An alliance of industry, union and environment organisations launched this morning has urged the Rudd government to set a goal of having the equivalent of three 500MW power stations fitted with CCS by 2020.
As a first step, Australia needs to finalise by this September nationally-consistent legislation and a policy framework to overcome first-mover barriers, the alliance says.
The Rudd government should remove tax breaks for personal use of company cars and abolish the Fuel Tax Credits scheme that gives tax breaks worth more than a billion dollars a year to the mining industry, Australian Conservation Foundation chief Don Henry told the National Press Club today. (plus audio)
Henry also urged the government to remove tax concessions for aviation fuel and push for resource companies to boost their 'miserable' levels of spending on R&D into technologies such as carbon capture and storage.
Victoria's prime sites for storing CO2 are offshore, but submissions to the state government reveal major players disagree on how best to make this happen. Meanwhile, a BP and Rio Tinto joint venture warns arguments over federal CO2 storage legislation must be settled quickly and the CFMEU slams cleaner coal's "lost decade".
Exactly what did Labor say it would do, how much will it spend and when will it spend it? CE Daily went through Labor's policy documents and statements with a fine-tooth comb and brings you a concise, comprehensive summary of the incoming government's commitments on climate change, water and cleaner coal.