The Senate voted 39 to 32 to axe the 24.15 Australian dollar ($22.60) tax per metric ton of carbon dioxide that was introduced by the center-left Labor government in July 2012. Conservative lawmakers burst into applause as the vote tally was announced.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s conservative coalition government rose to power last year on the promise of getting rid of the tax, assuring voters that removing it would reduce household electricity bills. He plans to replace the measure with a taxpayer-financed AU$2.55 billion fund to pay industry incentives to use cleaner energy.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApCwoj35d3M]
Congrats Aussies!
http://joannenova.com.au/2014/07/carbon-tax-gone-australia-first-country-to-get-rid-of-a-price-on-carbon/
Happy Days!
Australian Greens alarmmunists are apoplectic! Saying “this is the end”.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of watermelons.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s … plans to replace the measure with a taxpayer-financed AU$2.55 billion fund to pay industry incentives to use cleaner energy.
Uh oh … the fly in the ointment?
Sounds like windmill subsidies …
.
a taxpayer-financed AU$2.55 billion fund
2.550.000.000 / 23.500.000(australians) = AU$108,51 pp
AU$108,51 /AU$22.60 = 4,80 metric ton of carbon dioxide pp
Family of 4 = AU$434,04
where am I wrong ?
The prime minister said families will be AU$550 a year better off now that the tax is gone.
So the original C tax would have been 434,04 + 550,00 =AU$ 984,04 pfamily
The scheme required entities which emit over 25,000 tonnes per year of Carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gases and which were not in the transport or agriculture sectors to obtain emissions permits.The Department of Climate Change said there were 260 liable entities in June 2013.[2] When related parties are identified, there are approximately 185 discrete companies which have paid carbon tax in 2013. Permits are either purchased or issued free as part of industry assistance measures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_pricing_in_Australia
So they changed it from an indirect tax to a direct tax ( = more government control) for the people. This is change you can believe in. Bravo.
One small Melbourne company makes aircraft parts. Up to 55% of these parts are exported. Their yearly turnover – between 6 to 8 Million dollars per year. Their annual Carbon Tax bill – 165 thousand dollars per year or around 3% of their turnover. The Carbon Tax couldn’t be passed on because that would have made them uncompetitive with overseas companies manufacturing the same goods. That 165 thousand $ was up to 40% of the company profits. The company wasn’t going bankrupt however made them very uncompetitive and their R&D was seriously compromised.
So government’s over-taxation is the real killer. (Big Government)
And what do they buy with your tax dollars.
http://youtu.be/pteMgYPm1xM
If you like your Carbon tax…you can keep paying your Carbon tax.
Mneawhile:
“Hungry U.S. Power Plant Turns to Russia for Coal Shipment”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-15/hungry-u-s-power-plant-turns-to-russia-for-coal-shipment.html?cmpid=yhoo
A few pertinent excerpts:
The Russian fuel appeals to power producers because it emits less sulfur than other coals, making it easier to comply with environmental rules, and has a high heat content, meaning it can produce more power per measure of fuel, Stevenson said.
…
Rail Service
Power producers have placed an emphasis on reliability of supply, whether it’s domestic or imported, as they try to increase inventories and navigate spotty rail service, said Frank Kolojeski, director of marketing at Exporting Commodities International Inc., a brokerage in Marlton, New Jersey.
“A lot of companies were reluctant to go out and buy spot coal because they weren’t sure it would get delivered,” he said in a July 2 telephone interview.
The U.S. imported 34 million tons of coal in 2008, a year in which the fuel accounted for 48 percent of electricity generation, government data show. Foreign purchases tumbled to 8.9 million tons by last year as coal’s share of electricity consumption dropped to 39 percent while gas use gained.
…
Rising Imports
In the first quarter, the most recent period for which data is available, U.S. imports ballooned 71 percent to 2.4 million tons, EIA data show.
Companies in the U.S. are finding bargains because the world is currently oversupplied, Stevenson said. “In some ways the Russian coal was a bird in the hand,” he said.
Thermal coal is used to generate electricity, while the metallurgical variety is needed to forge steel.
– – – –
And this:
“If you are on the Atlantic Coast, you have a chance to buy imported coal,” Stevenson said. “If you’re a utility you have to act now and throughout the second half of the year in case there’s a colder winter than last year.”
Life is a series of lessons.
Lessons will be repeated until learned.
Australia just voted itself into the “we learned” group.
Apparently, while America has lots of coal, almost all the anthracite coal (the good stuff) is gone.
http://energy.about.com/od/Coal/a/Anthracite-Coal.htm
“Heating value: Anthracite burns at the highest temperature of any coal (roughly 900 degrees or higher) and typically produces up to 13,000 to 15,000 Btu per pound. … Anthracite contains a great deal of fixed carbon (80 to 95 percent) and very low sulfur and nitrogen (less than 1 percent each). Volatile matter is low at approximately 5 percent, with 10 to 20 percent ash possible
On the other hand, Sibera is strip-mining and has some 200m tons of it available
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Anthracite
The high BTU’s and the low sulfer and nitrogen make it advantageous enough that it’s cheaper to import it tham to use the lower energy-content poorer grades and clean up their emissions.
Bill Clinton put the world’s largest deposit of super clean burning coals off limits when he made the area a monument.
http://www.laissez-fairerepublic.com/indocoal.htm
Good suggestion but Anthracite is best for producing special metallurgical alloys. Totally wasted producing electricity. Steaming coal is perfect for producing electricity, especially if you get the lower sulphur types. These days you can even capture the sulphur economically as sulphuric acid and re-use it in mineral processing. The only other emissions being fly ash (used in cement) and carbon dioxide (plant food) are both benign.
Alarmmunists are anti mining – which means they have no understanding of society or technology, because without mining, there is no modern society. I do agree with mining companies have best possible rehabilitation, to put the mine back as close as possible to what it was before hand. That’s why mining regulations are important.
Then on a front closer to home we find (no surprise) – EPA outsources Greenhouse gas regulations to the Natural Resources Defense Council .
Opening excerpt:
– – – – – –
DELEGATING THE DELEGATION .. OUTSOURCING REGULATION
POSTED ON JULY 16, 2014 BY STEVEN HAYWARD
It’s bad enough that Congress long ago took up the bad and unconstitutional habit of delegating its lawmaking authority to independent regulatory agencies—what we and others refer to as the central feature of the Administrative State. But this kind of unaccountable government is even more egregious when the regulators essentially outsource their assigned policymaking tasks to ideological interest groups.
That appears to be how the EPA came up with its recent proposed scheme to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. According to the New Yorks Times, the EPA essentially allowed the Natural Resources Defense Council to formulate the entire plan. In one of those now typical New York Times evasions, the original headline read “How Environmentalists Drew Blueprint for Obama Emissions Rule,” but now the headline reads: “Taking Oil Industry Clue, Environmentalists Drew Emissions Blueprint.” Nice bit of moral equivalence there, as if the oil industry had ever written an EPA rule. But there’s no evading reporter Coral Davenport’s expose of what went down:
EPA administrator Gina McCarthy rushed to denounce the story, but in a rather unconvincing fashion. But there’s a much larger point to be made about this episode.
– – – – –
bolding mine
More – see link above
.
Link – http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2014/07/delegating-the-delegation-or-outsourcing-regulation.php
Meanwhile the Australian Labour Party (the equivalent of the US Democrats) vow to bring it back if they win government, in conjunction with their Greens party allies. Although the Labour Party vowed not to introduce it prior to the last election, then introduced it, then vowed to “terminate” the carbon tax at the last election, and have now decided to bring it back. So their position could still change a half dozen times before the next election anyway.
Good post. Hopefully this tax is done, forever. Although I imagine that the tax was structured to get much more severe and painful as time passed, so I’m sure that the public got only a little taste of just the tip of that Carbon Tax iceberg … that would ultimately sink a Titanic economy. That’s kind of too bad because the people that try to revive the tax won’t face of public that had felt anywhere near the full brunt of it.
And about wind power, I was going to agree that yes many greens strongly oppose wind power (though a majority I guess support it). They oppose windmills for one of the same reasons we do, and it’s a REAL GOOD REASON.
From now on, it’s going backwards now for the fear mongering deceivers.
Arguably the leftist Chicken Littles had reached their high point at the end of 2008. At that point the USA had a president determined to push through a draconian cap & trade system that would cause energy prices to “skyrocket.” And they had super majorities in congress to boot. The meeting in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 would certainly create a rigid global system of strict controls on CO2 emissions and lifestyle. The future never looked so bright for the elitist Prophets of Doom.
But then…
Around 2009 people started to recognize that temperatures had been flat for over a decade. That wasn’t what their models had said would happen. And more and more people heard about the CO2 lag and the fact that the ipcc claim that it was proven that CO2 causes temperature change… was 100% absolutely not true.
Then Climategate hit like a thousands tons of bricks.
Hide the Decline. “It’s a travesty that we can’t account for the lack of heat.” Tell Mike to delete all our emails… “Make sure we keep skeptics from getting published.” Etc etc, Climategate hit a month before Copenhagen, and derailed that. Cap & trade, that had just passed the US House and called for hellish 83% cuts in CO2, was also… dead in the water. While many duped conservatives had started to drift into the leftist camp, by a year after Climategate nearly all conservatives had seen the light. (Yeah, with big exceptions like Chris Christie.) And now more and more independents, and even Democrats, are starting to join us.
It’s true that the Carbon Tax passed after Climategate, and Obama has dictated painful CO2 controls through the EPA. But now any more progress for the doomers is going to be rare. Ultimately Obama’s EPA controls will be stricken down. And more and more people will see the temperature.. dropping, the ice… growing, the sea level… remaining the same, the data manipulations, the media’s bullsh!t, and the nutcase predictions of doom and runaway warming not coming true. Oh, and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK_WyvfcJyg&info=GGWarmingSwindle_CO2Lag
It’s over folks. The warmists might as well start seriously thinking about abandoning this
global warmingclimate change fiasco, and finding another scam to get their dream of de-industrialization foisted upon an unwilling public.From the article I linked above:
When the President signed the Executive Order designating 1.7 million acres of land in southwest Utah as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, his action placed the area off limits to mineral extraction and development.
The New York Times reported that the monument encloses the largest coal field in the nation, the Kaiparowitz Plateau, which contains at least 7 billion tons of coal worth over $1 TRILLION.
Kentucky-based company Andalux Resources, which holds leases on 3,400 acres in the area, was planning to open a huge operation (underground, not strip mining) that would have generated 1,000 jobs, $1 million in annual revenue for Kane County, and at least $10 million a year in state and federal taxes, according to the New York Times. Folks living in the area wore black arm bands the day o the signing – but Clinton didn’t see them. He chose to make his announcement in a neighboring state. WHY?
Why did he do it? Why lock up $1 trillion worth of coal?
An obvious explanation is he was hoping to secure the environmentalist vote. Though that was no doubt part of his reasoning, he had surely achieved such an objective earlier this summer when he declared the huge area outside Yellowstone National Park a World Heritage Area. Let” look further.
In the weeks prior to the past election, revelations surfaced almost daily regarding donations from foreign sources to the Democratic Party and Clinton’s past campaigns. At the center of the controversy was another set of people to whom Clinton owes a few favors: the Lippo Group, a powerful $5 billion Indonesian conglomerate, founded and owned by the Riady family who, it turned out, had raised and funneled millions of dollars into campaign coffers.
Democrats attempted to downplay the allegations of impropriety. Even if the Clinton campaign and the Party did receive illegal contribution- which is denied -what, they demanded, had Clinton done for Lippo Group, the Riadys, or Indonesia that really affects this country adversely? Good question. The Payoff
Clinton’s announcement at the Grand Canyon was wrapped in political correctness. “Mining jobs are good jobs, and mining is important to our national security – but we can’t have mines everywhere, and we shouldn’t have mines that threaten national treasures,” he told his sycophantic audience.
But coal is not only important for our nation’s security. More importantly, at the present time it is the most cost-effective fuel for the electric plants that supply our homes and industries with light, heat and power.
Moreover, the coal at Kaiporowitz Plateau is a kind of coal that is not found “everywhere.” It is very low sulfur, low ash – hence, low polluting – coal, the kind in high demand for power plants, such as one being designed for Ensenada, Mexico. That megawatt giant, presently on the drawing boards, will supply electricity across northern Baja, an area plagued by brownouts.
Had it not been taken off the world market, the logical source of coal for the Baja plant would be the Kaiparowitz Plateau. Once mined it could be transported by rail to the ports of Long Beach or Los Angeles, then by barge to Ensenada. Thanks to Clinton, there will be no exporting of Kaiparowitz coal, which means the facility’s procurement people will have to look elsewhere for clean non-polluting fuel.
Only two other sources
Besides the Kaiparowitz Plateau, there are only two other known locations in the world where comparable coal is found in sufficient quantities to make mining it worthwhile. Colombia in South America is one, but it’ll be years before the necessary mining and shipping infrastructure is built.
The other? You got it. Indonesia.
That’s right – the coal fields of South Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia. Big plans are online for its development. Indonesia has been a source of coal for over a century, but the coal varies sharply in terms of quality. Recently, however, a coal that is very low in sulfur has been discovered. A number of coal companies are already there, and it’s a good bet Lippo Group money is involved. A major company is Adaro Indonesia, of which 20 percent is owned by the Spanish government, 50 percent by New Hope Corp., an Australian firm.
Envirocoal
According to the 1994 report Mineral Industry of Indonesia, by the bureau of Mines, U.S. Dept. of Interior, Adaro aims to produce 15 million tones by the year 2000 of what they call Envirocoal – a reference to its quality. Adaro has for several years anticipated the U.S. as a major market, and has one committed purchaser already: Tampa Electric Co., which signed a long-term contract to purchase 400,000 tones a year from the Indonesian firm.
To handle the shipping of the increased production, new shipping terminals are being constructed. One huge one is on a neighboring island at a cost of $1 billion. The P.T. Indonesia bulk Terminal, as the megaport is called, is owned 50 percent by New How, and 50 percent by “Indonesian interests” (the Lippo Group perhaps), according to the Interior Dept. report.
Massive coal deposits, massive shipping facilities – that spells massive investment, massive contracts. This isn’t some small-0is-beautiful eco-operation. We’re talking real money here, and it’s hard to imagine that the “Lippopotamus” is not in on the action. But even if Lippo’s not directly involved, the Indonesian government, with which Lippo has a cozy relationship, certainly does. So too will the various foreign investors and mining companies to whom the Indonesian government has extended an open invitation.
Winners and Losers
In any game there are winners and losers, and there are Americans in the first category – the investors who put their money in overseas coal mining, producers of natural gas, which the administration supports wholeheartedly.
Plus, there’s a deal between a Little Rock firm and Lippo. According to the ENERGY ECONOMIST for Sept., 1994, Entergy Group of Little Rock, in partnership with the Lippo Group of Hong Kong, signed a memorandum of understanding with the North China Power Corporation for the cooperative management and expansion of the $1 billion 1,200 megawatt coal-fired Daton 2 power plan in Shanxi Province. Isn’t that interesting And where do you think the coal will come from?
The Democrats’ question: What has Clinton done for Indonesia that harms the United States? The answer is – with a stroke of his pen he wiped out the only significant competition to Indonesian coal interests in the world market before it even got started, a move that at the same time relegates this country to importer status. His edict will force us into eventual dependency on foreign producers of coal as we are presently dependent on overseas sources for oil – an unconscionable situation considering that we have abundant deposits of both commodities.
The President has given our children a legacy of continued energy dependence, marked by contrived shortages and crises, the full impact of which will be sharply felt in the years to come.
Unfortunately the ALP and the Greens want to bring it right back again. Its like fighting the black knight. The sucker just won’t die.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
He plans to replace the measure with a TAXPAYER-financed AU$2.55 billion fund
Yep, we’re pretty happy little Vegemites over here in Australia now that that stupid tax is gone. The ALP / Greens marriage (not to mention the scaremongering predominantly Left-wing mainstream media) is still trying desperately hard to appeal to the un-intelligent masses who will believe that we are about to see Hell freeze over if it is drilled into their heads enough times.
Cheers for the overseas support over this decision. It’s great to see that we have been one of the forerunners in dismissing the ridiculous climate change argument in the world; I hope that other countries start to follow suit and put these silly ideas out of people’s heads once and for all.
Super hot 112F (44.4C), Dust Storm GLOBAL WARMING 1896 http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=FS18960124.2.29
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/snow-falls-in-melbournes-outer-suburbs-as-victoria-braces-for-extreme-weather-20140717-ztwfq.html and now record heat and its snowing WTF
I was reading Joanne Nova’s blog when the momentous occasion happened.
In 1911, it was well known that CO2 in the atmosphere was vitally important for the healthy growth of crops, but it was something we had no control over. LMAO – wanna bet?
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/69380008
Thank ‘whatever god you believe in’ it’s gone. If you want a diversion Steve, check out the loony left’s Orwellian-style manufactured quote after that “There will be no carbon tax..” lie (from 2:23 in link below). Apparently Saint Julia of Gillard said she would put a price on carbon, and said it directly after the no-tax quote….
Abbott campaigned in ’08 on sitting on his hands wrt to the global warming bill already in place, and he lost one of the closest elections in history. Rudd/Gillard gave him the perfect excuse to go on the offensive in the next election, and he won easily. Obviously internal squabbling among the Leftist camps loyal to Rudd and Gillard helped him.
Memo to self – Put Australia back on escape plan list.
Reblogged this on the WeatherAction Blog and commented:
By far the best headline I’ve seen!
Reblogged this on the WeatherAction Blog and commented:
By far the best headline I’ve seen!