ELECTRICITY INDUSTRY

Conservation authority opposes law change for hydro scheme
NZPA 09/06/2004. The independent New Zealand Conservation Authority has come out against any law change to enable approval of the West Coasts Dobson hydro scheme to meet South Island power demands. The proposal involves water from the Arnold River being diverted from the existing Arnold Power Station, along a 9km canal to 70m deep storage lakes before being dropped into the Grey River at Dobson, 10km east of Greymouth. More& http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2937143a7693,00.html

NZ power companies get price, duration, size in US
Dow Jones 10/06/2004. New Zealand power companies have beaten a path to the US over the past year, borrowing around US$1.0 billion as they access from the so-called private placement market the long-term funding in the 10- to 15-year tenors and large volumes unavailable in their domestic  market. Frequently, the pricing they could get from U.S. private investors, such as large insurance companies, has been so compelling that the New Zealand companies raised their borrowing targets, in some cases almost doubling them. More&

Lax US power plant rules are killing thousands, says study
Reuters 10/06/2004. More than 90 percent of the 23,600 annual deaths caused by pollution from aging coal-fired power plants could be prevented if the US government adopted stricter rules, according to a study by environmental groups. The report criticized the Bush administration for trying to roll back existing clean air laws. It said such a rollback would result in nearly 4,000 more annual deaths from asthma, heart attacks, and other ailments linked to coal plant emissions. More& http://www.enn.com/news/2004-06-10/s_24732.asp

CONSERVATION

More bucks for endangered ducks
NZPA 10/06/2004. Efforts to protect one of the few  strongholds of the nationally endangered whio or blue duck in  New Zealand have been boosted with a $500,000 injection. The Central North Island Blue Duck Conservation Charitable Trust is giving about $320,000 to the Department of Conservation to boost whio protection work on three key  rivers in the central North Island, one of the last strongholds of the species.
More&  http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2937016a7693,00.html

World landscape architect to tour NZ
Scoop.co.nz 09/06/2004. New Zealand needs to be environmentally healthy and self-reliant as possible in the face of a globalising economy, says a world expert in landscape architecture Robert Thayer. Prof Thayer is visiting New Zealand this month on a foundation scholarship. He arrives in Auckland on Monday June 14 for a three week study, research and speaking tour.  More&  http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0406/S00142.htm

Researcher wins lucrative award for native plant study
Scoop.co.nz 09/06/2004. A Christchurch scientist has won an important honour for her research on bringing native plants back into our cities. Landcare Research scientist Helen Greenep has received the inaugural ZONTA / BRANZ Award. Her doctoral thesis will focus on finding out which New Zealand plant species are best suited to grow in built-up urban areas.
More& http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/SC0406/S00027.htm

High Country Farmers Back Access Plan
Scoop.co.nz 12/06/2004. South Island high country farmers have strongly backed a Federated Farmers of New Zealand plan to further develop a code of conduct for recreational access over private land. The proposed code will build on generally good relations between the recreational public and         landowners, said John Aspinall, the Federations spokesman on land access. More...  http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00122.htm

Annual Kaimanawa horse muster ends
NZPA 14/06/2004. The annual muster of wild horses in the Kaimanawa Ranges near Waiouru ended yesterday with 225 horse rounded up. The Kaimanawa Wild Horse Preservation Society said homes had been found for 84 and the rest would  be fattened and killed for petfood. More&  
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2939872a7693,00.html

COAL INDUSTRY

Opposition over proposed coal mine at Happy Valley
Scoop.co.nz 10/06/2004. State-owned Solid Energys proposed opencast coal mine at Happy Valley near Westport has met solid resistance from local and national environmental groups. They claim the mine will contribute to global warming, cause Acid Mine Drainage (polluting local waterways), destroy great spotted kiwi habitat and 10% of the total habitat of the endangered snail powelliphanta patrickensis, seriously disrupt ecosystems, and not help supply electricity (the coal is for export).  More& http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/AK0406/S00065.htm

AQUACULTURE

South Westland mussel farm gets nod
NZPA  11/06/2004. The Environment Court has approved a Westland mussel farm, but at a third of the size originally proposed. Four original applications lodged with West Coast Regional Council in 2000 for 150ha at Jackson Bay, 44km southwest of Haast, were declined. The council granted an         application from Jackson Bay Mussels Ltd to farm 45ha after the other three applicants withdrew. More& http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2938008a7693,00.html

Official Figures show Orange Roughy Fishing not Sustainable
Scoop.co.nz 10/06/2004. Claims by Fisheries Minister David Benson-Pope and Orange Roughy Management Company chief executive, George Clements that the New Zealand orange roughy fishery is sustainable are incorrect according to senior lecturer in economics and public policy, Cath Wallace who         also chairs the Environment and Conservation Organisations, ECO.  It is time the public knew the figures and did not have to rely on the false assurances of the fishing industry and the Minister who clearly has been wrongly advised.  More&          http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00086.htm

CLIMATE CHANGE

Protesters claim power plant will not be green
Exeter Express & Echo (UK) 10/06/2004. Environmentalists are raising concerns that plans to build a multi-million pound waste-to-energy plant in Exeter will generate greenhouse gases. Campaign group Friends of the Earth is worried that a £9 million electricity plant in Exeter will generate large quantities of carbon dioxide. Devon County Council is planning to build the station to reduce the amount of waste it dumps in landfill tips.  
More& http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?command=newPage&nodeId=136992&contentPK=10255895

Forget the New Ice Age - our problem will be a heatwave
News Factor Network (USA) 10/06/2004. Scientists who drilled deep into Antarctic ice say the next Ice Age is thousands of years away - but disastrous global warming could be right around the corner. Greenhouse-gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the main culprit.
The latest Hollywood disaster movie predicts worldwide storms and an unprecedented ice age brought on by global warming. However, according to the latest research, the likelihood of The Day After Tomorrow happening any time soon is a non-starter - but a heatwave caused by greenhouse-gas emissions is more likely. More... http://science.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=24522#story-start

ENERGY INDUSTRY

Keen international interest in NZ Powerco stake - adviser
Dow Jones 10/06/2004. The sale of a 49.96% stake in gas and electricity networks company Powerco Ltd has attracted keen interest from potential buyers in New Zealand, Australia, Asia and North America, PricewaterhouseCoopers  said Wednesday. The response so far has been good, weve received just over 20 expressions of interest, said Craig Rice, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is leading the sale process. The New Plymouth District Council and the Taranaki Electricity Trust decided in April to sell their combined half stake in Powerco, New Zealands second biggest energy networks company. More&

AGL Top Contender To Buy EMEs NZ Contact Stake - Report
Dow Jones  11/06/2004. Australian Gas Light Co.is well positioned to buy Edison Mission Energys 51% stake in New Zealands largest listed electricity generator and retailer Contact Energy Ltd, the Australian Financial Review reported on its Web site Friday.  The AFR said in its Street Talk column that while AGL and Origin Energy are thought to be chasing the Contact stake, AGL appears to be the top contender.
More&

RECYCLING

College students target peers with waste message
Scoop.co.nz 09/06/2004. Carmel College art students have teamed up with North Shore City Council to get the message  out to their peers that the huge volumes of waste going to landfill must come down. As part of their National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), the year 13 students are  developing designs that the council can use on posters, stickers and on the web to encourage other teenagers to take action on the rubbish issue.
More& http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/AK0406/S00055.htm

GENETIC ENGINEERING

 Anti-GM views growing in US
New Zealand Herald 08/06/2004. Biotechnology companies are getting worried that what they call the European disease of opposition to genetically modified food is spreading to the United States. Activists opposing genetic modification and a variety of other causes staged protests in San Francisco yesterday as 18,000 delegates gathered for the worlds biggest biotech conference, Bio 2004.
More& http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/businessstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3571114&thesection=business&thesubsection=technology&thesecondsubsection=bio

Northland GM maize sites remain a secret
The Bay Chronicle  11/06/2004. GE Free Northland is urging the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to remove secrecy surrounding Northland sites where GE contaminated maize seed has been sown. MAF has acknowledged that contaminated maize seed, imported from the US, has been planted in the region but has declined to identify sites. More& http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2937983a7693,00.html

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

PMs solar switch-over
The Age (Melbourne) 13/06/2004. Prime Minister John Howard will launch a push this week to encourage households to use more solar-powered appliances while urging builders to create solar power display centres for new inventions. The focus on solar and other renewable power sources aims to balance Mr Howards defence of traditional energy producers when he unveils the Governments energy statement on Tuesday.
More& http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/12/1086749943143.html?oneclick=true

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