Us TOD ANZ editors just can't wait to get a Bullroarer up each day - I too have assembled a set of links for the day (mistakenly thinking that no morning post from Phil meant he wasn't doing one) - remarkably, the only story both Phil and I got was the Shell story from The Australian.

SMH - 'Bad' fuel policy now good: Turnbull

Opposition treasury spokesman Malcolm Turnbull says he supports a call for a cut in fuel tax because it is coalition policy. A leaked email reveals Mr Turnbull last week warned Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson against a fuel excise cut, calling it "bad policy". Dr Nelson went ahead to announce the policy in his budget reply speech last Thursday night. Mr Turnbull has denied leaking the email to The Australian newspaper today but has not disputed its contents. He now says he personally supports the policy.

WorldChanging - Carbon Accounting in New Zealand

Carbon trading is making headlines in New Zealand with changes to the way the government's proposed Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be phased in over the next few years.

Even with the delays, the ETS will come in to effect for liquid fuels in 2011 with stationary energy (coal, gas, etc) to follow and agriculture joining the program around 2013. Forestry will be the first sector to enter the scheme, effective immediately. The bill is currently before a parliamentary select committee, and is expected to be passed in June.

With a trading scheme on the horizon, the size and power of the carbon accounting industry in New Zealand is set to increase drastically. I met with Julia Hoare and Lara Phillips from the Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) Climate Change Team to gain insight on how the market looks at present, and the following information is based on that interview.

SMH - Solar threshold challenged

THE Federal Government will be lobbied to lift the threshold on the solar panel rebate, amid claims last week's budget left solar power with nothing. "The Government has come through on its climate initiatives, but with one stroke of a pen it's stopped an industry cold," said a spokeswoman for the Clean Energy Council, Irena Bukhshtaber. "We've been blindsided. The industry was not consulted and the consultation we had was not about this."

SMH - Holden revs up hybrid Commodore

Holden, the company that last year sold more V8s than any other time in its 60-year history, will sell a petrol-electric Commodore "within two years" - but it wants the Federal Government to give hybrid cars a tax break. In a surprise announcement today, General Motors's Asia-Pacific boss Nick Reilly, in Australia for an annual review, said the company would introduce hybrids in the next couple of years. "Our strength in hybrids tends to be in the larger vehicles so that's where you'll see them first," he said. ...

He said the government should consider tax reductions for so-called "green cars". For the past 30 years, the import tariff on four-wheel-drives - among the thirstiest vehicles on our roads - have attracted a lower tariff than more fuel-efficient passenger vehicles. Today, for example, most 4WDs attract a 5 per cent tariff and most cars attract a 10 per cent tariff.

SMH - Nissan gets in gear on electric cars

Nissan Motor Co plans to start full production of lithium-ion batteries for automobiles by 2009 to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles and hybrid cars, the company said today. The venture company Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), which is owned 51 per cent by Nissan and 49 per cent by the NEC group, will develop and produce advanced lithium-ion batteries with an annual output capacity of 13,000 units. On a capital investment of Y12 billion ($A120.89 million) over three years AESC plans to expand its annual production capacity to 65,000 lithium-ion batteries per year by 2009. The push into advanced lithium-ion batteries comes as Japanese automakers invest in an array of new environmentally-friendly car technologies amid soaring prices at the pump.

SMH - Oil firms 'help keep petrol prices down' [forgive me while I giggle hysterically for a while]

Oil companies and the strong Australian dollar are sparing Australian motorists from bigger petrol price increases, a leading analyst says. But pump prices could hit $1.60 a litre within a fortnight, warns Commsec equities economist Savanth Sebastian.

The strength of the Aussie dollar, which hit a 24-year high overnight, and decisions by oil companies to tighten their margins were combining to keep the average price of unleaded petrol under $1.50 nationally, he said. "The stronger Aussie dollar has helped to offset record-high Asian oil prices," Mr Sebastian said in his weekly petrol briefing note on Monday.

Crikey - Fighting climate change -- a job for Budget 09?

Firstly it’s vital not to lose sight of the bigger picture. The Budget funds moves towards an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in 2010 and to implant the target of having 20% of our energy from renewable energy by 2020. These, and a strong target to reduce our greenhouse emissions at the end of 2008, are vital moves as we seek to unlock the opportunities of a clean energy future and to help secure a global deal so important to Australia’s national interest.

In many ways this Budget is a pregnant pause before the midwife arrives. It won’t be credible to mask next year’s budget from the revenue and investment implications of the ETS. Revenue from the ETS may be generated as early as the 2009/10 financial year and significant revenues in the following years -- in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars or more. Next year’s Budget will be a once in a generation opportunity and challenge. A strong emissions reduction target will generate a strong emission dividend to facilitate the reforms, assistance and technology development needed to shift Australia to a clean energy future.

The Australian - Petroleum producers and lobbyists get North SWest Shelf tax surprise

TO describe as ballistic Don Voelte's reaction to the federal Government's decision to impose an excise on condensate production from the North West Shelf joint venture is an understatement. The Nebraskan is notorious for having a short fuse about government actions that affect his company. Last Tuesday night was no exception, after Treasurer Wayne Swan announced the exemption had been removed and that the federal Government stood to gain to the tune of $2.5 billion over the next four years. While the Woodside chief executive may have kept his expressions of anger among his colleagues, the question is, should he have been so surprised that the Government was indulging in sovereign risk by changing the taxation rules for Australia's biggest resources project?

The Australian - Phosphate Plays

THIS in from reader Geoff Griffiths via Optusnet: "Do some better research before you go shooting your gob off." Nice one, Geoff. This angry reader was appalled by Pure Speculation suggesting investors should be a little discerning about which phosphate plays they back.

Another -- more moderate but no less welcome -- response came from "John B" who argues that the food demand in China and India will put pressure on world fertiliser supplies. Moreover, he continues, phosphate resembles iron ore as the process and economics of mining are similar.

SMH - Burrup launches biggest IPO of the year

Burrup Holdings, operator of one of the world's biggest ammonia plants, has launched an initial public offering for 20% of the company, looking to raise up to $502 million. ... Burrup's 760,000 tonnes a year liquid ammonia plant in Western Australia began production in 2006 and accounts for about 6% of the world's total output of tradeable ammonia. Ammonia is a key ingredient in the production of urea, a nitrogen-based fertiliser which is widely used in the agricultural industry.

SMH - Greenhouse levy should be charged on flights: academic

Passengers on all international flights should pay a compulsory greenhouse levy, an Australian academic says. ... Mr Macintosh has released an ANU study he co-authored which warns greenhouse gas emissions from international flights will more than double by 2025 as more people fly.

SMH - Trials of a thirsty town

Orange has a year's supply of water left based on recent usage of 225 litres per person a day. It's pride and joy has been magnificent temperate European-style gardens made possible by a cool and wet climate, but now there are fears climate change could mark their end.

No mention of a new uranium leaching project in SA http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23718874-1702,00.html
However I believe the biggest such deposit is at Yeelirrie in the State of WA where it is an imprisonable offence to dig uranium.

I wonder if Voelte's dummy spit over ceramic fuel cells and geothermal was due to the tax on condensate in the Budget.

All the signs point to the ETS being a dog's breakfast. The fact that the Kiwis have already included forestry (presumably carbon negative) in their scheme suggests the pollies want to use it for rural pork barrelling. Evidently the Australian scheme will have major get-out-of-jail cards if things done in 2009 can be used as deductions in 2010. Despite Garnaut's talk of the need for drastic carbon cuts already I suspect Ferguson's coal union mates are devising ways to baffle us with bulldust to make the scheme toothless. Even worse I suspect Rudd will try to pull a few carbon accounting swifties the same as his predecessor Howard. Is he really any better?

From: Fuel-efficient vehicles the future: Rann

The state government wants South Australia's car and component manufacturers to begin developing new low-fuel environmentally friendly cars with the help of the research and development funds now being made available to them by the Green Car Innovation Fund.

What car manufacturers would they be? And if SA cannot successfully make and sell regular cars, how will innovative cars be successful? I am all for government financial and regulatory support of innovative, leading-edge, alternative technologies that will save the world, but surely propping up the car industry (especially in Adelaide) is flogging a dead horse?

South Australia could be the non-FF energy capital of the country, with uranium, solar, wind, tidal, wave, geothermal ... is there a real need to build any cars, or divert government support to that dead-end activity?

The future of South Australia's car manufacturing industry lies in the development of new low-carbon, fuel-efficient vehicles, Premier Mike Rann says.

New? NEW? We've had the technology for over a hundred years!!!

The Australian: Shell chief says all energy sources must be tapped

We're gonna burn everything on our way down, aren't we. :(

Holden, the company that last year sold more V8s than any other time in its 60-year history, will sell a petrol-electric Commodore "within two years" - but it wants the Federal Government to give hybrid cars a tax break.

I translate that as "We want a handout as a reward for missing all the boats over the last few years, and continuing to market cars Australians don't want anymore".

Here in The Not-So-Smart State, we already have reduced Rego for hybrids, and the owners will obviously have to buy less fuel. So what more does Holden want?

SMH - Greenhouse levy should be charged on flights: academic

Here's something we probably won't have to worry about. You can't fly a plane without AVGAS, because Biofuels won't be available in the volume necessary.

..Unless CTL gets off the ground, but then we're all doomed anyway. :(

SA seems to be running on a mixture of wishful thinking and corporate work-for-the-dole. I'd say river irrigated horticulture in that State is finished. Another example of corporate welfare is Pt Adelaide's Submarine Corporation now making surface boats I understand. Bin Laden must be huddled in his cave knowing that those unreliable noisy $1bn apiece diesel subs are after him, that's when they work. I don't how Rann's solar village with feed-in tariffs will be affected by means testing. I think he can see that hot rock geothermal is not going to hit prime time just yet.

That of course leaves Roxby Downs and its requirement for half the State's power output. Point Bonython near Whyalla strikes me as the most logical place in Australia to build a nuclear power plant. Get BHP to pay most of and insure it but also export any surplus back to the grid. Relocate the cuttlefish if need be. The Sub Corp has titanium pressure vessel expertise so I'm sure they could contract for some hi tech. There's also a lot of smart dudes at the Defence think tank at Salisbury.

My suggestion to Rann is don't wait for hybrid cars, hot rocks or river water but follow the money.