To: Southland District Council P O Box Invercargill [email protected]
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To: Southland District Council P O Box Invercargill [email protected] From: Rosemary Penwarden C/- Counter Mail Blueskin Store 12 Orokonui Road Waitati Otago 03 4822831 [email protected] 25 February 2013 To Whom it May Concern Submission re Proposed Southland District Plan I do wish to be heard in respect of this submission. Introduction I grew up in rural New Zealand (North Island West Coast) and am a long-time resident of Otago, just up the road from Southland. In the past two years I have visited Southland many times, made new friends, seen much of the country and learned in detail about the proposed lignite developments in the Mataura valley. First and foremost I am a concerned citizen of this beautiful home of ours, planet Earth. I am a mother and grandmother, and carry my parental responsibility seriously. We do not have the right to pass on to our children a world in a state of climate chaos, economic and environmental disaster. For the world‟s climate to remain liveable, we must rapidly reduce the current level of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. The major source of such emissions is the burning of fossil fuels, and of these, coal is the most plentiful. Scientists have made it clear that coal must be phased out to give us any hope of avoiding runaway climate change. Lignite, as the dirtiest form of coal, must stay in the ground. Burning coal also contributes to ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is not an effect of climate change. It is related to a different receiving environment (seawater) and a different physical process (alteration of the chemical composition of the ocean rather than altering the heat trapping capacity of the atmosphere). The effects of coal mining causing ocean acidification damages the life supporting capacity of the ocean, damages the significant habitats of indigenous fauna such as marine reserves, damages the capacity of the oceans to provide food for people and can cause associated economic effects on marine food industries. The effects of coal mining are therefore contrary to part 2 of the Resource Management Act. The Southland lignite proposals are not an issue for Southland alone, they are a national issue. They affect the shared atmosphere of the entire planet, human and non-human, fauna and flora. While we are a small country, if we are to consider ourselves responsible citizens, what we do here matters. Were the Southland lignite projects to go ahead they would greatly increase New Zealand‟s carbon emissions, as explained by Dr Jan Wright, Commissioner for the Environment in her Nov 2010 report “Lignite and Climate Change: the high cost of low grade coal”, making a mockery of our “clean green image” and international climate change obligations. You, as guardians of Southland District, have a choice. Your stewardship will have a legacy; let that legacy be for the good of future generations, not to add to their future destruction. Southland has a reputation as built upon the values of highly productive soils, clean water, unique landscapes, and a healthy environment with clean air and freedom to appreciate and use these amenities. I commend the SDC for the work you have done on this plan in their efforts to retain the above, important features of your region. I also strongly believe that Southlanders, with their “just get on with it” attitude, have the potential to show the rest of New Zealand how to live sustainably into an uncertain and climatically compromised future. My main concerns regarding this proposed District Plan concern sections 2.2 Biodiversity, 2.8 Waste, Hazardous Substances and Contaminated Land, and 2.9 Energy, Minerals and Infrastructure. 2.2 Biodiversity Ecosystem management is essential for the future wellbeing of the region, and for current and future generations to thrive. This proposed plan has done a good job establishing the importance of maintaining and protecting our biodiversity, but more emphasis should be placed in the following areas. Many of the remaining indigenous pockets of vegetation on the Southland plains are at risk of weed invasion, introduced pests and threat of milling. Every protection must be given to these as many species are endangered. The situation is critical. In addition, I propose that the planting of riparian strips be made a priority. Riparian strips create a buffer to protect rivers from contamination from intensively stocked farmland, and are essential to help preserve and protect the last wild vestiges of the Southland plains. The council could enhance biodiversity with road verge planting. A wide range of plantings would provide corridors for native species, increase insect pollinators, support agriculture and the wider economy, and add to the beauty of the Southland region. Biodiversity is hampered by large scale industrial farming practices, as in many current large scale dairy businesses. The council should encourage mixed farming and sustainable practices, such as installing solar panels on dairy sheds, increasing planting along fence lines and in gullies, and discouraging over-stocking. Overall, we need to put less stress on the land to ensure it will sustain and nourish future generations. National Parks Designated World Heritage areas must be strongly protected and retained, again, for the sake of future generations. What right do we have to compromise or destroy these regions, bequeathed to us by others, for the sake of short-sighted profit? It is essential that Fiordland and Rakiura National Parks are protected at all cost from mining, new roading, coal seam gas extraction and new tunnels. These practices are against all the national park values as outlined in the Act. They are what make Southland unique. 2.8 Waste, Hazardous Substances and Contaminated Land On a recent visit to Nightcaps I noted large piles of coal fly ash sitting at Takitimu mine. After burning the lignite/coal at Edendale and other Fonterra factories, the remaining highly toxic fly ash is returned to Nightcaps where it is eventually buried in the coal pit. This is a serious hazard for the residents, which should be accommodated in the District Plan. I am a medical laboratory scientist. In my twenty plus years as a health professional working in hospitals around the country and around the world, I have seen first-hand some of the negative effects of coal mining, coal dust and fly ash. I also have a strong interest in coal‟s other negative consequence – that of carbon dioxide emissions contributing to climate change. I believe the Southland District Council should add a new section to its District Plan (section 2.8), as follows: Rule HAZS.4 – Prohibited Activities The mining of new coal and lignite, being scientifically recognised as the main contributor to climate change, and which has in turn been recognised by health practitioners as the leading threat to human health this century, should be listed as a prohibited activity. http://www.orataiao.org.nz/file/view/OraTaiao+oral+submission+Mt+William+Coal_text_28 +May+12.pdf/342629888/OraTaiao%20oral%20submission%20Mt%20William%20Coal_te xt_28%20May%2012.pdf http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2011/20110601_DearPMKey.pdf I have family in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. I have listened to a doctor in that region (near the town of Mussleburgh, similar in size to Gore) talk of the respiratory and other negative effects on the health of residents living next to coal mines, particularly children. In a 2011 study (The Economic Wellbeing of Coal Mining Communities), Green Party ex co- leader Jeanette Fitzsimons looked at the relative wealth of mining areas. She found that the standard of living in mining communities, despite wealth being extracted during boom periods, was consistently lower, even during those boom times, compared to non-mining communities. http://coalactionnetworkaotearoa.wordpress.com/category/jeanette-fitzsimons/ The areas in Southland where the largest lignite reserves have been discovered are beneath some of Southland‟s most arable farmland. The value of the soil for food production is far more important over time than the short-term value of the lignite. Southland councils have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of coal mining Australia. Numerous communities have been destroyed and irreparable harm has been done to formerly productive farmland. http://www.australiancoalalliance.com/Information/CoalCommunities.pdf http://www.cccqld.org.au/coal.html Southland water is a precious commodity and supports natural environments, industry and people. The fracking process involves the heavy use of water, the introduction of potentially harmful substances and often damage to aquifers. Fracking should be listed as a discretionary activity so that these effects are subject to strict controls and monitoring. 2.9 Energy, Minerals and Infrastructure There is no specific mention of coal and lignite or related gas extraction as there is in the Current SD Plan. Given the recent proposals to access lignite and the exploratory licenses in Northern Southland in relation to coal seam gas and fracking it is important that these are identified in the current plan. The issues outlined by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment in her preliminary report on fracking covers concerns about regulations and monitoring. “…I have significant concerns about how fragmented and complicated the regulatory environment for fracking is and about how these rules are being applied. If fracking is not done well it can have significant environmental impacts including polluting water and triggering earthquakes. I am also concerned that regulation may be too light-handed, particularly if fracking opens the door to a large-scale and widespread oil and gas boom with a lot of different companies involved.”- Dr Jan Wright. Very clear and precautionary regulations regarding fracking and monitoring of fracking must be put in place by the Council.