>
>Subject: Gunnedah submissions needed now
>Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 12:36:04 +1000
>X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
>X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600
>
>The so-called EIS for the proposed Gunnedah Charcoal Plant is currently on
>exhibition. Attached are list of possible points for submissions, please
>network far and wide and start getting those letters in.
>
>
>Text version below:
>
>STOP THEM INCINERATING YOUR FORESTS
>DO SOMETHING TODAY TO SAVE A TREE (OR SEVERAL MILLION
>TREES)
>WRITE A LETTER OBJECTING TO THE GUNNEDAH CHARCOAL PLANT
>
>A charcoal plant is proposed for Gunnedah. It will
>consume 230,000 tonnes of wood a year for the next 40
>years. The charcoal will then be taken to Lithgow and
>used to make silicon metal. Trees will initially be
>sourced from public lands in north-east NSW from the
>Hunter Valley north, and from private lands on the New
>England Tablelands and inland. In a few years western
>public lands will also be incorporated, including the
>Pilliga - the largest expanse of western woodland
>remaining.
>
>If you think it is a dumb idea to burn our native
>forests for charcoal, then add your voice to those of
>us putting our objections in writing. All you have to
>do is write to:
>Department of Urban Affairs and Planning
>Development and Infrastructure Assessment
>GPO Box 3927
>Sydney, NSW, 2001
>
>Mark your letter to the attention of Scott Jeffries
>(ref. DA No. 248-07-00). Then say you object to the
>proposed Gunnedah charcoal plant because: (you can use
>some of these reasons, or give whatever reasons you
>want)
>
>1. The north-east forests are amongst the most
>biodiverse in the world and the proposal is a direct
>threat to the survival of many rare and inadequately
>reserved ecosystems and species.
>2. It is unacceptable that oldgrowth forests are still
>being logged and are intended to be targeted for
>charcoal.
>3. Ironbarks are extremely important nectar sources for
>a variety on native birds and insects, despite the fact
>that these are to be one of the principal timbers
>targeted there has been no attempt to identify the
>impacts of removing ironbarks from the western
>woodlands, particularly on endangered species such as
>the Regent Honeyeater.
>4. The so-called EIS fails to meet the Director-
>General's requirements and detail where the wood is
>coming from and what types of wood will be required.
>5. It is misleading to call the timber being used
>'forest waste' as there is no intent to use only
>genuine sawmill waste but rather to just cut down more
>trees.
>6. Logging in north-east NSW's public forests is
>already recognised as being unsustainable, this
>proposal will compound this problem and provide an
>incentive to increase clearfelling.
>7. Private land logging for charcoal is proposed to be
>undertaken, yet the EIS fails to identify where this is
>to happen, the volumes involved or even mention the
>environment to be affected or impacts that will result.
>8. Private land logging in western NSW is virtually
>unregulated, and this project gives farmers an
>incentive to cut down trees that are more important as
>a salinity buffer and fauna habitat.
>9. Contrary to the Director General's requirements, the
>EIS doesn't identify which sawmills will be processing
>the wood, how much they will be processing, or the
>transport routes to and from the mills.
>10. Without accurate identification of trucking routes
>it is impossible to assess how rural communities will
>be affected by increased degradation of local roads and
>decreased road safety.
>11. It is unacceptable that rural ratepayers are going
>to subsidise the company by paying for increased road
>maintenance.
>12. The EIS doesn't fully assess the greenhouse
>impacts of the proposal and makes no attempt to
>identify means of compensating for the increased
>emissions of CO2 that will result.
>13. There are alternatives to converting native forests
>to charcoal - such as using plantation timber, making
>genuine waste wood into briquettes or using ultra clean
>coal.
>14. In the year 2000 it's a really stupid thing to be
>doing.
>
>Don't forget to put all of this into your own words,
>expand on the things you know about, put your name,
>address and signature, and send it in so it has arrived
>before 5pm, September 4.
>Then you can sleep well at night - for a while.
>For more information try www.nccnsw.org.au/forests or
>ring (02) 92792855
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