Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Valley
State-owned Solid Energy has been granted resource consents by the West Coast Regional and Buller District Councils for its proposed opencast coal mine at Happy Valley near Westport, despite strong opposition by local and national environmental groups.
The West Coast Regional and Buller District Councils are already complicit with Solid Energy’s pollution of the Mangatini Stream and Ngakawau River. Now they are complicit with the destruction of Happy Valley. They have shown that they can be trusted as little as Solid Energy to safeguard the environment.
Even if the West Coast Regional Council does its job and adequately monitors the mine, great spotted kiwi and endangered snail habitat will have been made uninhabitable for a significant period of time, if not forever, another 5 million tonnes of coal will have been dug up and burnt, contributing to climate change, and a beautiful valley will have been destroyed. And for what? The coal isn’t even going to help supply electricity, because it’s for export.
Never before has a greenfields mine project been allowed to proceed when it was known it would destroy as much as 10% of the habitat of a nationally endangered and absolutely protected species, such as the powelliphanta “patrickensis” snail.
Climate change considerations were essentially ignored by the resource consent hearing commissioners. In other words, the greatest potential cause of future world suffering was sidelined as being of too little significance. Such a mindset is suicidal.
Being a state-owned enterprise, Solid Energy is an arm of the Government. It is simply unacceptable practice for the Government to cause such significant damage to the environment. Where’s our clean, green image now?
The only responsible course of action for the Government is to instruct state-owned Solid Energy to cancel its plans for the mine.
The yes decision has been made. Happy Valley will be destroyed, climate change will be worsened, and significant biodiversity will be threatened - unless people make their voices heard in opposition to the mine.
The Save Happy Valley Campaign wants to develop public awareness about the proposed mine so that more people will step forward and actively display opposition to it, and to all coal-fuelled energy generation.
Public meetings to raise awareness and develop resistance to the proposed mine have already taken place in Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, Palmerston North and Auckland, with further meetings planned.
Comments
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
Does anyone know if an appeal of the ruling is planned?
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
we will make an appeal process with our bodies!
Earth First!
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
I work for solid energy
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
It hasn't yet been confirmed whether anyone is going to appeal the decision. Ngakawau Riverwatch stated that they would, depending on the restrictions made as part of the decision. There is also a very small chance that DOC might appeal. They will have to make up their minds within 15 working days of the commissioners' decision.
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
go jon, he's so cool, keep'in it happy!
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/06/24/flu.shots.ap/index.html
and USA of rumsfeld says bye bye to all of you DISTRACTED idiots!! (read between the lines, why would anyone "ban" an "author",,,? *something about pens mightier than swords*?
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
If an appeal goes ahead I hope it is successful in stopping the mining.
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
If the campaign to end logging of native forest in Westland is anything to go by stopping this mine will be an uphill battle. The Coast is one of the most willfully backwards parts of the country, both culturally and environmentally and their local government, media and business interests are almost indistinguishable.
However it's not all doom and gloom. I visited relatives on the Coast earlier this year and read the local papers. Increasingly Coasters seem to be waking up to environmental concerns and questioning the neoliberal logic that has decimated their communities.
Although its exciting and simple to proceed straight to direct action I think it would be worth doing the hard yards engaging with public organisations and local media on the coast and trying to build grassroots support for the campaign. If it does come down to direct action, this is going to be easier and more likely to be successful with some degree of support or at least understanding from the local communities.
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
It will be fuckin uphill. Neoliberalism stole jobs from these "backward" folk, now they are giving them jobs back. The Coast has massive unemployment so who wouldn't want a job (apart from the usual but we won't go there).
Instead of saying you want to close the mine, thus getting rid of jobs, you'll have to offer another option, say dam making.
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
dam making. /-:
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
I think we can do better than dam-making, which is also an environmentally destructive activity that allows for the creeping enclosement and potentially privatization of water resources. How about we argue for the devolution of power over the Coast's resources from Wellington to Westland communities? "With great power comes great responsibility" - Spiderman ;)
Seriously, I believe with some effective, non-patronizing eco-education we could have Coasters demanding their tax dollars be spent on research into small-scale solar, wind and water based energy generation suited to the dispersed nature of the Coast's population. How about taking a version of Orkland's Eco-Show to the Coast?
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
Its all about money for some companys, they take that from us easy enough, then what... our comforts, you know like nice views and warmth during winter months. They are not using the coal for our nations own warmth, we will have to endure power cuts because of low power resources, or so we are threatened. The south will be cold when we need it most. Brrrr makes me shiver thinking about it. I guess it will be only as low as -10. OK makes sense to me to sell our warmth and business' stay in power supply. Crikey thats rather odd. Whats the values on a company I wonder who just sell the coal overseas and leave their own people to go cold, and ohoose to leave the place looking like a big scar for the rest of my life.
Why visit the coast.
Visit the coast. Its all becoming pine forest anyway.
How do people know whats happening and who cares enough to do the hard work themselves. Its not about signatures on paper, its about direct action.
Why stop logging and start mining. Why stop logging...
The coasters want money, why not, but theres job alternatives. These Coasters can surely put their heads together to do other than scaring the land. Its 2004. They need help and dont really want to be bought out. But who else has the incentive to offer a few jobs... remember its all about jobs so everything else is irrrelevant.
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
It's easy to say that the coal mining will create new jobs (it will) - but look to the long-term economics. Coal mining is a short-term endeavour. The jobs created by the new mine will last, at most, 35 years, but more likely much less as the easy to retrieve coal runs out and worker numbers are cut. The Coasters will be left with a bloody great whole in a breathtakingly beautiful valley, filthy, sludge-choke rivers, and hectares of dead bush - all for what?
Where are the profits going? Sure, Solid Energy might build a playground or two (Public Relations are important on the West Coast, after all!), but most of the money will head to the North Island (State-owned enterprise) to pay for some fat-cat beaureacrat's lunches. Of course the middlemen involved will take a nice cut too, but how much of the actual profit will trickle down to the Coasters?
Why let your own backyard be destroyed so someone else can sit in a landscaped lifestyle block, laughing as they roll around in huge piles of money?
Re: Councils say yes to Solid Energy’s destruction of Happy Vall
Does anyone know where to access (online) the resource consent decision + details etc?? I can't seem to find it on WC or Buller council websites, and am not really sure who is in charge of the whole process, and where I might find them.
And yes, from a bureaucrat in Wellington, I do enjoy the fat-cat lunches. They are fantastic. That's really how it works