Northern Interconnector Pipeline - EIS released - Alerts and Bulletin Board

Northern Interconnector Pipeline - EIS released

Posted on Friday, June 29, 2007 at 09:52PM by

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Summary of this week’s events

    * Yesterday (28-6-07) the Federal Department of Environment and Water Resources finished their reconsideration, and stuck by their original decision that the Project is not a controlled action under the EPBC Act.
      This information has not yet been published on the Federal website, but it has been published today by the Qld Co-ordinator General. Here

    * The Terms of Reference for the EIS were immediately finalised, and can also be downloaded from the Qld CG website.
Here

    * The EIS report was also immediately released. The Executive Summary is available from the Qld CG website. Here:
      and the whole document is available from the proponent’s website

    * Interestingly, the Co-ordinator General’s site says “The EIS was released on 30 June 2007” which is tomorrow. But either way, the EIS was released somewhere between 0 and 48 hours after the completion of the Terms of Reference for the EIS. That is fast work.

      This makes me wonder about this statement on the Qld CG website regarding the ToR “The Terms of Reference for the EIS have been finalised considering the submissions received on the draft Terms of Reference.”
      Perhaps a more accurate statement would have been “The Terms of Reference for the EIS have been written to ensure they conform to the contents of the already-completed EIS report.”

    * There is a 30 day period for public comment on the EIS, ending 30th July 2007. Like they’re going to start listening now.

I sincerely hope that this is not a premonition of how the EIS process for Traveston plays out.

Update on Saturday, June 30, 2007 at 09:16AM by

stevem

We need to read these (linked above) documents and digest them and work out an appropriate plan of action.

The MRCCC has a meeting with the pipeline proponent on 13th July.

I am thinking that we might move the venue of this meeting to Obi Obi Creek downstreem of Baroon Pocket and give the EIS consultant a look at what the pipeline will impact on.

(The Mary River WRP, none of the studies undertaken in it’s formulation and the Obi OBi Creek management plan are not referenced in the EIS - even though we showed all these documents personally to the EIS consultant and to the federal EPBC assessors - and went through the predicted impacts on Obi Obi creek with them face to face)

Steve Burgess

Update on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 06:49AM by

stevem

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$400m pipeline could be white elephant: MP
15 November 2007

The State Coalition says a $400 million pipeline to Traveston Dam will be an expensive white elephant if the dam fails its Federal environmental assessment.

Coalition Infrastructure Shadow Minister Fiona Simpson said the State Labor Government was set to announce contracts for the next stage of work, as early as today, on the Northern Interconnector Pipeline Stage 2 (NPI 2) despite the fact the dam had not yet been approved.

“Whether or not you agree with Traveston Crossing Dam, it is pretty dumb to start contracts on this particular pipeline project before the dam is approved. Queenslanders could be paying up to $400 million for a very expensive pipe to a mere puddle,” the Maroochydore MP said.

“A pipeline without a dam is like a cart without a horse. It appears Premier Bligh is putting the cart before the horse because she is hell bent on media opportunities rather than the best non-climate dependent water sources for South East Queensland.”

The 65 km Stage 2 of the Northern Pipeline Interconnector is designed to specifically connect a new bulk supply, the Traveston Dam, to the rest of the water grid near Nambour.

“It is fraudulent for the Bligh Government to continue this pretence that this $400 million Stage 2 pipeline is independent of Traveston Dam and its real cost,” Ms Simpson said.

“This is a fanciful pretence so that the Government can understate the real cost of the Traveston Crossing Dam compared to cheaper alternatives such as desalination.

“The real cost of Traveston Crossing Dam is closer to $2.1 Billion when this dedicated Northern Stage 2 pipeline is taken into account. That makes desalination about $200 million cheaper than Traveston, without the need to flood 3000 hectares of land and destroy unique aquatic species.

“It is possible to have your water and drink it too without destroying the environment. However, it requires the Government to be honest about all the alternatives.”

Stage 1 of the Northern Pipeline Interconnector is already underway at a cost of $300 million and will connect Brisbane to an existing bulk supply at Baroon Pocket Dam by the end of next year. It differs from Stage 2, which will run north from the base of Baroon Pocket Dam up to Cooroy, but which does not yet have an approved major bulk supply to connect to

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