Nature Positive: Minerals Council tells miners to lobby Coalition to back stripped-back EPA

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Nature Positive: Minerals Council tells miners to lobby Coalition to back stripped-back EPA

Miners are being urged to lobby the Coalition to back a stripped-back Environment Protection Agency before Labor rushes off to cut a deal with the Greens.

Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable credited the industry with forcing the Federal Government to gut its proposed nature watchdog — a concession revealed by The Nightly.

She now wants the Opposition to get on board and help pass the legislation, amid ongoing fears a Labor-Greens deal will result in a project-blocking “climate trigger”.

In a speech to Minerals Week on Tuesday, Ms Constable urged miners walking the halls of Parliament House this week to get in the ear of the Coalition because “they hold the key to this legislation”.

“What had been an alarming rewriting of environmental approvals law is now reportedly being pared back, to the establishment of an EPA that governs compliance, and not approvals,” she said.

“This is a significant concession from the Government and the result of considerable pressure and negotiation from our industry and by other industry groups.”

“The legislation must pass in this Parliament, albeit with significant amendments.

“Let us be under no illusion, any other scenario will lead to the imposition of a climate trigger on projects, across all industries.”

Ms Constable reiterated that environmental laws were not the appropriate tool to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, pointing out that the Commonwealth already had the safeguard mechanism, renewable energy target and newly legislated climate reporting laws to help reach its net zero target.

While the Coalition is yet to finalise a position it appears all but certain to oppose the federal EPA, after savaging Labor’s proposal in a Senate inquiry report published on Monday afternoon.

The Opposition is withholding support unless the Government agrees to far-reaching changes to its wider Nature Positive Plan.

The Greens and independents have offered an alternative route to get the legislation, which would require Labor agreeing to make “climate considerations” a factor in the environmental assessments of projects.

While that represents softening in the Greens’ demands for a firm “climate trigger”, the environment spokesman Sarah Hanson-Young made clear its goal was still to block heavy polluting projects.

A coalition of environment groups — dubbed the Places You Love Alliance — have urged the Government to work with the crossbenchers.

“We call on the Government to negotiate in good ****** and reach agreement with those Senators willing to deliver laws that will deliver a strong EPA and Environment Information Australia and other urgently needed improvements to national nature laws,” the alliance said.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Nature #Positive #Minerals #Council #tells #miners #lobby #Coalition #strippedback #EPA

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up