‘Heartbreaking': Gas extension decision slammed

Faith leaders say they are 'deeply troubled' by the Federal Government's decision to approve the extension of the North West Shelf gas processing facility to 2070.
On Wednesday, Labor approved a 40-year extension of the country's largest gas plant.
While Environment Minister Murray Watt's decision to grant the approval for Woodside's North West Shelf extension in Western Australia's Pilbara has been praised by industry and unions, others have condemned it due to the threat to the Murujuga cultural heritage.
President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev Charissa Suli told reporters in Perth on Sunday, she is 'profoundly disappointed' about the approval of the North West Shelf gas processing facility.
'As a daughter of the Pacific, I have witnessed first-hand the devastating impacts of climate change on culturally rich but environmentally vulnerable nations in our region,' she said.
'These nations — many of which are home to Uniting Church partners within the Asia-Pacific — contribute the least to global emissions yet suffer the greatest consequences.
'Why then is approval granted to an old, polluting facility to continue emitting vast
volumes of climate damaging emissions of a magnitude many times greater than the
emissions of all the Pacific nations? This is not loving thy neighbour.'
Rev Mitchell Garlett from the Uniting Aboriginal & Islander Christian Congress added he is 'very disappointed' that the decision was made without 'close consultation with the relevant Traditional Owners'.
'The connection we feel to Country is not just a physical thing but a spiritual connection that is deeper than what we see with our eyes,' he said.
'It is heartbreaking that reconciliation is spoken of but our brothers and sisters voices are not being heard, and the land continues to suffer for so-called progress.'
Rev Dr Ian Tozer added they are 'deeply concerned' by the threat to First Nations cultural heritage sites, including 60,000-year-old priceless petroglyphs at the World Heritage nominated Murujuga rock art site.
'It is vital that these ancient sites, so precious to Australia's First Peoples and to our history, are not further damaged by industry,' he said.
Meanwhile, Woodside has said the approval would support thousands of jobs and supply affordable energy to Western Australia.
The project has supplied 6000 petajoules of domestic gas, powering homes and industry in Western Australia with enough energy to power homes in a city the size of Perth for approximately 175 years, the company said.
Environmental groups estimate the project will produce 4.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

2 hours ago

• Yahoo

Grandfather pens letter to PM after death in custody

The grandfather of a 24-year-old man who died in custody has drafted an open letter to the prime minister calling on Canberra to step in and address "madness" in the Northern Territory's justice system. The senior Warlpiri leader and kin of Kumanjayi White, who died after being forcibly restrained by two plain clothes officers inside a supermarket in Alice Springs in May, said justice in the Territory was "in crisis". "Your government in Canberra has total power over the NT," Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, a Yuendumu man, wrote. "The prisons are so full they need private security guards; guards on buses and public housing officers are being given guns - this madness must stop." The letter addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed ahead of protests in Sydney and Alice Springs on Saturday to demand justice for Mr White. The senior Indigenous leader renewed his call for an independent investigation into the death of his grandson. The family has also been calling for the release of CCTV footage and for the officers involved to be stood down while the investigation takes place. Federal minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, backs an independent inquiry but despite broad support, the NT government has rejected the proposal, saying NT Police are best-placed to investigate the death. Police allege Mr White, who had a mental disability and was in care, was shoplifting and assaulted a security guard. In his letter, Mr Hargraves demanded immediate action from the Commonwealth, including withholding funding to the NT government until it agreed to an independent probe. "You used this power to take away all our rights, our jobs and our assets with the NT Intervention 18 years ago today," he said. "Now we demand action from Canberra to see that our rights are restored and we are protected from the racist Country Liberal Party government." Speaking ahead of a meeting of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap in Darwin on Friday, Senator McCarthy said deaths in custody had to end and the federal government was deeply concerned about the issue. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was shot by then-NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a botched arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges over the death in 2022. Protesters in Sydney gathered to respond to a policing conference involving the former police officer but the first responders event has since been cancelled, according to the rally organisers.

E&E News

8 hours ago

• E&E News

Megabill could derail hundreds of planned clean energy projects

House and Senate Republicans are divided over how hard a blow their megabill should strike against the clean energy tax credits at the heart of Joe Biden's climate law. Hundreds of projects — overwhelmingly in Republican districts — hang in the balance. An analysis by POLITICO identified 794 wind farms, solar plants, battery storage facilities and other clean electricity generation projects that have not yet begun construction and could be at risk of losing two crucial tax breaks if the House prevails in rolling back Democrats' 2022 climate law. A competing proposal from the Senate Finance Committee would make a less aggressive attack on the law's incentives — but even then, hundreds of those projects could still lose all or part of the tax breaks if they don't move fast enough to start construction. Advertisement The ultimate shape of the Republicans' 'big beautiful bill' stands to have a major impact on the wave of clean energy projects that Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act helped launch across the country, with implications for jobs, climate change and the United States' ability to meet the power demands of technologies such as artificial intelligence. Clean energy makes up the majority of new power capacity expected to be added to the nation's electric grid during the next five years, according to a POLITICO analysis of data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

CNN

14 hours ago

• CNN

What is a heat dome?

What is a heat dome? The hottest temperatures of the year so far will soon reach the eastern half of the United States as a brutal heat dome starts to build over the weekend. Dangerous, record-breaking heat will impact millions next week. CNN's Tyler Mauldin explains. 00:52 - Source: CNN Trump creates 'breathing space' for Iran After President Donald Trump announced he would make a decision on military action against Iran within two weeks, European and Iranian official are meeting for discussions in Geneva, Switzerland. CNN's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance gives his analysis on the diplomatic talks and what comes next. 01:01 - Source: CNN Aftermath of Iranian strike on Haifa CNN's Nic Robertson shows the aftermath of an Iranian strike on Haifa, Israel, less than an hour after it made impact. The strike wounded at least 17 people according to Israeli national emergency service MDA. 00:48 - Source: CNN Jewish GOP Congressman says he was 'run off the road' GOP Rep. Max Miller said he was 'run off the road' on his way to work in Ohio by an individual who yelled "Death to Israel" and had a Palestinian flag. Miller is Jewish and describes himself as a staunch defender of Israel. 00:50 - Source: CNN Iran's foreign minister responds to Trump's call for negotiations After President Trump opened a two-week negotiating window before he decides whether to strike Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the country is not seeking negotiations with the United States. 00:16 - Source: CNN Obama's energy secretary on Iran's ability to make a nuclear bomb CNN's Erin Burnett speaks with Ernest Moniz, the former US energy secretary under Obama and negotiator of the Iran nuclear deal, about the country's nuclear capabilities. 02:03 - Source: CNN CDC official who resigned warns of 'older adults dying unnecessarily' Former infectious disease expert Dr. Fiona Havers speaks with CNN's Jake Tapper after resigning from the CDC citing concerns about changes to the agency's vaccine processes under US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 01:02 - Source: CNN IAEA chief says report on Iran's nuclear program 'not new' CNN's Anderson Cooper speaks with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi about the watchdog agency's report findings cited in part by Israeli authorities for its attacks on Iran. 03:24 - Source: CNN Scores killed in Gaza in latest Israeli strikes Israeli strikes in Gaza killed more than 70 people on Thursday, with multiple children dying. Injured children, screaming in pain, were brought to Baptist Hospital in Gaza City and other children appeared lifeless as they were carried into the ward. 00:45 - Source: CNN Video appears to show increase in aerial activity over Tehran CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports on the ground in Tehran, Iran, and witnesses increased aerial activity over the city as the Israel-Iran conflict continues. 01:02 - Source: CNN FDA approves twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV A drug already used to treat HIV has now been given FDA approval to prevent new infections, and the drugmaker says it is remarkably effective. 01:20 - Source: CNN Trump to allow two weeks before deciding on US strike in Iran In a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a statement from President Donald Trump regarding a US strike on Iran. 00:32 - Source: CNN Iranian missile strikes major Israeli medical center CNN's International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson, reports from Beer Sheva, Israel, where a hospital was struck during an Iranian attack. Iran said it was targeting an Israeli intelligence and command center 'near a hospital.' There have been no reported deaths from the strike. 01:04 - Source: CNN Trump admin. to end 988 suicide prevention service for LGBTQ+ youth The Trump administration is ending the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth on July 17. CNN's Jacqueline Howard reports. 01:01 - Source: CNN Israel's defense minister: Khamenei cannot 'continue to exist' Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cannot be allowed to 'continue to exist,' after an Israeli hospital was struck by an Iranian missile on Thursday. 00:13 - Source: CNN SpaceX Starship rocket explodes An explosion occurred late Wednesday night at SpaceX's Starbase facility in South Texas. A Starship rocket preparing for its tenth flight test experienced a 'major anomaly,' SpaceX says. There were no injuries and all employees are accounted for, according to SpaceX. The cause of the explosion and the extent of any damage are unclear. CNN has reached out to local police and fire departments for more information. 00:35 - Source: CNN Sole survivor of Air India crash mourns brother Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the only survivor among 242 on board an Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. On Wednesday Ramesh attended the funeral for his brother, who died in the tragedy. 00:30 - Source: CNN Hear former President Obama's warning about direction of the US Former President Barack Obama warned that the United States is 'dangerously close' to becoming 'consistent with autocracies' during a civic group event in Connecticut. 00:56 - Source: CNN Anne Burrell dead at 55 Anne Burrell, a chef and television personality whose joyful demeanor made her a beloved fixture on the Food Network, has died, according to the network. She was 55. 00:38 - Source: CNN NYC mayoral candidate arrested at immigration court New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was released from federal custody Tuesday afternoon, hours after he was arrested by officers at an immigration court in Manhattan when he tried to escort a migrant whom officers were attempting to arrest. 01:48 - Source: CNN Trump's new phone looks a lot like one from China The Trump Organization says its upcoming T1 smartphone will be 'proudly designed and built in the United States.' But experts tell CNN they're skeptical that goal can be achieved-- and say the T1's specifications are strikingly similar to a Chinese-made phone already on the market. 01:07 - Source: CNN This is how the US could get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports on how the US could get involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran while the countries continue trading strikes for a sixth day, with civilians in flashpoint areas facing waves of attacks. 02:14 - Source: CNN Trump's sons announce mobile phone company Trump Mobile, a wireless service created by the Trump Organization, aims to rival US carrier companies like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. The Trump Organization, run by President Donald Trump's eldest sons Eric and Donald Jr., announced the business and launched a new gold smartphone for pre-order. 01:09 - Source: CNN