Households will bear more than their fair share of increased energy costs when the next phase of the emissions trading scheme takes effect on Thursday, Prime Minister John Key has acknowledged.

The Sustainability Council recently suggested households would bear half of the cost of the ETS during its first five years despite accounting for just 19 per cent of all emissions.

Yesterday, at the start of a week in which the transport and electricity sectors come under the ETS, the PM conceded that “a disproportionate amount” would be paid by households under the scheme.

“But that’s because if we are too heavy handed with businesses … on day one, that runs the risk of those very same households potentially losing their jobs. That’s just the balance here.” (Read on …)

Thirty years ago it was one of the great environmental issues, along with the hole in the ozone layer and CFC chemicals. Now acid rain may be making a comeback – but this time, there’s a change in the chemicals responsible.

Nitrogen emissions from motor vehicles and agricultural fertilisers, are combining with rain to produce nitric acid, and are starting to replace the sulphuric acid resulting from power-station emissions as a major source of the environmental scourge of the 1970s and 1980s, according to American experts. (Read on …)

Fed up with dirty dairy farmers getting off lightly, Environment Waikato is set to appeal the next lenient penalty issued by a District Court judge.

It wants the High Court to establish case law to align fines with much higher penalties allowed by an overhaul of the Resource Management Act. (Read on …)

15 June 2010

A torn pipe that sent a plume of caustic fumes over an area of up to 6km stripping paint from cars has landed the company responsible a fine of $90,000.

Queensland Alumina Ltd was also ordered to pay $20,000 in investigation costs after pleading guilty in the Gladstone Magistrates Court today before Magistrate Damien Carroll to unlawfully causing serious environmental harm. (Read on …)

A Whangarei woman has taken a local authority to task over what she calls vandalism of a wetland reserve at one of Northland’s most beautiful coastal spots.

Fiona Furrell said she was shocked during a visit to family property at Houhora Heads, north of Kaitaia, last year to find 2ha of reserve drained and cleared of vegetation.

She said the Far North District Council had neither authority nor consents to make a sports field on Pukenui Domain.

The district council denies this, saying it was within its rights. However, work has stopped on the site and the drains have been plugged under orders of the Northland Regional Council.

NRC environmental monitoring manager Riaan Elliot said council water and soil plan rules were breached and a prosecution could not be ruled out. (Read on …)