vessels and outside the buildings that house the reactors. The plant operator Tepco said it is trying to contain this highly radioactive contaminated water and prevent it from leaking into the sea, but elevated levels of radiation have been confirmed in the ocean off the plant. The radiation has contaminated the soil and plant and animal life around the facility with the estimated cost of dealing with the accident over the next 10 years alone is around $250 billion.  Despite this disaster Labor and the Liberals haven’t changed their policy of selling uranium to nuclear reactors that are built near earthquake fault lines.

Value of America’s Weapons Manufacturers Soar as France, US and Australia Call for War

World leaders are calling for escalated military attacks in Syria and Iraq in response to the Paris attacks as they prepare to repeat the same failed strategy they have been pursuing for more than 2 decades in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their bombing strategy has certainly not created political stability in the region as bombing a country actually facilitates terrorist groups forming as well as increasing the refugee crisis around the world.

These war cries reveal the political domination of the arms industry and expose a major flaw of the current economic system where weapons manufacturers need increasing conflicts in order to satisfy their need for increased profits and governments now have a vested interest in calling for war to try and raise the value of their stock markets. Northrop Grumman’s stock recently hit a record high after they were awarded a US government contract worth $23 billion to build new stealth bombers that cost $550 million apiece.

Hancock Pine Plantation Uses Simazine in Kuranda’s Town Water Supply Catchment

A few people recently had a meeting with the manager of Kuranda Pine Plantation who informed us that Simazine is spot sprayed in the plantation. Simazine is a chemical of concern as it is listed as a ground water contaminant, a developmental or reproductive toxin and levels as low as 0.01 parts per billion can damage water-based ecosystems. This is about one drop in 5,000 barrels of water! Because of the way it impacts on hormone function it is also known as the “chemical castrator”. Hancock Plantation says that they do periodically test their runoff for pesticides and that they may make their test results available to FoE.