Daily Links Jul 15

Energy companies cash in on ‘lost’ discounts [$]
Electricity retailers offering big discounts are aware many customers won’t score savings because they don’t meet conditions such as paying on time, internal documents reveal.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/accc-blasts-conditional-energy-discount-penalties/news-story/480deddcfc76296ac9a8a32c7727b01e

Australia’s energy insanity
Ian Hore-Lacy
Despite being one of the best-endowed countries in the world with energy resources of all kinds, we have a disastrous situation in Australia, with failure to agree on what to do.
http://www.ethos.org.au/online-resources/Engage-Mail/australias-energy-insanity

Note to Nationals: no, the ACCC didn’t say build more coal plants
Katharine Murphy
In the watchdog’s advice on solving our energy woes, the word coal doesn’t figure. Neither does baseload
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jul/14/note-to-nationals-no-the-accc-didnt-say-build-more-coal-plants

Australia’s failed energy policy needs more than just a Band-Aid
John Quiggin
The ACCC report is a mishmash of cognitive dissonance and half-baked suggestions for fixing the unfixable
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/13/australias-failed-energy-policy-needs-more-than-just-a-bandaid

Don’t wait for the government to take the lead on ethical action
Nicola Philp
Governments are unbearably slow to change legislation and are unfortunately also heavily influenced by powerful lobby groups.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/sustainability/don-t-wait-for-the-government-to-take-the-lead-on-ethical-action-20180712-p4zr47.html

Hypocrisy is blocking debate over immigration [$]
Peta Credlin
Leaders needs to stop looking for excuses to avoid debate about the immigration rate. Poll after poll says this is what people want, and it’s time the government listened.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/hypocrisy-is-blocking-debate-over-immigration/news-story/fdeef3e1178b7b38f2b736b0948f394e

We all pay for faulty power play [$]
Katie Bice
Green schemes are all the rage among governments and companies trying to look like they have a social conscience, but they should never be ham-fisted policies which ultimately hurt consumers’ hip pockets, writes .
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/katie-bice-we-all-pay-for-governments-faulty-power-play/news-story/c12c4bc06c2cc0ffb223d50c668c6dc0

Contaminated dirt to be dug up ahead of Fitzroy gasworks development
Excavation of one of the inner north’s most contaminated sites will begin next year, paving the way for a sprawling apartment development rising to 10 storeys.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/contaminated-dirt-to-be-dug-up-ahead-of-fitzroy-gasworks-development-20180713-p4zrbz.html

‘Disaster’: half a million hectares of forest bulldozed in Great Barrier Reef catchment
Conservationists, Labor and the Greens condemn clearing over four years
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/13/disaster-half-a-million-hectares-of-forest-bulldozed-in-great-barrier-reef-catchment

Croc survey shows Queensland population ‘quite low’
The Queensland Government’s estuarine crocodile population survey shows there has not been an explosion in croc numbers, despite some thinking otherwise.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-14/preliminary-survey-results-show-no-explosion-in-croc-numbers/9991322

Meander Wilderness Experience to use Meander Hall
A new tourism business could soon be operating from within the Meander Valley.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5525914/meander-wilderness-experience-proposes-to-use-regions-hall-to-run-tours/?cs=95

Council gets tough on Bruny Island cats [$]
Bruny Island will become a test case for Tasmania when pet cats face strict new laws.
https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/council-acts-to-protect-bruny-island-wildlife-with-strict-cat-laws/news-story/7224771fb53e95269385f78cc1d92ca1

Call to action from Tarkine defenders [$]
Environmental advocate Patagonia says the campaign to save the Tarkine forest in North-West Tasmania is gaining momentum as 60,000 people sign a petition calling for the region’s protection.
https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/patagonia-short-film-on-tarkine-gets-big-response/news-story/c282d73b0f42c11b42d14ca210486d91

Briefings on state’s pumped hydro plans [$]
Information sessions will be held in six Tasmanian towns as Hydro Tasmania continues its work to make this state the “battery of the nation” through pumped-hydro projects.
https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/pumped-hydro-represents-next-generation-of-power-as-battery-of-the-nation-project-gathers-pace/news-story/17fbcf1367e0cca8594c6981fd5c2c80

New Study Reveals Ulsan, South Korea, Is Exposed to Yearlong Toxic Fine Dust
A new study offers decisive proof that South Korea’s Ulsan city is affected by toxic substances contained in fine dust particles, regardless of the …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180713095138.htm

Better Methods Improve Measurements of Recreational Water Quality
The concentration of enterococci, bacteria that thrive in feces, has long been the federal standard for determining water quality. Researchers have now shown that the greatest influences on that …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180713135114.htm

New research calculates capacity of North American forests to sequester carbon
Researchers have calculated the capacity of North American forests to sequester carbon in a detailed analysis that for the first time integrates natural processes and climate changes that are likely to alter growth over the next 60 years.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/uoc–nrc071118.php