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Wednesday 29 June 2022
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Wetland way to cleaner water A TEAM effort to filter storm water before it enters Port Phillip at Rye has been recognised with an “infrastructure excellence” award. Before entering the bay, the water is collected in a foreshore bio infiltration basin, or wetland. The project overcame problems involving sand movement, high tides, storm surges and high groundwater levels to naturally filter the stormwater before it reached the bay. Benefits include improving the water quality and biodiversity and a boardwalk to improved beach access. This project, started after talks between Mornington Peninsula and Rye Community Group Alliance, was paid for by the shire, the state government (Port Philip Bay Fund) and Melbourne Water (Liveable Communities Liveable Waterways Program). Further details at mornpen.vic.gov. au/ryestormwaterbasin Mechelle Cheers, Brenda Lee, Crs Sarah Race and Susan Bissinger and Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Chris Lyne on the boardwalk overlooking the wetland “filter” at Rye. Picture: Yanni
Shire ‘no’ to Esso’s bid for power Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has called on the state government to investigate health risks and environmental impacts of a plan by Esso Resources to use ethane gas to generate electricity. Esso has an oversupply of ethane, a by-product from natural gas used at its fractionation plant at Long Island, Hastings. The company says burning the gas - or flaring-off - is the alternative to
setting up an ethane-driven electricity power plant. It says the plant will produce enough electricity to power 35,000 household a year will increase the peninsula’s greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent a year. While the decision on Esso’s power generation plan rests with Planning Minister Richard Wynne the shire, relegated to being classed as “a stakeholder”, can make a submission. At the Monday 20 June planning services committee meeting councillors voted six to three to oppose the plan despite a 13-page officer’s report
which stated, “the proposal’s climate change impacts are acceptable”. “Further, it is considered that environmental and amenity impacts resulting from the proposal do not warrant objection,” the report by principal planner Lachlan Howard stated. “Here we go again, industry thinking it can pull the wool over our eyes,” Cr Lisa Dixon said, listing the plan along with past proposals at Crib Point for a bitumen plant and AGL’s failed bid for a gas import terminal. Dixon said the report “appears light on detail” and did not mention the need for an EES, quantative risk assessment,
possible atmospheric pollution, Western Port’s internationally-recognised Ramsar wetlands or the need for an exclusion zone for aircraft, with Tyabb Airfield being 2.5 kilometres away. “To me, that is disgusting, really disgraceful.” Dixon said Esso held a public information session “but no one there could answer the questions being asked, which I find very disappointing”. Cr Steve Holland said by opposing Esso’s electricity generation plan council was “quickly cementing its reputation as the anti-gas shire”. “No gas, no electricity, no jobs — it's
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back to the dark ages,” he said. “My gut feeling is that the state government will probably approve this … you’re opposing an electricity generation project for the sake of it and against the recommendation of our officers. “All this does is signify that the council is happy to pump gas into the atmosphere, but not turn it into electricity. The mind boggles.” Cr David Gill likened Esso’s plan to Kawasaki Heavy Industries use of brown coal to produce hydrogen to be exported from the Port of Hastings to Japan. Continued Page 10