Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for January 2011

Forget Climate Taxes –Climate always Changes, and Man must Adapt: Viv Forbes

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THE Carbon Sense Coalition today accused Western Governments of massive waste of community savings on frivolous climate “research” and alternative energy toys while neglecting the infrastructure needed to maintain sustainable societies in the face of an unknown climate future.

The Chairman of Carbon Sense, Mr Viv Forbes, said that none of the massive government climate spending has produced anything of long term use to the people paying their bills.

“The US government spends over two thousand million dollars  per year on “climate research” but the recipients were completely unable to forecast the frigid winter they are now suffering. That money would be better spent on snow ploughs and highway improvements.

“Australian governments are spending at least eight hundred million dollars per year on “climate research”, but were unable to forecast the massive floods now affecting much of Australia. That money would have been better spent on water storage and flood-proofing roads, bridges and airports.

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UK Met Office: National Joke

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First it was a national joke. Then its professional failings became a national disaster. Now, the dishonesty of its attempts to fight off a barrage of criticism has become a real national scandal. I am talking yet again of that sad organisation the UK Met Office, as it now defends its bizarre record with claims as embarrassingly absurd as any which can ever have been made by highly-paid government officials.  Read more here.

Brisbane Valley Being Evaculated

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This afternoon there was flash flooding in Toowoomba. 

This evening parts of the Brisbane Valley are being evaculated.   Up to 5,000 people may be affected. 

Snowy Hydro – The Business: Part 2, by Max Talbot

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OVER the last few weeks I have posted information suggesting that Snowy Hydro has not managed the vast waters under its control appropriately and in particular that it has failed to store flood waters for subsequence seasons and even exacerbated flooding in the Riverina by making water releases from Lake Eucumbene – the system’s central reservoir.

Max Talbot was the Executive Officer Strategic Engineering at Snowy Hydro and Operations Engineer Snowy Mountains Council for many years, retiring in 2003.  He has written extensively on the Corporation and recently updated a document ‘Snowy Hydro – The Business’ penned in 2008.   Mr Talbot has generously given permission for me to publish this document as a four part series.  Following is Part 2 – explaining sources of revenue and more.

Snowy Hydro Ltd. – a Corporate Entity

Overview

The Snowy Scheme was corporatised and began operation as Snowy Hydro Ltd in 2002.  Snowy Hydro is incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 and is a public company limited by shares.  Shares were issued gratis to the Commonwealth, NSW and Victorian governments in the percentages of their electricity entitlements, i.e., 13, 58 and 29% respectively.  The Snowy Mountains Authority’s outstanding debt of about $700m was transferred to Snowy Hydro who was required to refinance it and repay the Commonwealth.

Corporatisation was achieved via the negotiation and implementation of a series of “agreements” (46 in total) of which the 75 year water licence – that sets out Snowy Hydro’s rights and obligations with respect to management of the Snowy Schemes water resource – and the transfer of the Schemes infrastructure and assets are of critical importance to the viability of its business

Snowy Hydro is a successful member of the NEM where it occupies a unique position selling peak and shoulder energy and energy services to the market and risk management products to other market participants. Since corporatisation it has widened its activities beyond the Scheme into gas turbine generation and electricity retailing. It had an income of $781.9m in 2009-10 and a net profit of $266.9m after tax of $113.7m.

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Orange-thighed Tree Frogs: Part 2

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Neil Hewett, who lives in the Daintree, posted on Orange-thighed Tree Frogs in October 2007.   That blog post has gathered a couple of recent comments, including from Shane Panton near Coffs Harbour, NSW, claiming to have Orange-thighed frogs mating on his property …
https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/2007/10/orange-thighed-tree-frogs/

And start here with planning for your holiday in North Queensland… http://www.ccwild.com/

Floods Steal Precious Topsoil?

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According to journalist Peter Sheehan writing in today’s Sydney Morning Herald:

“The rivers have been running brown. A lot of the lifeblood of this country has been gushing away in liquid mountains we don’t even see.  A few sages warned that the worst thing that could happen to Australia after a decade of drought was sustained rain…

In the piece Mr Sheehan goes on to repeat many of the myths about Australian farming.  What he doesn’t mention is that farming practices have significantly improved over recent decades.  Indeed once upon a time sugarcane farmers in Queensland used to crop the hillsides and then burn the residue before harvest.  Now they only farm the flats and mulch as they harvest through a process known as ‘green cane trash blanketing’.  

And certainly the Fitzroy Catchment was not drought ravaged when the recent floods hit, which may explain why relative to past flood, Bill Burrows, in a recent post at this blog, described the current flood as relatively “clean”.

Read the piece by Peter Sheehan here:  
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/floods-steal-precious-topsoil–and-future-goes-down-drain-20110109-19jrq.html

But then also go to the trouble of getting some perspective by reading someone who does know about farming and Australia’s top soil, I am referring to David F. Smith, former  Director-General of Agriculture for Victoria, and his article ‘Green Myths About Australian Farming’ first published at Quadrant Online here:

http://www.quadrant.org.au/magazine/issue/2009/4/green-myths-about-australian-farming

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