FED:Oppn would slash clean coal program

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2010
FED:Oppn would slash clean coal program

By Cathy Alexander

CANBERRA, Aug 14 AAP - The federal opposition wants to cut funding for a program to
capture carbon emissions from coal, warning the coal industry shouldn't get such a "free
ride" from government.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has announced he'll strip almost $400 million of government
funding from the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) program, intended to pave the way for
greener coal-fired power stations.

CCS technology is being developed to capture carbon emissions from power stations and
bury them deep underground.

Some see it as the saviour of the coal industry, but there are increasing concerns
that the technology will be too expensive and will not work.

The opposition would redirect the CCS funding to other carbon storage projects, including
storage underground, in the soil and in biochar - charcoal buried in soil.

Opposition infrastructure spokesman Ian MacFarlane said the coal industry should pay
more to clean up its act.

"At the moment there is too much reliance, almost too much of a free ride, by the coal
industry on the government," he told reporters in Perth.

"The mining companies, the coal companies, have to invest more of their own money in
this technology."

Mr MacFarlane said CCS "hasn't advanced at the speed anyone expected".

"We have to look at other technologies," he said.

Labor's $1.9 billion, long-term CCS program aims to build between two and four commercial-scale
CCS power stations by 2020.

Four projects have been shortlisted: Wandoan and ZeroGen in Queensland, Collie South
West Hub in Western Australia and CarbonNet in Victoria.

It's not clear how much funding, if any, would flow if the Liberals won the election.

The opposition announced earlier it would also slash funding for an Australian-based
global institute to promote and develop CCS.

That measure is separate from the funding cut announced on Saturday.

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KEYWORD: POLL10 CLIMATE COAL

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