National's oily mates love burning coal

You’ve probably noticed the National Party criticising the Labour and Green Coalition Government recently about the amount of coal that’s being imported into New Zealand.

In fact they’ve been incessantly repeating their disapproval about imported coal for well over a year now, which is getting a bit tedious to say the least.

There is however a major problem with National’s recurring coal condemnation, and that is the Government doesn’t actually control the power companies anymore.

That’s because the industry was deregulated and most of the power companies privatised (contrary to what voters wanted) under John Key’s neoliberal Government. So any say the current Government has about what power companies use as fuel is somewhat limited.

Surely shipping millions of tonnes of coal from Indonesia is worse for the environment than using our own natural resources? pic.twitter.com/SrDlqyLWwk

— NZ National Party (@NZNationalParty) July 31, 2021

It’s no secret that the oil industry prefers there to be a National Party in power, obviously because the right wing is more conducive to facilitating a carbon dependent future. And as I’m sure you’re aware, one of the best ways to initiate a change of Government is to hit voters in the pocket.

There are a number of ways to achieve this, one of them being to manipulate the energy market by limiting the supply of natural gas, which would cause higher generating costs and therefore increased electricity bills for consumers.

In December of last year, RNZ reported:

Problems at offshore fields lead to reduced natural gas production

Gas supplies are set to be reduced because of problems at several of the country's biggest fields.

Contact Energy has been told its allocation of gas from the offshore Maui and Pohokura fields will be cut by 3.7 petajoules (PJ) to 10.6 PJ for next year, down about a quarter on its supply for 2020.

The primary issue appears to be with the Pohokura field where there has been an unexpected and unexplained fall in production.

The field's operator, Austrian-owned OMV, has been investigating why Pohokura's output has fallen as much as 15 percent after maintenance work on several wells earlier in the year.

It’s almost as if someone just turned the gas off for some reason.

In September, the company brought into operation a large compressor to increase production from the field which supplies 40 percent of the country's natural gas.

OMV said it was still looking into the fall in production from offshore wells, but expected tests might provide some causes and possible remedies.

"The production outlook for 2021 remains uncertain and it is too early to indicate the impact of the ongoing well interventions or any future work that may be undertaken in 2021," the company said in a posting on a gas industry website.

OMV said it expected production from Pohokura for next year to be around 39 PJ, which compared with 67.7 PJ produced in the 2019 calendar year.

Unexpected outages of the field in 2019, which reduced gas supplies, were a factor in a major spike in wholesale electricity prices which affected thousands of consumers.

Since then, OMV hasn’t bothered to provide any valid reasons for such a significant drop in production. The Government and public are simply meant to accept these huge reductions from numerous producing natural gas fields without any proper explanation at all.

NZ just burned the most coal in 5 years. The ban on oil and gas exploration will make us more dependent on coal. The Govt doesn't have a plan to make up for energy sources they're cutting. We need a real solution to get us on the path to low emissions. https://t.co/rAKX2PBt1q

— NZ National Party (@NZNationalParty) January 23, 2019

There’s no question that National is the preferred party of the oil and gas industry, not only because they’re climate change deniers, but also because National would once again allow ocean exploration permits to try and find new oil and gas deposits.

Being that National are close allies with the petrochemical industry, you’ve got to wonder if the unexplained gas shortages are intentional in order to increase power prices and therefore provide the opposition with ammunition against the Government?

It’s certainly a shoe that appears to fit both National and their oily mates perfectly.

Cynical petrol prices and Judith Collins

The Minister of Energy and Resources, Judith Collins, isn’t very happy that fuel prices have increased right before the election. Clearly this undermines National’s claims that everything is just fine and dandy, and there’s no need to change the government.

With most people’s wallet’s being emptier these days, Collin’s has been trying to gain public support by waging a fake war on petrol companies. That’s because the cost of petrol, with the government taking a whopping 66 cents per litre in fuel excise tax, is a very touchy political subject. National knows from experience that mishandling the cost of petrol debate could hurt them at the polls.

There is no question that most households and businesses are affected by fuel prices. This also means the economy is directly linked to the commodity of petrol. So of course the National party has to look like they give a damn about how hard people are being hit in the pocket at the pump.

Yesterday, Stuff reported:

Energy Minister accuses petrol companies of 'cynical' price rise around school holidays

Energy Minister Judith Collins is accusing the fuel industry of "cynical" price changes, as a battle brews over the accuracy of official data.

On Thursday Collins revealed she had written to fuel companies formally registering her disappointment at recent price increases.

While she said she did not have evidence to accuse the fuel companies of collusion, Collins said the companies were quickly matching each other on price movements.

Earlier this year Collins ordered a report into the fuel market. Shortly before the study - which warned prices may be too high - was released, official figures from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) suggested fuel margins plunged.

So Judith Collins and MBIE got the timing of the reports release slightly wrong. If what has been claimed is to be believed, the report caused petrol prices to decline in June, and not August and September when the most could be politically gained from the reports release.

The price of petrol is a very powerful political tool. For instance, in 2008, a huge increase in the cost of petrol right before the general election was used by John Key and the National party to undermine the Labour led government.

In 2008, Scoop reported:

2008: A Fresh Start for New Zealand

John Key MP National Party Leader

Well, I’ve got a challenge for the Prime Minister. Before she asks for another three years, why doesn’t she answer the questions Kiwis are really asking, like:

Why, after eight years of Labour, are we paying the second-highest interest rates in the developed world?
Why, under Labour, is the gap between our wages, and wages in Australia and other parts of the world, getting bigger and bigger?

Why, under Labour, do we only get a tax cut in election year, when we really needed it years ago?
Why are grocery and petrol prices going through the roof?
Why can’t our hardworking kids afford to buy their own house?
Why is one in five Kiwi kids leaving school with grossly inadequate literacy and numeracy skills?
Why, when Labour claim they aspire to be carbon-neutral, do our greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at an alarming rate?

Why hasn’t the health system improved when billions of extra dollars have been poured into it?
Why is violent crime against innocent New Zealanders continuing to soar and why is Labour unable to do anything about it?

Those are the questions on which this election will be fought.

Strangely enough, after nine long years of a National led government, most of those questions can still be asked. For instance, why are grocery and petrol prices still going through the roof?

The main reason for the current changes in the price of fuel is because New Zealand imports around half of the oil it requires and since mid June the Brent crude price has gone up from $46 USD per barrel to around $54 per barrel. That's a 17% increase within three months.

Much of the rise in oil pricing is due to fears over supply because of a threat of another war. But some of the increase is also because of the falling NZD against the greenback. But those facts haven't stopped the National led government trying to grandstand over increasing fuel prices.

In June, Stuff reported:

Inside New Zealand's mysterious fuel price plunge

The AA and Gull say the big petrol companies are only offering low prices because of the imminent release of Fuel Market Financial Performance Study findings - which they have not seen.

The petrol companies, who have also not seen the report, say prices are low because of international price drops.

AA's petrol price spokesman Mark Stockdale says those two factors are not enough alone to justify the sharp drops.

"The AA monitors commodity prices and exchange rates because these are the things that petrol companies say lead to changes in the retail prices.

"It is good that prices are down, but our monitoring shows it is not because of what the commodity prices and exchange rates show.

"It is very unusual for us to see fuel companies cut prices by more than the reduction in those costs."

Energy Minister Judith Collins said the study into rising petrol prices, conducted by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, would be completed by the end of June.

Clearly whatever measures the National party have employed in the past to decrease or increase the cost of petrol at the pump right before an election haven’t been enough this time round.

Even with Judith Collins’ calculated release of a study into rising petrol prices to try and manipulate companies into charging less wasn’t enough. The increased cost of oil has overpowered Collins’ crude market manipulations.

This is yet another blatant attempt by the National party to trick people into believing that they actually give a damn about the rising cost of living. They don’t, and that’s another very good reason to change the government at this election.

Oil giants illegal spying on Greenpeace NZ

The tools employed by big business interests to undertake surveillance on activists around the world are extensive. Make no bones about it; if you oppose destructive business practices, you will likely be monitored. But just how legal is it for multinational companies to spy on New Zealand citizens in their private lives? Well I guess we’re about to find out.

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

Exclusive: Greenpeace says it has caught spies in the act

Greenpeace New Zealand executive director Russel Norman told the Herald the surveillance included tracking people in their private lives.

The environmental lobby group has filed a civil suit in the High Court against Thompson & Clark Investigations alleging breach of privacy and seeking an injunction to stop the surveillance.

Nick Thompson, a director of Thompson & Clark, last night said the firm was bemused by Greenpeace's claim and would respond appropriately in due course.

Thompson & Clark (who've taken their website down) denying the accusations is par for the course really. It's not the first time they've gotten into trouble for questionable surveillance practices either.

Thompson & Clark (TCIL) has previously been caught using paid informers to spy on community groups in New Zealand. They often claim that animal and environmental organisations and their activists are extremists. However they've never been able to point out any real illegality anywhere.

The lobby group claims to have caught two people spying in "a reverse sting" after it was tipped off that the group was under almost daily surveillance, Norman said.

The group had also been leaked documents. Together they had led Greenpeace to believe they have been the target of a sustained campaign for some years.

Norman said the group had evidence that dossiers - including photographs, vehicle registrations and home addresses - had been compiled on dozens of staff and supporters.

"We have discovered that Greenpeace has been subject to systematic highly intrusive investigations by Thompson & Clark [Investigations] and people working for them," Norman said.

Make no mistake, the oil and gas industry will stop at nothing to get at our precious resources. Not only would it in most cases be better off if we left the oil in the ground, New Zealand receives a pittance of what our resources are actually worth as way of remuneration.

The fact that Greenpeace NZ has Thompson & Clark's spying dossier’s will mean this is a pretty cut and dry case. The oil giants involved in this illegal activity should really be shitting themselves, because this could have wider legal ramifications for their destructive industries.

A statement of claim alleges that, "since at least 2014, Thompson & Clark has been engaged by Statoil ASA, a multinational oil and gas company with its headquarters in Norway, and Anadarko Petroleum, an American oil and gas company, to provide intelligence about Greenpeace and its operations".

Approached for comment, a staff member of Thompson & Clark said that the directors Gavin Clark and Nicholas Thompson were currently unavailable.

Requests for comment have been sent to Statoil and Anadarko.

This will be huge international news and mean the Texas and Norway based oil and gas companies could face a hefty penalty for their illegal spying in New Zealand.

In my opinion this is not only a breach of New Zealand’s privacy laws, it’s also a breach of our espionage law because it prejudices the security and defence of New Zealand.

However I doubt that the courts will view it the same way, because they don’t see Greenpeace as a defender of New Zealand against unscrupulous big business interests.

Rex Tillerson - Asshole of the Week

It’s been great to see the frosty response to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on his quick visit to New Zealand this week. The oil baron will leave without any doubt that Kiwi’s like most of the world don’t accept the Trump administration’s climate change denial and huge leap backwards into potential climate chaos.

Yesterday, Stuff reported:

US Secretary of State defends Trump on trade, climate change

Tillerson got a hostile reception from the locals, a reminder of our disagreements on issues like climate change from Prime Minister Bill English, and had to defend the US presence commitment to the region in the wake of isolationist policies enacted by the Trump administration.

But Tillerson's message for Kiwis was clear - the US is not retreating. On climate change, and trade, Tillerson defended the Trump administration's record.

Yeah! The Trump administration’s record… That’s a good one.

Not only did the former head of oil giant ExxonMobil, a company responsible for disasters like the Exxon Valdez, make excuses for why the US pulled out of the Paris Agreement, he also tried to justify Trump changing policy that will undoubtedly increase harmful CO2 emissions.

"I don't think anyone should interpret the US has stepped away from these issues, or is seeking to isolate itself. Indeed one of the reasons I'm in the region, one of the reasons Vice President [Mike] Pence has already been in the region, [defence secretary Jim]  Mattis has been in the region, is to reaffirm to everyone that the US views this region in the world as extremely important to our national security interests and our own economic and prosperity interests. And I think you can expect ...to see an elevated level of engagement to that which you saw in the past eight years.

What a load of waffle! I mean what exactly does Tillerson think will happen when the United States expands its oil production? Things like Trump allowing seismic testing and drilling for oil in the Atlantic Ocean is only going to result in more greenhouse gas emissions.

Not only will such environmentally irresponsible drilling be potentially disastrous, it will also mean more money for people like Rex bloody Tillerson that will be used to fund various Republican groups to try to keep Trump in power. Political corruption in other words.

Make no mistake, the Trump administration is working for the oil industry because it basically is the oil industry. The only value they see in New Zealand is our military strategic location and the potential to gain access to our resources for cents on the dollar.

On Tuesday, the NZ Herald reported:

Fact or fiction: Tillerson on the United States' 'unparalleled' climate change record

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson defended his country's record on climate change during a whistle-stop visit to Wellington today.

At a press conference following bilateral talks, Tillerson was challenged on the US decision to withdraw from the Paris accord on climate change.

What he said:

"The United States has an extraordinary record of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, possibly unparalleled by anyone else.

"Our greenhouse gas emissions are at levels that were last seen in the 1990s.

Obviously Barack Obama’s environmental legacy shouldn’t give Trump and his oily cronies a free pass to now increase oil production and pollution. That’s about the dumbest excuse for increasing CO2 emissions I’ve heard so far.

So for putting future generations at risk, multiple crimes against nature and being in charge of a company that actively funded climate change deniers for 27 years, Rex Tillerson wins this week’s Asshole Award. Let's hope the US listens to the world and votes these bastards out.

Honest Government Advert - Corporate Welfare

The Australian Government just released this advert about its $1b handout to Adani for his reef-killing, water-guzzling, climate-changing, ancestral land-desecrating mega coal mine - and it's surprisingly honest and informative.

Greenpeace's Climate and Oil TV Advert

A fantastic speech by Emma Thompson

A fantastic speech from Emma Thompson at the Climate march ~ London Sept 2014

#PeoplesClimateMarch

Join the Deep Sea Oil Hikoi

Auckland Tuesday the 30th September - Mid day

https://www.facebook.com/events/830929780272338/

Carbon

CARBON is the first film in the Green World Rising Series.

“Carbon” is narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, presented by Thom Hartmann and directed by Leila Conners. Executive Producers are George DiCaprio, Earl Katz and Roee Sharon Peled. Carbon is produced by Mathew Schmid and was written by Thom Hartmann, Sam Sacks, Leila Conners and Mathew Schmid. Music is composed and performed by Jean-Pascal Beintus and intro drone by Francesco Lupica. Carbon is produced by Tree Media with the support of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

Help children save the Arctic LEGO

Children love the Arctic and they love LEGO too. And now kids are leading the campaign to ask LEGO to break their partnership with Shell - an unethical corporation who are threatening to destroy the beautiful Arctic with oil drilling. Click here to sign Greenpeace’s petition.

Planet Key

Planet Key is written and performed by Darren Watson. The video was created by Jeremy Jones from Propeller Motion. This project is entirely self funded so by buying this song you are also contributing to the cost of this work. Think of it as helping with the trickle down.

Oily pigs at the trough

We all know that National MP Simon Bridges is a lackey for the oil and gas industry. But what wasn't readily apparent is just how much taxpayer's money the Energy and Resources Minister is willing to throw at his oil baron masters.

While the government is making numerous and severe cuts that have caused many public services to decline or no longer be available, National MP's are living it up and throwing elaborate parties for their mates with no expenses spared.

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

Spending on oil barons draws criticism

Minister says $22,000 on food and drink over four days isn’t a misuse of Government money.

Mr Bridges yesterday revealed the breakdown of the $237,000 in taxpayers' money that went towards the New Zealand Oil & Gas Summit 2011.

It included:

• $22,000 on catering, including meals at top restaurants Martin Bosley's and Logan Brown

• $37,000 on accommodation at the Intercontinental Hotel

• $12,000 on corporate box Rugby World Cup hosting

• $10,000 on activities, including a sailing trip and a winery tour

• $20,000 on a welcome reception

• $40,000 on a one-day seminar

The remaining $96,000 is understood to have gone towards event and project management.

How on earth was Simon Bridges able to waste $96,000 on event management?

The government spending a quarter of a million dollars on wining and dining oil execs is bad enough, especially when there's no measurable financial return for such a huge investment, but when you consider that many Kiwi families are struggling to even put food on the table then such expenditure is entirely unacceptable!

These people are rich enough to pay for themselves and don't require government handouts. Furthermore, the government already subsidizes the oil and gas industry to the tune of $81 million dollars per year, so why should we provide them with any further taxpayer incentives to do business in New Zealand?

This blatant troughing must end and the best way to do that is to change the government in September.

National hates Dolphins

We all should know by now that the iconic Maui's dolphin is on the brink of extinction, with only 55 adults remaining. That's why it's highly important to try and reduce any harmful industry activity the mammals are or could be exposed to, or so you would think.

Instead of listening to the scientists on this matter, the National led government is determined to undertake oil exploration and drilling in the critically endangered dolphins habitat. This is despite the proposed oil and gas industry activity being proven to be harmful to mammals.

Today, Stuff reported:

The Green Party says mineral mining permits have been granted across a third of a marine sanctuary inhabited by Maui's Dolphins.

Today the party released maps comparing sightings of the endangered mammals with areas where mining companies have been granted exploration permits on the west coast of the North Island.

The maps show there have been 254 sightings of the dolphins.

There's no doubt that the government's decision will result in more dolphin deaths.

Instead of treating another sentient being with the respect it deserves, National will allow a risky business to undertake dangerous activity that will undoubtedly have a detrimental impact on Maui's dolphin's, pushing them even closer to extinction.

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges said the Government had taken steps to tighten regulation around mineral exploration, and the permits were for prospecting, with more onerous requirements if the companies elected to progress to drilling.

"Using an evidence-based approach there has been no harm to Maui's Dolphins [from mineral exploration]", Bridges told Radio New Zealand.

This is another blatant lie by a National MP. The negative effect on mammals like the Maui's dolphin's from seismic testing is well documented. There are also a number of studies showing how drilling waste and petroleum-based substances have an adverse effect on whales and dolphins. Here's one of them (PDF).

It’s simply not good enough for Simon Bridges to claim that there's no evidence when there obviously is. He's a Minister of the Crown after all and should at least have a basic understanding of what the scientific research (PDF) is saying.

Instead, the dishonest Energy and Resources Minister appears to be no more than a sock-puppet for the oil and gas industry, which is yet another good reason to change the government come the September general election.

More oily recipes from National Party headquaters

H/T Greenpeace New Zealand

Get Free of Deep Sea Oil

Deep Sea Drilling - A Local Perspective

No drill, no spill

It's time to Get Free - TVC

It's time to Get Free! #GetFreeNZ

Confronting Arctic oil

PM stokes fears over deep sea drilling

Today, NewstalkZB reports:

PM allays fears over deep sea drilling

The Prime Minister's adamant the public's not going to be muzzled over deep sea drilling projects.

The Government's considering a law change that would make application for offshore exploratory drilling non-notified.

A law change which essentially means the public won't know about where and when seismic testing is taking place and exploratory wells are being drilled. They also won't be allowed a say in any decision making. If that's not muzzling the public, I don't know what is.

But John Key doesn't think that locks people out of having a say on such projects.

"This is at the exploratory stage and if eventually they go to full exploration, then that will go through the normal process with normal consents and public input."

This subsequent law change is of course because the government has realised their "Anadarko Amendment" to make protesting at sea illegal will simply be ignored. There are many New Zealander's who are strongly opposed to deep sea oil drilling and will risk prosecution to stand up for what is right.

Instead of listening to the people of New Zealand, the government is trying to win the argument by removing people's access to information. They are trying to remove people's right to peacefully oppose dangerous industries that have proven disastrous to the environment on more occasions than I would like to number.

Yesterday, Stuff reported:

Environmentalists say the exploration stage is risky with a danger of spills. The Deepwater Horizon disaster took place during drilling a deep exploratory well, killing 11 crewmen and sending millions of barrels of oil gushing into the sea for 87 days.

A study by Scandinavia's largest independent research organisation SINTEF shows more than a third of blowouts take place during exploratory drilling.

Clearly oil exploration isn't the benign industry that the government is making it out to be. It is a highly dangerous and risky enterprise and therefore something the public should be notified about.

Why isn't this decision going though a parliamentary select committee? By ignoring proper process and trying to limit the public's say on such decisions, the government is once again acting undemocratically. They therefore don't deserve to govern.