The Smart Energy Council (SEC) is extremely concerned the Western Australian government is backing Woodside’s Browse gas project, despite clear indications from its environmental watchdog it poses unacceptable risks to pristine marine ecosystems.
“WA has huge opportunities to become a renewable energy and critical minerals superpower, exporting climate solutions to the world,” SEC Chief Executive John Grimes said.
“Woodside’s Browse project is the exact opposite of this”.
“Telling WA residents that their economic and energy future will continue to be at the expense of the environment is unsustainable.”
“Economic and employment prosperity for the state will be provided by critical minerals and renewable energy , not fossil fuels.”
“The WA government needs to focus on the enormous environmental and economic benefits of becoming a smart energy state, one that will deliver secure jobs and revenue streams to the community over corporations.”
“Allowing climate wrecking tax dodgers to write energy policy in WA that allows them to open up massively polluting gas fields off of the state’s precious coast is madness and has to stop.”
The SEC’s General Manager in WA, Wilf Johnston, says the state can play to its historic strength of being an energy powerhouse, but it cannot be business as usual.
“The cost of us producing energy for the world can no longer rest on the destruction of our pristine marine environments, and pumping massive amounts of pollution into the atmosphere,” he said.
“Arguments about gas being good for jobs and the economy in WA are in reality code for this is great for Woodside’s bottom line.”
“Western Australians have every right to ask if their government is writing energy policy here, or outsourcing it to the fossil fuel sector.”
