The Government's Renewable Energy (Electricity) Bill, to be debated in the Senate on Monday, will allow native forest woodchips to be burned for electricity, and big new dams to benefit from the assured renewable energy market without any Commonwealth scrutiny, Greens Senator Bob Brown said today.

"We want more renewable energy, but not from destroying forests and flooding vast areas of land and native vegetation. Most people think renewable energy is wind and solar power, and that is what we should be encouraging.

17th August 2000

Greens Senator Bob Brown has called on both the Tasmanian and Federal governments to explain the apparent absurdity of importing energy into Tasmania via Duke Energy's proposed gas pipeline, converting it into electricity at the Bell Bay thermal power station, and then exporting it back to the mainland via Basslink.

The burning of woodchips from Australia's wild forests will be subsidised and called 'renewable' under regulations which will follow the Howard Government's Renewable Energy Bill, released today.

"The Bill is far short of the mark for Australia to meet its Kyoto Protocol obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions", Greens Senator Bob Brown said today.