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Tensions emerge between state and federal governments over Australia’s energy grid roadmap
(www.theguardian.com)
At the meeting, Bowen also surprised state and territory counterparts with a plan for them to pay for the carbon offsets that will be required for the proposed Beetaloo and other new gas fields in the Northern Territory. The commonwealth would underwrite the pipeline to bring the gas south.
States, however, pushed back, with Western Australia and Queensland particularly opposed to the precedent of assigning offsets for the so-called scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions that would result, another official said.
“No one asked any of us” about the offsets plan, the first official said, adding the market for carbon credits would struggle to cope with existing demand without lumping in major new emissions sources such as Beetaloo. “It’s not our problem.”
This manages to be a reminder both of how inappropriate the Beetaloo gas field and its enthusiastic Federal and NT Labor support actually is, and of how terrified we remain of Scope 3 emissions gaining any foothold in the discussion because of what that will mean for states still addicted to carbon for local generation and export.