Daily Links Jun 18

Food swap ‘good excuse’ for people to cultivate real relationships
Backyard gardeners are meeting every month to swap organic fruit and vegetables without their wallet or expensive price tag.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-17/backyard-gardeners-swap-organic-produce-without-the-price-tag/9861402

An unconventional gas boom: the rise of CSG in Australia
In two decades coal seam gas has come to account for 30% of gas production. Here’s how the picture varies state to state
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/datablog/ng-interactive/2018/jun/18/an-unconventional-gas-boom-the-rise-of-csg-in-australia

McDonald’s to replace plastic straws with paper
The fast-food giant is attempting to reduce plastic waste by getting rid of plastic drinking straws.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/mcdonalds-replace-plastic-straws-paper-012754311.html

AGL’s Vesey urges Frydenberg to move beyond the blame game
AGL has called on the government and industry to work together to solve a substantial domestic gas supply shortfall, rejecting claims by Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg that it was to blame for higher prices caused by local supply being moved offshore.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/agl-s-vesey-urges-frydenberg-to-move-beyond-the-blame-game-20180617-p4zm0p.html

‘Protection racket’: Royal Commission, senators to probe water woes
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has been accused of withholding information about how it manages the nation’s biggest river system as it resists disclosures to the Senate and a Royal Commission.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/protection-racket-royal-commission-senators-to-probe-water-woes-20180617-p4zlzv.html

Absolute rort’: Snowy Hydro seeks to expedite pilot 2.0 project nod
Snowy Hydro has sought fast-track approval for pilot works that would disturb 114 hectares of a national park and excavate about 750,000 cubic metres of rock.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/absolute-rort-snowy-hydro-seeks-to-expedite-pilot-2-0-project-nod-20180617-p4zlz4.html

Industry share back-up burden [$]
The nation’s biggest energy users will be required to use their own back-up power or dial down usage, as part of a NEG plan.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/big-energy-users-to-share-backup-power-burden/news-story/1949792a93c22ed80f7f34b7a9ba0353

Anglo plans coalmine expansion [$]
The new head of Anglo American’s metallurgical coal arm plans to aggressively increase the miner’s Australian operations.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/anglo-plans-aggressive-metallurgical-coal-mine-expansion-in-australian/news-story/958b7fa672f7238567e7b05b0be06357

Extreme pressure is not stopping the National Energy Guarantee
David Crowe
For all the political rhetoric, there is no clear alternative to the National Energy Guarantee.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/extreme-pressure-is-not-stopping-the-national-energy-guarantee-20180617-p4zm0c.html

Time to ban toxic chemicals
SMH editorial
Revelations in Saturday’s Herald of a cancer crisis at a high school in the US have resonated half a world away in Australia with good reason.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/time-to-ban-toxic-chemicals-20180617-p4zm0q.html

Why electric cars should be powering Aussie roads
Graeme McLeay
The uptake of electric vehicles in Australia has been slow. There are a number of reasons for this, including purchase price, lack of available models, range anxiety and an absence of government support.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5470285/why-electric-cars-should-be-powering-aussie-roads/?cs=97

The Victorian sites among more than 90 nationwide with toxic contamination
Is Fiskville just the tip of a toxic iceberg? Chemicals found in fire retardant foam have been detected at 18 sites in Victoria – including Essendon and Moorabin airports.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/is-fiskville-the-tip-of-an-iceberg-pfas-detected-across-victoria-20180615-p4zlox.html

Parking needed for dockless bike share to avoid ‘disaster’: expert
The oBike scheme was a disaster in the making, and the only way the model will succeed in Melbourne is if bike parking is provided in and around the city, an internal transport department document advises.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/parking-needed-for-dockless-bike-share-to-avoid-disaster-expert-20180616-p4zlvj.html

Population pressure a fast-growing concern for Victorian voters
Concerns about population growth have risen sharply in recent years, suggesting it could become a political issue.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/population-pressure-a-fast-growing-concern-for-victorian-voters-20180614-p4zlh5.html

ExxonMobil targets gas imports [$]
Oil giant ExxonMobil is considering a Victorian LNG import plant to replace rapidly declining Bass Strait gasfields.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/exxon-mulls-victorian-lng-import-plant/news-story/e3e3e9ec61455585204b2b5ab456b076

Canberrans willing to pay more for energy efficient homes, study shows
Canberrans are willing to pay higher premiums for a property if it is more energy efficient, according to new research.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/canberrans-willing-to-pay-more-for-energy-efficient-homes-study-shows-20180606-p4zjpu.html

ACT treaty needed to right past wrongs made against Indigenous people
Julie Tongs
The response of successive national governments over the last 30 years to calls for a treaty has been disappointing, to say the least.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/act-treaty-needed-to-right-past-wrongs-made-against-indigenous-people-20180613-p4zl5d.html

Regulators at a loss on ‘missing’ toxic water [$]
Environmental regulators appear to have lost track of 60,000 litres of water contaminated with toxic firefighting chemicals after it was removed from Amberley RAAF base west of Brisbane.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/regulators-at-a-loss-on-missing-toxic-water/news-story/29dd72d818c7c35081973da81c23712e

What you need to know as plastic bag ban starts to take effect
Wednesday marks the dawn of a new environmentally friendly era in Queensland.
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/what-you-need-to-know-as-plastic-bag-ban-starts-to-take-effect/news-story/89240ce5526916c5fc77017e62d9f01d

Tasmanian tourism will benefit with $800,000 immediately available in 2018-19
The North-West Coast will benefit with $800,000 immediately available in 2018-19 for infrastructure and signage to kick start the state government’s plan to develop Tasmanian driving journeys.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5472132/regional-tourism-development-plan/?cs=95