Waste Levy, Green Tape, Compliance, Gas

The Waste Levy

Last week the Waste Reduction and Recycling Bill 2011 including a land fill levy was passed by the Qld State Parliament. The aim is to halve the amount of rubbish directed to landfill within a decade. After a slow start due to floods & a cyclone, the levy will kick in on 1 December 2011.

Qld has lagged behind NSW & Vic in introducing a Land Fill Levy on non-recycled commercial waste. Municipal domestic waste is exempt from the levy, adding a layer of complexity & an administrative nightmare. The waste levy will discourage waste generators in the southern states to cross the border to dump their waste in Qld. However, there still may be perverse incentives to export waste overseas.

Qld generates about 32m tonnes of waste every year. Materials that are recovered, reused or recycled won’t attract the levy. The wastes generated from recycling will still attract the levy but at a discounted rate. The majority of funds raised from the levy will feed directly into the four year $159m Waste Avoidance and Resource Efficiency fund to help companies avoid producing waste, sort their waste & recycle it.

Councils throughout Qld will this year receive an $11m boost for waste management facilities, following earlier assistance totaling $4.1m to help establish or improve infrastructure such as weighbridges and fences at landfills. Councils will also benefit from the $100m Sustainable Futures Fund to help them better manage waste.

New programs will:

· encourage recycling of organic waste

· a renewed litter prevention program will commence to catch and prosecute illegal dumpers.

Qld’s waste levy will commence at $35/t for Commercial & Industrial (C&I) and Construction and Demolition (C&D) wastes. There is a brief levy FAQ on the DERM website.

Green Tape Reduction

The environmental approvals system has been overhauled by legislation introduced into Qld State Parliament this week. The amendments to the Environmental Protection Act aim to increase the efficiency of the environmental approvals system & cut green tape.

ASBG has been campaigning for the reduction of unnecessary regulatory burdens, such as the time wasted in lengthy application processes & onerous reporting.

The introduction of standard applications aims to reduce costs & increase certainty in application processes for low environmental risk operations. The new regulations will corporate licensees to manage their environmental authorities for multiple sites in an integrated way. The reforms will simplify the relationship between environmental licenses & development permits meaning an operator will only need to pay for their annual fees once their development permit is approved.

DERM’s Compliance Plan

It would be prudent for businesses to review the Department of Environment & Resource Management (DERM) regulatory compliance program. The Annual Compliance Plan 2011–12 sets out proactive and planned compliance priorities in some of the following areas:

· Environmental recovery

· Indigenous heritage conservation

· Queensland heritage conservation

· Place names

· Land management,

· Quarry management

· Commercial native forests

· Vegetation management

· Water use and supply

· National Framework for Compliance and Enforcement Systems for Water Resource Management

· Environmental management

· Waste reform

· Energy resources, including minerals & minerals and mining, coal seam gas/liquefied natural gas, underground coal gasification

While the compliance plan provides an overview of DERM’s strategic compliance priorities; it does not represent all compliance activity to be undertaken in 2011–12.

Gas

The Qld State Government & TRUenergy have announced a multi-billion investment in two new gas fired power stations in Ipswich and in Gladstone, powered with gas from the Qld's south west gas fields.

The Qld State Government is still claiming gas power stations will emit up to 50% less CO2 than a coal-fired station, as if this acceptable.

TRUenergy have commenced the development application process for the two high-efficiency gas-fired power stations. The proposed power stations will be developed in stages with the initial units sized at around 500MW & have a total capacity of up to 1500MW each depending on energy demands.

The Ipswich Power Station will be located within an industrial park, near the existing Swanbank B coal fired power station which will close in April 2012. The Aldoga Power Station, will be located in the Gladstone State Development Area on land already zoned for heavy industrial use.

The permitting process will occur over the next 12 months. Subject to the receipt of all permitting & development approvals, construction could begin as early as 2013. Each power station will involve investment of approximately $1.8b.

Paul Hawken

Paul Hawken is in Australia over the next 2 weeks for a number of public & private events. There are seats still available at 3 public events in NSW and QLD. There are also places available at the Sustainability Leadership Masterclass events in Sydney & Melbourne aimed more at business/government/NGO's.

Click here for a list of all Paul Hawken events in Australia

Major overhaul of environmental approvals cuts green tape

Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for State Development and Trade

The Honourable Andrew Fraser
26/10/2011

Major overhaul of environmental approvals cuts green tape


The most significant reform to Queensland's environmental approvals system in the past 15 years has today been introduced into State Parliament, giving the economy the opportunity to save at least $12.5 million a year.

Deputy Premier Andrew Fraser said amendments to the Environmental Protection Act were designed to increase the efficiency of the environmental approvals system and cut green tape while at the same time maintaining Queensland's rigorous environmental standards.

"These amendments will streamline the process for Queensland businesses to obtain certain environmental approvals," Mr Fraser said.

"Today we introduce new, innovative ways of delivering environmental requirements - changes that will result in savings for business and government of at least $12.5 million a year and, for the average small business, savings of $20,000.

"They will significantly reduce costs for industry and government while upholding the rigorous environmental standards the community expects.

"Queensland's unique environment is an asset that requires a unique system of protection."

Environment Minister Vicky Darling said since the Environmental Protection Act was introduced in 1994, environmental regulation had grown significantly.

"But while this was out of necessity to protect our environment, reflecting increased public awareness and scientific developments, we now have an opportunity to consolidate the system and make it more efficient," Ms Darling said.

"Greentape reduction is about reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens, such as time wasted in lengthy application processes."

Ms Darling said the introduction of standard applications would reduce costs and increase certainty in application processes for low environmental risk operations.

"An average small business is expected to save over $20,000 in application costs from this initiative alone.

"Businesses will be able to hold corporate licenses to manage their environmental authorities for multiple sites in an integrated way just like they manage their businesses.

"These reforms will simplify the relationship between environmental licenses and development permits meaning an operator will only need to pay for their annual fees once their development permit is approved.

"All businesses, including waste management, manufacturing, extractive industries and intensive livestock industries, who are currently required to be licensed under the Environmental Protection Act will benefit from these improvements.

"However, these reforms are not at the expense of environmental protection and all businesses will have to meet the environmental standards expected by the community to protect Queensland's unique environment."

Following full rollout of the changes it is expected that more than half of the 2,500 applications the Environment Department receives annually - and most local government applications - will be standard, saving approval time for both industry and government.

The changes are the result of the government's Greentape Reduction project, a two-year overhaul involving comprehensive consultation with industry and the community.

Through the Queensland Government's Smart Regulatory Reform Agenda, the Government is committed to reducing the regulatory burden of business and the administrative burden of government by $150 Million each year by the end of 2013.

Press release by Society for Sustainability and Environmental Engineering

Engineers issue a call to action

Engineers at their national sustainability conference in Brisbane today issued a Code Red warning that the profession is prepared to take urgent action on climate change.

Delegates unanimously accepted the overwhelming evidence that the earth is warming and that it is linked to mankind burning fossil fuels.

According to Incoming chairperson Lara Harland, “If we accept the science on almost everything from heart surgery to aeroplanes, why won’t we accept the science of climate from the professionals who have studied it all of their working lives?”

Deane Belfield the outgoing chair said, “The Chinese use the same symbol for crisis and opportunity. We have both in front of us now, and must seize the opportunity. The risk of catastrophe is far greater than the risks of not acting.”

Engineers are eager to work with other professionals to use the tools at their disposal and bring about deep transformational change to sustainable living. A multi-state working committee has been formed with the goals of:

• Supporting the scientists to convey their expertise and the urgency of the matter
• Working with other bodies who understand the science and can contribute to solutions
• Providing solutions that will work

With the knowledge that we have now, the risk of not acting is far outside the bounds of anything acceptable to a normal society. We have the tools if we use them now.

Sustainabl​e Business Weekly QLD Edition [Transform​ation, Coal, SSEE Silo smashing, Legacy, Cilmate Adaption]

The Necessary Transformation
Paul Hawken – "The Necessary Transformation: Business, Industry, Government & Community in a Rapidly Changing World"

1 November 2011 from 10:45am to 12:30pm at Z-Block Auditorium Z-411, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point

At this not-to-be-missed special event: Paul Hawken, author of Natural Capitalism, Ecology of Commerce and Blessed Unrest and touted as the inspiration of John Anderson and Interface carpets; Al Gore and Bill Clinton.

Paul is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author. His work includes starting ecological businesses, writing about the impact of commerce on living systems, and consulting with heads of state and CEOs on economic development, industrial ecology, and environmental policy.

Listen to the distinctions that Paul draws about the changes that are taking place around the world and how they are spreading internationally and here in Australia. Engage in a powerful conversation about what is possible rather than settling for what is practical.

Cost: Free, No RSVP required, Limited seating

Coal Mining a Nature Refuge
You are invited to have your say on the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Galilee Coal project, including:
• the project's potential environmental effects
• whether the EIS adequately addresses the terms of reference
• whether the strategies proposed by the project proponent will effectively manage the project's impacts.

The EIS will be evaluated by the Queensland and Australian Governments under a parallel process.

A massive coal mining project in central Queensland has set off a debate about the future of one of the nation's land conservation schemes.

If approved, the Galilee Basin proposal by Queensland billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer would be the first mine to be allowed in a nature refuge.

Half of it will become an open cut mine, while the other half will be significantly affected by long-wall mining.

Clive Palmer's Waratah Coal plans on exporting 40 million tonnes of coal a year from the Galilee Basin project, earning about $4.6 billion per annum.

It would also inject about $1 billion annually into the coffers of the Queensland and Federal Governments.

For public and administrative convenience, the Coordinator-General will receive all submissions on behalf of both Governments.

The Australian Government Minister for the Environment and the Coordinator-General will consider your submission as part of their evaluation of the EIS.

Submissions close at 5 pm on Monday 7 November 2011.

SSEE’s escaping Silos
This is your last chance to participate in Australia's first truely zero eco-footprint international conference.

Engineering has made the world an amazing place to in which live safely, enjoy good health and longevity, and build economic wellbeing.

However, society is facing some very serious challenges with climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, corporate governance failures and unchecked population growth in some of the most desperate countries on earth. These five issues together are severely testing our planet’s capacity to support life, and maintain our current economic paradigm.

In Paul Gilding's words "society is currently facing a great disruption". This disruption will turn current economic thinking upside down - we are coming to the end of economic growth based on material wealth.

Engineering lies at the heart of, or is impacted by all of these issues. As the world’s recognised problem solvers, engineers need to turn their attention to new ways of addressing, and finding solutions to these problems. Business as Usual is simply not an option.

Join us at Escaping Silos to hear Paul Gilding tell it as it is, but also show us how human ingenuity can bring us through to a new economic paradigm.

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 24 - 26 October 2011.


Legacy
I have often wondered, how will history treat our current crop of Political Representatives and how will they be remembered. What is the legacy that will be left to future generations in terms of the environment, economics & social structures?

AWA Climate Change Adaptation Planning Course
In response to a call from AWA members, this course on the 23 November 2011 will assist attendees in developing a better understanding of the adaptation risks their organisation face due to climate change. It will help them to take the first steps in developing a climate change adaptation plan and identifies tools that will support them in implementing their plan.

This is to be achieved by stepping through a complete planning process, demonstrating application through scenario's and real life case studies.

At the completion of the course, attendees will have developed a plan of action to build upon once back in the workplace. For further details please see the AWA website

Who remembers Tim Quinn?

Dear Lord Mayor,

I have often wondered to myself, how will history treat you and how will you be remembered?

Clem Jones has a number of claims to fame including:
· Through the 1960s Jones successfully led the council to develop a town plan, seal roads, improve drainage and connect sewers to most of the city.

· Controversially, he announced in 1968 the conversion of all tramway routes to diesel bus operation.


History is not kind to Brian Walsh.

Frank Sleeman is probably best remembered for securing the Commonwealth Games for Brisbane and it seems appropriate that his name is associated with a sporting complex at Chandler.

Roy Harvey stood beside Frank Sleeman and then succeeded him presiding over the aforementioned Commonwealth Games.

Sally Anne Atkinson smashed some glass ceilings, led the Liberal Party to office and introduced wheelie Bins to Brisbane. Despite a distinguished career and many achievements, she will also be remembers as a “sore loser” to Jim Soorley.

Rightly or wrongly Jim Soorley has been both credited and blamed for a plethora of things including:
· allowing widespread footpath dining;

· CityCats;

· advancing the Busway system; gas powered, air conditioned buses;

· starting Riverfestival, Riverfire, Riverfeast and the Riverwalk;

· biological nutrient removal from sewage effluent;

· a city wide recycling program and transfer stations;

· buying, protecting & maintaining bushland;

· building Sally Anne’s ICB;

· planning the Green Bridge (now known as Eleanor Schonell Bridge) and the North South Bypass tunnel (which now bears the name of Clem Jones);



Tim Quinn hardly had time to be remembered for anything apart from his short term in office.

Can Do Campbell may well be remembered for a Legacy of Tunnels and legacy of debt,

Would it not be wonderful, if we could look back and remember Cr Graham Quirk as the Lord Mayor who presided of the transformation of Brisbane into a sustainable city abounding with Green Infrastructure such as:

· an iconic rapid mass transportation system;

· completion of all the missing links in the Bike/Active transport networks;

· cluster based, decentralised storm water harvesting and re-use systems;

· urine separating dry toilets used to supply community gardens for urban food and village markets;

· village scale, decentralised power generation from wind, solar, bio-gas (from composting toilets and vegetable peelings)




It would be ironic and iconic if you could almost reverse the achievements of Clem Jones such that:

· Through the 2010’s Graham Quirk successfully led the council to re-develop a town plan, return roads to pedestrians, directed stormwater drainage to collection points and disconnected sewers to most of the city.

· Controversially, he announced in 2012 the conversion of all bus operation back to tramway routes.

regards,

Rowan Barber

A letter to Ms DeWit

One of my neighbours has penned the following letter to Councillor Margaret DeWit.....










Margaret de Wit
Chairperson
Infrastructure Committee

Dear Margaret

Your letter does contain one accurate assessment, I am very disappointed with the result of Council investigation into our petition regarding road safety in Normanby Terrace.

I would also say that I am very frustrated at the series of letters from your office which failed to grasp the issues we raised.

Further, I am appalled at your refusal to meet with me to rectify your misconceptions about conditions in our street. The decision handed down by Council is based on incorrect information and erroneous judgements.

You are liable to be held responsible, along with Council, for any injuries or damage caused by the issues we have raised as you have failed in your duty of care to residents.

This matter has been referred to the Co-ordinator of the Normanby Action Group to make further representations on behalf of residents and pedestrians and cyclists diverted from the closed bikepath due to the Legacy Way tunnel.

Regards

will the mud from Legacy Way stick?

Dear Rayna,

There appears to be an excessive amount of suspended solids in the stormwater from Legacy Way's Eastern construction site. (see attached photo of York's Hollow).

I would be interested to know if this complies with Transcity's Surface Water Environmental Management Plan (sub-plans).

I would also be interested to know, where the designated release point for stormwater is located. Has the construction water quality of stormwater been monitored at the release point (at least weekly), to determine if it complies with the parameters specified in Table 7 of the conditions of the Coordinator-General’s report on EIS?

I note that an attempt has been made to contain stormwater in sedimentation basins along the southern boundary of the site. However, the basins to not appear to have adequate hydraulic capacity to contain the peak flows. This was evident during the acute rainfall event on 13 October 2011 (around16:00 in the afternoon).

I have put a call through to Vanessa at Transcity and I have advised the Department of Environment & Resource Management's Pollution hotline – 1300 130 372.

I am also curious as to whether any of the mud from the $1.8b Legacy Way project will stick to the former Lord Mayor - Campbell Newman, now that he has ambitions to be Premier of Queensland.

kind regards,

Rowan Barber

Sustainable Business Weekly QLD Edition [policy reference group, carbon tax, Climate Change Planning, SSEE Silo smashing]

Happy New Tax

The Federal House of Representatives voted this week, to pass the Clean Energy Future Bills. Watch this space.

ASBG/SBA Policy Reference Group

The Australian Sustainable Business Group (ASBG) held our first Policy Working Group (PWG) in Qld on the 6 October 2011 at SKM’s South Brisbane office. This meeting was a joint meeting with Sustainable Business Australia (SBA) and ASBG.

The aim of the group is to discuss a broad range of topics affecting Environmental managers

The main focus of the meeting last week was the Waste Reduction and Recycling Bill 2011 and the waste reform package.

Ariane Milinovich - project manager in the Policy and Legislation team within the Waste Reform Division addressed the meeting and answered questions about the imminent introduction of the Waste Levy in QLD. The levy was scheduled to commence on 1 July 2011. Due to widespread flooding throughout Queensland and the impact of Cyclone Yasi in north Queensland, the commencement of the levy has been postponed until 1 December 2011.

Queensland’s waste levy commencing at $35/t for Commercial and Industrial (C&I) and Construction and Demolition (C&D) wastes.

The Draft Bill came before the QLD State Parliament on the 3 September 2011.

Objectives of the Bill are to:

· Promote waste avoidance and reduction, and resource recovery and efficiency actions;

· Reduce the consumption of natural resources and minimise the disposal of waste by encouraging

· waste avoidance and the recovery, re-use and recycling of waste;

· Minimise the overall impact of waste generation and disposal;

· Ensure a shared responsibility between government, business and industry and the community in

· waste management and resource recovery; and

· Support and implement national frameworks, objectives and priorities for waste management and

· resource recovery.

There is a brief levy FAQ on the DERM website.

ASBG will provide more details as they come to light.

Green Tape Reduction

Elisa Nichols, Director, Environmental Regulation also addressed the Policy Reference Group, to provide an update on the QLD State Government’s Green Tape reduction program which includes a full reform of the QLD system of Environmental Licences, with a return to the use of “Environmental Authorities”

The reforms includes 4 key Initiatives:

Licensing proportionate to risk;

1. Operating Licences that are separated from the Intergraded development Assessment System;

2. A more flexible system of Environmental Authorities that will not trigger requirements under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 for every change to an operation or process;

3. Flexible amalgamation provisions to allow one Environmental Authority across multiple sites.

In order to reduce the Green tape involved in obtaining Environmental approvals, there will be some standardised applications for common and simple operational conditions.

AWA Climate Change Adaption Planning

The Australian Water Association are running a Climate Change Adaption Planning course in Brisbane on the 23 November 2011.

SSEE’s Conference

The SSEE 2011 Conference will provide a forum to discuss the consumerism of today's society by breaking SILO's, with some leaders in the field such as:

Annie Leonard - Author of The Story of Stuff. From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns.

The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Paul Gilding - Author of The Great Disruption. It’s time to stop just worrying about climate change, says Paul Gilding. We need instead to brace for impact because global crisis is no longer avoidable.

This Great Disruption started in 2008, with spiking food and oil prices and dramatic ecological changes, such as the melting ice caps. It is not simply about fossil fuels and carbon footprints. We have come to the end of Economic Growth, Version 1.0, a world economy based on consumption and waste, where we lived beyond the means of our planet’s ecosystems and resources.

Register for the SSEE 2011 Conference for the opportunity to listen to these great speakers and to participate with them and many other great speakers in a Q&A Panel Discussion.

There is also a great program with four streams of papers and workshops about sustainability and how it can work for you and your business.

SSEE Conference 2011

The SSEE 2011 Conference will provide a forum to discuss the consumerism of today's society by breaking SILO's, with some leaders in the field such as:

	Annie Leonard - Author of The Story of Stuff From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
	Paul Gilding - Author of The Great Disruption It’s time to stop just worrying about climate change, says Paul Gilding. We need instead to brace for impact because global crisis is no longer avoidable. This Great Disruption started in 2008, with spiking food and oil prices and dramatic ecological changes, such as the melting ice caps. It is not simply about fossil fuels and carbon footprints. We have come to the end of Economic Growth, Version 1.0, a world economy based on consumption and waste, where we lived beyond the means of our planet’s ecosystems and resources.

“This is the most important “environmental” book to have been published for many years. It’s one of those rare books, which come along every so often, that can really change the paradigm of the political debate.”— Chris Rose, previous Deputy Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, author of campaignstrategy.org

“We’re in the rapids now, heading for the falls, too late to swim for shore. But Paul Gilding offers some excellent insights into how we might weather that which we can no longer completely prevent–and how we can still prevent that which we won’t be able to weather. If you’re planning to stick around for the 21st century, this might be a useful book to consult.”—Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth, founder of 350.org.

Register for the SSEE 2011 Conference for the opportunity to listen to these great speakers and to participate with them and many other great speakers in a Q&A Panel Discussion. Other confirmed participants in the Q&A sessions include:

• Ian Lowe - ACF President
• Matthew Wright - Beyond Zero Emissions
• Richard Sanders - Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

The sessions, facilitated by Giovanni Ebono, will raise questions about identifying the realities and problems of silos that may not be apparent, and work to define the mechanisms we can use to break out of these silos. Expertise and knowledge of the panel members will be drawn upon, and attendants will have the unique opportunity to participate, ask direct questions, and assist the conference in identifying ways to transition to sustainability.

There is also a great program with four streams of papers and workshops about sustainability and how it can work for you and your business.

Green Poo, Wee & Water, Green Eggs & Ham

My colleauges and I have observed the following:

· Most water/sewage treatment utilities have their retail prices to their customers capped by State Government regulation to a maximum of CPI increases;

· Consumers in other industiries have demonstrated a willingness to pay a premium for "Green" products such as green power or voluntary carbon offsets;

· Water distribution & sewerage systems are effectively grid connected;

· Water Utilities could develop premium water & sewage treatment services and offer them to their customers;

· These services might allow customers to pay additional charges on their water and sewage treatment bills to fund environmental initiatives such as:

o urine separation (at source) and phosphorus recovery;

o digestion of biosolids to generate electricity;

o solar disinfection of drinking water;

o nutrient recovery from sewage effluent streams….