Stuff.co.nz - Pilot discovers fuel theft before takeoff

Thieves siphoned 100 litres of aviation fuel from a small plane parked on the tarmac at Paraparaumu Airport, with the pilot only becoming aware of the theft just before takeoff.

The culprit scaled a security fence to gain access to the single-engine plane owned by air2there.

ABC - Fuel hit slows ships

Shipping operators are saving thousands of dollars worth of fuel a day by slowing down.

Fuel bills for shipping companies have doubled over the last year and it's not unusual for operators to spend $16,000 a day.

Teresa Hatch, from the Australian Shipowners Association, says by slowing down while steaming at sea they're saving around 15 per cent of fuel.

ABC - Emergency services feels pain of soaring fuel costs

Queensland's ambulance and fire crews are taking measures to address the pinch of high fuel prices.
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The DES is also reviewing fire training programs that involve using fuel.

The Australian - Job slump and price hikes fuel stagflation fear

THE longest run of sustained employment growth in more than three decades has come to an end with the loss of 20,000 jobs last month.

Raising the spectre of a repeat of the "stagflation", a combination of high inflation and low growth that occurred in the 1970s, the fall in jobs was accompanied by the release of a survey showing that consumers expected prices would soar by an average of 5.9 per cent over the next year.

The Age - Oil ends higher after volatile trading

Crude oil rebounded after Nigeria's president said the country's state-owned oil company will take over operations in the Ogoni district of southern Nigeria from a Royal Dutch Shell joint venture.

Removal of Shell will ''calm down'' unrest by Ogoniland residents, Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua said in a statement today after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris.
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''The volatility we're seeing shows that traders aren't comfortable at any prices right now,'' said Michael Fitzpatrick, vice president for energy risk management at MF Global Ltd. in New York. ''Something will have to break soon.''

NZ Herald - Kiwifruit - the fuzzy, brown fuel of the future?

As petrol prices continue to soar to an all-time high, scientists are working on a small, brown, fuzzy solution.

It's already recognised as a mild laxative, blood thinner, meat tenderiser and pavlova garnish, but the humble kiwifruit could be destined for even greater things.

Feasibility studies are being done by Scion, in conjunction with Zespri Innovation, into how to turn 14.5 to 15.6 million trays of waste kiwifruit a year into biofuels and other products, including bioplastics, adhesive formulations and chemical/polymers.

NZ Herald - Doubt over fuel taxes cuts cash for trains

Uncertainty over new fuel-tax legislation is forcing Auckland Regional Council to prepare for a possible public transport future without electric trains.

Councillors reluctantly approved an annual transport budget yesterday with no allowance for the Auckland Regional Transport Authority to start ordering a fleet of 35 electric trains for $495 million by the end of this year.

Even some proposed service boosts for existing trains, buses and ferries may have to be delayed, despite modest gains on other fronts from an 11 per cent increase in the authority's operating budget, to $222.6 million.

Delayed projects are likely to include a review of West Auckland bus services, to the dismay of council transport chairwoman Christine Rose, who bemoaned the loss of a chance to make savings from efficiency gains.

Stuff.co.nz - Origin highlights growing NZ role

Australian-based Origin Energy is talking up its involvement in this country after the completion of a deal for Swift Energy's New Zealand oil and gas operations.

Today Origin and Contact Energy, of which Origin owns 51.4 per cent, said they had completed the $110 million acquisition of the Swift operations.

Origin managing director Grant King said the acquisition was part of the ongoing expansion of Origin's interests in this country, with the company establishing its New Zealand headquarters in New Plymouth.

NZ Herald - Solar power finally ready to shine

After decades on the fringe, solar power is closing in on America's mainstream as surging fossil fuel prices and mounting concern over climate change spur states, businesses and homeowners to embrace alternative energy.

The Age - NSW Greens back congestion tax

The NSW Greens have thrown their weight behind the pricing regulator's recommendation that Sydney introduce a congestion tax, but say it should be complemented by an expansion of public transport.

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) on Thursday released a draft report into the state's tax system, calling for widespread changes, including a congestion tax.

Herald Sun - Oil pain adds to volatile global mix

THE next few months will be crunch time for the global economy as it faces the threats of higher inflation and faltering growth, a leading economist has warned.

Professor Marvin Goodfriend, a 20-year veteran of the US Federal Reserve under former chairman Alan Greenspan's stewardship, said the volatility in oil prices and global stock markets will continue until the uncertainty surrounding the US economy begins to clear.

The Age - RACV heading down the wrong road

Elliot Fishman
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The RACV has deceived its members by constantly claiming that petrol will not rise very much higher than whatever it happened to be at the time.

In the middle of 2004, for instance, it claimed oil had peaked at about $US44.50 a barrel and we would not need to pay much more than $1.08 a litre. With oil now around $US130 a barrel and the price at the pump exceeding $1.60, Victorians have a right to ask why the RACV got it so wrong.

Serious oil supply limitations are the central cause of the skyrocketing petrol price. Consider the following facts:

The year in which the most oil was discovered was 1964. Since then, geologists have been searching the globe, but finding less and less each year.

We now consume four barrels of oil for every one discovered. It's a little bit like telling your financial planner you have been spending four times more money than you have been earning, and this has been going on for several decades.

Stuff.co.nz - Car beats public transport

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But for those who live and work in the suburbs, is public transport really viable?

For five days I gave up my easy 20-minute drive to work and tested more sustainable ways of getting around.

It took nearly $40 in bus and train tickets and more than 11 hours in travelling time – an extra eight hours compared to a normal driving week – and the only sensible alternative still involved a car.

The verdict? I’ll have my car keys back please.

ABC - Desal plant output cut to help gas shortage

Perth's desalination plant will be scaled back to minimum capacity to help address the state's gas crisis.

The Premier Alan Carpenter says the plant will operate on a daily power allocation of four megawatts instead of its usual 22.

He says that should free up five to six terajoules of energy a day for other power users.

ABC - Qld seafood industry faces crisis

Association spokesman Robin Hansen says rising fuel costs, poor weather and the high Australian dollar are making life very difficult for people in the fishing industry.

ABC - Union calls for truckie fuel compo

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) claims truck drivers are being pushed to the limit by clients who are forcing them to absorb the rising cost of petrol.