Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/06/18/2931239.htm

Transcript

Kathy McLeish reports property owners fear for their livelihoods.

JESSICA van VONDEREN: Queensland is grappling with unprecedented growth. And one of the problems is accommodating more people while protecting the environment. Kathy McLeish reports on a Sunshine Coast group fighting a move to put powerlines through their rural community

KATHY McLEISH: Jack Connolly always wanted to own his own vineyard and his own business.

JACK CONNOLLY, RESIDENT: We spent 12 years looking for our piece of paradise my wife and I

(FOOTAGE OF EERWAH VALE, NORTH WEST OF NOOSA)

KATHY McLEISH: They found it here in Eerwah Vale North West of Noosa.

JACK CONNOLLY: An ancient volcano valley floor and the soil here is so fertile you can plant anything, it will grow

KATHY McLEISH: Jack Connolly says before buying the property he had extra searches done to ensure there were no easements or unknowns that would affect their long term plans.

JACK CONNOLLY’S WIFE: Did the mail come?

JACK CONNOLLY: Yes and I think we’ve got the information.

(JACK CONNOLLY SPEAKS WITH KATHY McLEISH)

JACK CONNOLLY: We even intended to be brought out of here in wooden boxes, but that was before.

KATHY McLEISH: The Queensland Government owned Energy Company Powerlink wants to run a high voltage transmission line through their property and eight and a half kilometres of their neighbours’ properties.

JACK CONNOLLY: Breaks our heart I’ve put my life on hold, I’ve put my business on hold I put my family on hold. We’ve got to just try and get this thing out of our life but if it does proceed it’s going to destroy not only our lives but nobody really wants to be anywhere near this obtrusive development.

(FOOTAGE OF PEOPLE WORKING ON EMISSIONS)

KATHY McLEISH: The land owners are now working on a submission to fight the move. They say though the environmental process is supposed to be centred on community consultation the process has been difficult and at times bordered on obstructive.

JACK CONNOLLY: Whatever we’ve asked they’ve just given a very generic reference: So the fact that they made it hard to access has just been more and more stress put on people.

KATHY McLEISH: Locals say there is a reasonable koala population in the area, but it’s never been mapped by the environment department.

JACK CONNOLLY: We’ve got documented evidence of koala, we’ve got photos of the koala here, we’ve got scratch trees, we’ve got scats, GPS recordings of every scratch tree we found and basically they just say that it is not high value koala habitat.

KATHY McLEISH: They say the habitat of the Richmond Birdwing butterfly will also be affected. Property prices have also been hit some falling as much as $400,000. Locals now fear for their businesses. Conservationist Simon Baltais says there are reasons for concern.

SIMON BALTAIS, QUEENSLAND CONSERVATION: 390 land species and 111 plant species are going to be directly or indirectly potentially impacted by this development. That is a lot of biodiversity that’s going to be impacted. And whether through direct clearing of habitat or reducing canopy which impacts microclimates which impacts a whole range of other species there will be impacts it’s just a matter how severe and how many but this is something we don’t have to do.

KATHY McLEISH; The powerlines action group paid $10,000 to have an independent energy engineer develop an alternative plan.

(JACK CONNOLLY SPEAKS WITH KATHY McLEISH)

JACK CONNOLLY: What we’re talking about in page is saying is not coming down this 18.6ks at all and coming off a family federal and across about 6.3klms to a substation site. What we’re saying is there’s a much cheaper better and doable alternative and using common infrastructure corridors where the land is already fragmented and there’s no social or environmental impact.

KATHY McLEISH: The group argues it’s the cheapest option.

JACK CONNOLLY: Powerlink drew a line on the map and they’ve been defending that drawing of the line rather than seriously looking at what we’ve been saying.

KATHY McLEISH: Powerlink says it has done exhaustive studies and the best option is the one that goes through the properties.

(KATHY McLEISH SPEAKS WITH GORDON JARDINE, POWERLINK)

KATHY McLEISH: The lines will be installed by helicopter but the pillions will be installed from the ground so there will be impact on the habitat won’t there.

GORDON JARDINE, POWERLINK: What we do is try and minimise the amount of clearing we have to by selectively locating these towers and bringing the conductor above the canopy. In relation to alternatives we will always look at alternatives that are put forward in terms of assessing them. There has been an alternative put forward into this latest round of consultation. We’ve only received that a week ago. It’s quite premature to be commenting on the merit or otherwise of that but that will have to be assessed.

KATHY McLEISH; The landholders say a representative should have met with a community group to discuss alternatives.

GORDON JARDINE: Well the way we’d go about this is dictated by the process under the sustainable planning act which has a structured process in terms of various times when we seek submissions and when we respond to those submissions so we’ve done that and then we do all these other things these 4,500 contacts the property owners on top of that.

KATHY McLEISH: Local member David Gibson says this issue shows it’s clearly time for regulations and environmental approval processes to be updated.

DAVID GIBSON, MEMBER FOR GYMPIE: Powerlink have been doing what they’re legally required to do and you know you can say well that isn’t enough but that’s all you know they’re obliged to do. I think what we’ve got to see is a real shift in the way in which Governments and Government owned corporations actually engage in their communities.

KATHY McLEISH: The final decision lies with the Environment and Resources Minister.

JACK CONNOLLY: We believe that we’re going to give them a bit of a shakeup the fights not over yet. They don’t know what’s coming but when they find out when they start reading I think they will be even surprised.

BUILDING “old technology” electricity transmission lines and similar infrastructure through people’s properties for the sake of planned growth is insane and unethical, according to Sunshine Coast Council’s planning chair.

Councillor Vivien Griffin said being involved in the current dispute over Powerlink’s proposal to extend powerlines from Woolooga to Eumundi had shown her how ironic the State Government’s planning was.
“On the one hand, you’ve got planning for major population growth on the Coast, but at the same time the government is removing sustainability initiatives council proposed in its structure plans for new residential master plans at Palmview and Caloundra South,” Cr Griffin said.

Among other things, the structure plans sought to avoid reliance on fossil fuels.

“I personally believe it’s insane and unethical for any corporation to be proposing intrusion (such as Powerlink’s plans) into people’s lives and their environments and their lifestyle hopes.

“The Sunshine Coast is experiencing in a number of ways the servicing of growth ambitions in South-East Queensland of the State Government.

“And it actually goes against the government’s own stated objectives in its Toward Q2 documents.”

Under its Green: Protecting Our Lifestyle and Environment section, the paper says “Queensland has the highest greenhouse gases emissions per person than any other Australian state, due to a … dependence on coal-fired energy to power homes and businesses. The Queensland Government is taking action to reduce our state’s carbon footprint.”

Cr Griffin said the proposed power lines were purely to cater for peak electricity load requirements when too many people simultaneously operated air-conditioners on two to three hot days a year.

“I have said to (resources minister) Stephen Robertson I want to see the full cost-benefit analysis of the Woolooga-Eumundi proposal,” she said.

Source:  http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/07/22/powerline-bid-insane-sunshine-coast-griffin/

POWERLINK will “thoroughly assess” a submission for an alternative route for powerlines through Eerwah Vale west of Cooroy.

Residents group Powerline Action Group Eumundi (PAGE) met with Powerlink representatives yesterday to present its case for the lines partly to follow the new infrastructure which will carry the proposed Cooroy-to-Curra section of the Bruce Highway.

Group spokesman Jack Connolly said he did not want to comment on the meeting until Powerlink responded.

Member for Nicklin Peter Wellington attended the meeting and said he was surprised to find Powerlink’s plans were to take the transmission lines all the way south to Caboolture.

He said PAGE’s proposal was “a better and cheaper option” than Powerlink’s proposed $110 million Woolooga-to-Eumundi powerline plan.

Cooroy councillor Vivien Griffin, who also attended, emphasised the council’s concern about the impact of the powerlines on residents.

Ms Griffin requested that Resources Minister Stephen Robertson provide a full cost-benefit analysis of the proposal in the light of renewable energy and the State Government’s own Q2 energy efficiency goals.

Powerlink CEO Gordon Jardine said the group’s submission would be properly scrutinised.

“This alternative route will be thoroughly assessed for its technical viability, environmental and social impacts, and the requirement under the regulatory framework for Powerlink’s network development to be undertaken with the least overall cost over the long run,” Mr Jardine said.

He said about 90% of the new line had been planned to be built within existing easements, “next to an existing transmission line”.

Mr Jardine said proposed lines through to Caboolture would only invest in what was already in place on double-width easement acquired more than 30 years ago in anticipation of future growth.

Source: http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/07/13/powerlink-to-assess-new-route-powerlines/

Stuart Topp — Project Manager
Woolooga to Eerwah Vale Project
Powerlink Queensland
PO Box 1193
VIRGINIA QLD 4014

Delivered via Email: stopp@powerlink.com.au                                                                                    09 June 2010

CID – Woolooga to Cooroy Transmission Line and Eerwah Vale Substation Project

Powerlines Action Group Eumundi (PAGE) is a community group formed to ensure that the wider community interests are served when considering how to provide energy for sustainable development on the Sunshine Coast.

With this in mind, PAGE wish to work constructively with the Queensland Government and its agencies to deal with the issues facing the Sunshine Coast with respect to provision of energy. With this mind PAGE have commissioned an independent electrical engineering consultant to review the proposal and make an assessment of the Powerlink proposal and any feasible alternatives that meet the network requirements – the full report is attached with this submission.

This submission comprises documents (noted in the list of attachments below) which we have produced in response to your letter of 7 May 2010. In this covering letter we raise our general concerns with the proposed Powerlink project. These general concerns are drawn from our list of specific issues raised with the project to date and the supporting attachments. We expect you to respond to the matters raised in this covering letter and the specific issues in the attachments.

This document also addresses fundamental deficiencies in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process and the substandard final EIS produced. Core issues are addressed in an executive summary, with more detail and comments provided in the ensuing table, referenced for ease of use. We trust you will act on our comments and demonstrate that genuine community input into this proposal is possible at this late stage. We look forward to receiving the response to the CID submission in due course.

Yours faithfully,

Jack Connolly,
President,
Powerlines Action Group Eumundi Inc.

Executive summary

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a complex and lengthy document. In order to deliver a meaningful, community-centred reflection of impacted residents’ concerns, a substantial amount of time and effort was required, but not provided.

The main requirement of the EIS was to provide an assessment of the environmental (economic, social, cultural and physical) impacts from the construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of the proposed transmission line (TL) and substation, and to duly consider alternatives to the proposal carried forward. Ultimately this document is to be used to form the basis of a Ministerial designation of land for community infrastructure.

PAGE concludes that the proposal:

• Fails to assess the lowest cost and lowest impact solution
• Fails the Australian Energy Regulators (AER) lowest cost solution requirement
• Fails in its requirement to have adequately consulted with the community
• Fails to comprehensively address the issues raised by the community
• Fails the threatened iconic Koala
• Is not required in light of the alternatives proposed

The EIS cannot therefore form the basis of a credible assessment of the environmental impact of the proposal, which is intended to responsibly meet the future energy requirements of the northern Sunshine Coast and Gympie regions. The Woolooga – Eerwah Vale project is not required. It is incomprehensible from a system strategic assessment as to why the proposed 275kV injection with 800MW capacity would be fed into a 132kV bottle neck which is the 132kV system between Woolooga to Palmwoods given that the 132kV system limits the flows out of the 132kV system to the wider Sunshine Coast area to 200MW in its present and proposed configuration, while the wider Sunshine Coast area is seen to be the area which requires the new additional supply capacity.

There are several key issues that PAGE has identified within the EIS and project assessment process that lead us to this conclusion. These issues are outlined below and explored in greater detail in the attachments to this submission.

Fails to assess all viable options

Three alternatives have not been adequately considered by Powerlink and are documented in more detail in attachment A of this submission. The proposals have not previously been adequately assessed by PL or Parsons Brinckerhoff.  PAGE puts forward three cheaper and significantly lower impact solutions:

1. A single Bus Section Circuit breaker at Gympie (Cost estimated at $1.5M) deferring any augmentation requirement until at least 2027.
2. A Staged augmentation north of Cooroy (NPV estimated at $96.2m – savings of $14.4m )
3. Network augmentation Woolooga to Palmwoods at 275kV using the existing PL easement (NPV estimated at less than $60.5m – a saving of over $50m)

Options 2 and 3 were put forward in submissions to the draft EIS in May 2009. The solutions developed by PL from this information were incorrect and bore no relation to the actual solution being proposed. PL did not attempt to clarify or validate their understanding of the alternative solutions that they assessed and dismissed in the EIS. Options 1 and 3 have been put forward by an independent electrical engineering consultant, who has reviewed option 2 and concluded that this is also a feasible alternative to the Powerlink proposal.

The Eerwah Vale 275kV tee off line and substation is not required for the Energex 132kV Woolooga to Palmwoods system and the PL preferred solution is not the cheapest or lowest impact solution.

Consultation

PAGE considers the consultation process to be flawed and have consistently pointed this out to both Powerlink (PL) and Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) Australia during the past 18 months. The EIS displays lots of statistics about the volume of consultation, but no information regarding the quality or timeliness of the consultation. From a community perspective, the quality of consultation has been completely inadequate on a number of levels. They include:

• Refusal to provide relevant and timely information when requested
• Refusal to attend community organised public meetings
• Issuing misleading information and attempting to portray PAGE as deceitful and dishonest
• Treating this community with contempt, with no willingness to conduct an open and transparent consultation process
• Inadequate time provided to formulate a comprehensive response to a 1900-page document that it has taken PL/PB 19 months to compile
• The EIS either does not address satisfactorily or ignores the majority of issues raised in the PAGE submission on the draft terms of reference

The combination of these factors leads PAGE and its members to have little or no faith in consultation process undertaken to inform the EIS process or as a basis for the Minister to make an assessment regarding community infrastructure designation.

Financial assessment

The proposal is not the lowest cost alternative and the augmentation is not required urgently as stated by Powerlink. The table below highlights the alternatives, their cost and the timing:

Alternatives    NPV    Timing
Powerlink Woolooga – Eerwah Vale Project    $110.6m    2014 / 22
PAGE – Option 1 – Bus Switch (Gympie)    $1.5m    2014
PAGE – Option 2 – A Staged augmentation north of Cooroy    $96.2m    2014 / 27
PAGE – Option 3 – Woolooga to Palmwoods    $60.5m    2027
PAGE Preferred Option – Combine Option 1 and 3    $62.0m    2014 / 27

The PAGE preferred option is not only the cheapest, but provides a staged solution, requires investment when it is demonstrated that demand requires it and provides the best long term security of supply for the whole of the Sunshine Coast Region.

Impact on Koala and other species

Powerlink’s proposed route is planned to go through pristine koala habitat, which is home to a healthy population of Koalas. The koala habitat mapping commissioned in 2009 by the Queensland Government, the very mapping relied upon by Parsons Brinckerhoff, as the basis for their assessment of the Woolooga to Eerwah Vale area, has been found to be flawed and has drawn scathing criticism from a wide circle of stakeholders – including conservation groups, local government authorities and landowners throughout South East Queensland. Chief among their criticisms has been the methodology employed in this mapping project – which relied on the remote digital analysis of aerial image pixels (pertaining to tree colour). The consultants responsible for the delivery of the mapping to DERM (GHD), recommended comprehensive ground truthing (field verification of koala habitation), and that this was not conducted to the extent required.

Other key species including the northern most colony of the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly will be adversely impacted by Powerlink’s proposal with the easement planned to go directly through the habitat of the butterfly. Generally survey methods undertaken were not considered adequate, despite the community putting forward detailed proposals at the ToR stage of the project that would have ensured that detailed and best practice flora and fauna surveys were conducted. These proposals were ignored through the EIS process. Consequently the community has little faith in the veracity or accuracy of the conclusions relating to environmental impacts based upon the actual studies undertaken.

Conclusion

The dismissive approach taken to the alternative technologies and sustainable strategies aimed at meeting the energy needs of the region is extremely disappointing, particularly as it counters major policy reforms of the Bligh Government, namely Towards Q2.

Not only does it counter the Towards Q2 target of protecting more land for conservation as it rips through hectares dedicated as Land for Wildlife, it also highlights that Powerlink, a Queensland Government agency, is not serious about introducing its own policies and measures to cut carbon omissions. The government’s Towards Q2 – Tomorrow’s Queensland green vision is made to appear as nothing more than that; a vision.

Therefore, based on the innumerable flaws in the EIS, many highlighted in this document, this Project and the proposed alignment cannot be recommended to the Minister for designation and should be stopped now. This EIS fails to fulfil the ToR and lacks critical detail, providing the Minister with inferior and insufficient information on which to base a decision regarding the designation of land for community purposes.

This Project also cannot be recommended with integrity, based on the inappropriate EIS process deployed, including poor community consultation and engagement practices. The process for Ministerial designation regarding this Project is therefore flawed to a potentially devastating extent, based upon the current analysis completed.

Recommendation

Based on the above considerations, the PL preferred option cannot be endorsed and Community Infrastructure Designation (CID) should not be granted. The EIS has failed to address all of the relevant and cheaper options. The PL preferred option is clearly not the cheapest option and will not pass the regulatory test as required by the Australian Energy Regulator. The CID should be refused and PAGE asks that an independent and transparent assessment be made of the options proposed in this document and that the lowest impact and cheapest option be selected that meets the network requirements.

PAGE further recommends that should an alternative option be considered a more appropriate alternative that the Community Infrastructure Designation process be abandoned for the Powerlink proposal and the cheaper options outlined in this submission be assessed with a view to eventual designation when actually required in 2027 at the earliest.

Full Submission Document Link

The full submission can be downloaded from this link (967kB):

PAGE CID Submission – Alternative Proposal

The PAGE May Newsletter (pdf copy below) is devoted entirely to Powerrlink’s intention to seek Ministerial designation, as well as the final step – that is, the Resumption of your land.

Deadline: 9 June 2010

The most pertinent issue for you to remember is that you have to get your CID Submission into Powerlink by 5pm, Wednesday 9 June.

The PAGE newsletter provides you all the information you require (and more) to help you prepare your own submission. There are also 2 word documents of Sample Submissions and Sample Issue Topics.

PAGE Newsletter – May 2010

Residents Submission-1 Example

Residents submission-2 – Topics

Don’t leave it too late. Don’t think it’s all over. You can make a difference.

Scientists refute claims made by Powerlink and Parsons Brinckerhoff. Inadequate surveys and no koala mapping carried out in the affected area. Also at risk is the most northern colony of the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly and its habitat. PAGE’s proposed solution is to use a common infrastructure corridor, avoiding further destruction of our diminishing wildlife habitat. The Qld government ignores its own SEQ Regional Plan and common sense to impose high voltage EMF’s on local residents.

Population growth in SE Queensland is not sustainable and is driven by developers.  Think globally, but act locally. We need to protect our wildlife heritage for our children and our children’s children before it is taken away forever.

What You Can Do To Help

It’s time people power put a stop to this  proposed Powerlink project and adopt lesser impact solutions.

Write to Queensland’s Premier, Anna Bligh, and ask her to protect this valuable koala habitat – habitat that will be destroyed if Powerlink continues with their project.

Write and speak with your local MP.

Contact all local media outlets and let them know what is planned for this koala habitat.

Send this video link to all your friends and family.

HOW much can a koala bear?

Not much more, says Ray Chambers, who is desperately trying to save the habitat of what is thought to be Caloundra’s last koala.

The male koala has been living on a two-hectare block which backs on to Caloundra Road for about six months.

He has become a favourite with locals, who often see and hear the furry fella.

But if Mr Chambers, co-ordinator of Sunshine Coast Koala Rescue, is right, the koala’s days in paradise may be numbered.

Tell-tale pink ribbons and spray paint on trees indicate the land is set for subdivision, meaning Caloundra’s last koala will be left homeless.

“As far as I knew Caloundra didn’t have any koalas left, so the discovery of this little guy was really exciting,” Mr Chambers said.

“The land has been marked out for about three weeks and, as soon as we heard about it, we got on to the council.

“Caloundra used to have a large koala population, but development has killed them off.

“If this koala is our last furry friend in Caloundra I’ll be doing my darndest to save him.”

The land, which was owned by the Salvation Army, is believed to have been sold to a developer.

Just who, however, remains a mystery.

Mr Chambers said he contacted Sunshine Coast councillor Keryn Jones, who chairs the environmental portfolio, in relation to the matter, which she promised to investigate.

Ms Jones, however, failed to return the Daily’s calls regarding possible action being taken to protect the koala and the land.

“I’m scared the developer is just going to go in and rip down the trees. It’s happened in the past and, with Caloundra’s lax tree-clearing laws, it could happen again,” Mr Chambers said.

“There’s no deterrence to stop a developer destroying the habitat, and action needs to be taken before it’s too late and the koala is left homeless, or worse, dead.”

Two proposed state government planning instruments, to be introduced, aim to increase the protection provided to koalas and their habitats – a State Planning Regulatory Provision (SPRP) and a State Planning Policy (SPP).

Both are to be made under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA).

An SPRP is a planning tool which, in the case of any inconsistencies, prevails over any other planning instrument, such as a local government planning scheme.

It sets out requirements local governments and others must use to assess development applications to minimise the impact of new development on koalas.

The draft South East Queensland Koala Conservation State Planning Regulatory Provisions have been released for public comment only and do not yet have regulatory effect.

Mr Chambers said he feared the planning tools could be too little, too late.

Anne-Louise Brown | 2nd January 2010

Source:  http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/01/02/rescue-bid-for-citys-last-koala-as-developers-move/ ]]> http://www.saveeumundi.org/2010/01/rescue-bid-for-citys-last-koala/feed/ 0 http://www.saveeumundi.org/2010/01/consultation-just-a-propaganda-exercise/ http://www.saveeumundi.org/2010/01/consultation-just-a-propaganda-exercise/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:10:33 +0000 Save Eumundi Team http://www.saveeumundi.org/?p=1300 Listen to the recording of Jack Connolly being interviewed by Diet Simon on the EIS and “consultation” on Noosa Community Radio.

From the Noosa Community radio website:

Powerlink the electricity lines builder owned by the bullying Queensland government, has dropped a nasty pre-Christmas present into the laps of the people resisting plans for a 275,000-volt line from close to Gympie to just outside Eumundi. It would run through the picturesque Eerwah Vale, where nature is still pretty pristine; many of its residents have moved into idyllic homesteads for a change of lifestyle. Koala habitat would be destroyed. In their usual steamroller fashion, the seemingly unaccountable Powerlink have left impacted people in the dark, although one rumour has it that building is due to start in January. Diet Simon talked to Jack Connolly, president of PAGE, Powerlines Action Group Eumundi.

Read the article below by Isobel Coleman that appeared in the Noosa Journal on 31 December 2009.