An open letter to the NSW Parliament opposing new coal power
We are writing to express our serious concern about the proposal to approve new coal fired power stations in New South Wales and to urge you to prohibit the construction of new coal fired power stations in the State.
If approval is given for the proposed plants, it would represent a total failure of responsibility of the Government to the citizens of New South Wales, and indeed to people all over the world.
The two proposed new power stations at Bayswater and Mt Piper, if powered by coal, would create over 22 million tonnes of greenhouse pollution annually, and would increase the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by almost 15%. This is more than the emissions from the entire NSW transport sector. It would lock NSW into a fossil fuel future of increasing power bills and would undermine the potential for clean energy jobs in NSW.
NSW does not need new baseload power generation. A recent study by the Institute for Sustainable Futures shows that future energy demand can be more effectively met through a combination of energy efficiency improvements and distributed energy – with significantly lower greenhouse emissions and at significantly lower cost.
We urge you to take action in parliament to prohibit new coal-fired power in NSW and to instead create a positive vision for the State’s energy future through strong policy and investment in efficiency improvements and renewable energy.
Yours sincerely,
Linda Selvey, CEO, Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Greg Bourne, CEO, WWF-Australia
Simon Sheikh, Executive Director, Get Up!
Alec Marr, Executive Director, Wilderness Society
Denise Boyd, Campaigns Manager, Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)
Cate Faehrmann, Executive Director, Nature Conservation Council
NSW Jeff Angel, Executive Director, Total Environment Centre
Holly Creenaune, Friends of the Earth Australia
Anna Rose, Director, Australian Youth Climate Coalition
Rex Graham, Social Justice Consultant, UnitingCare NSW.ACT (Uniting Church)
Blair Palese, CEO, 350.org Australia
Tom Mullaney, Climate Action Newtown
Lizette Salmon, Wodonga & Albury Towards Climate Health (WATCH)
Paul Hanly, Drummoyne Climate Action Group
Janet France, North Shore Climate Action
Tassia Kolesnikow, Sutherland Climate Action Network
Terry Mc Bride, 450ppm, Westryde
Annie Nielsen, Parramatta Climate Action Network (ParraCAN)
Rising Tide Newcastle
Sydney University Climate Action Collective
Derek Bolton, Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle
John Kellett, Bathurst Community Climate Action Network’ (BCCAN)
Thomas Ebersoll, President, Lithgow Environment Group
Tara Cameron, President, Blue Mountains Conservation Society
Wendy Bowman, Minewatch Cilla Kinross
Central West Environment Council
Jocelyn Hulme, Mudgee District Environment Group
John Shewan, Wybong Action Group
John Jeayes, North Coast Environment Council
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