Sneakin' 'em through

How Tag oil drills the public (hat-tip Charlie)

“The RMA allows Councils to defer considering a consent application until all consents required for the proposal are received. It is best practice for all required consents for an activity to be identified from the outset, applied for contemporaneously and considered together. This ensures that all environmental effects can be taken into account in deciding whether consents should be granted.

“If the applicants are allowed to apply for resource consents incrementally this can mean that later consents are granted based on the baseline created by the earlier consent. This is a piecemeal approach.

“By splitting things up like this, the applicants are effectively gaming the system to make it easier for them to get consent for exploration drilling.

“We are concerned that this practice seems be spreading with oil exploration companies adopting the same approach elsewhere in the country."

Tom Belford alerts Councillors and ratepayers of what to watch out for when drillers come t0 your town.

The other lignite meeting

I'm spending some time at the library - the Invercargill Public Library and I won't be alone (I hope!)

Rather than sit through the Solid Energy consent application being held at Environment Southland at the same time where I doubt I'll be able to raise the concerns I have, I've opted for a meeting of my own - an informal 'meet your councillor' event in the city, where I hope concerned citizens (and rural Southlanders) will come and talk with me about what they feel about the proposed lignite mining by Solid Energy. I've no intention to lecture - I'm not learned when it comes to the issue but I'm willing to listen to those who will be most affected by the mining. The Southland Times have shown a lot of interest in the 'alternative' meeting and sent their journalist and photographer out for a chat and a shot. Tomorrow's rag will, with any luck, carry the story. If they do, I'll post it here.