I’m not aware of the pros and cons of the technology espoused by SEFE but experience has taught me it’s wiser to question and form a personal opinion rather than rely on the opinions of others.

The decision by the Festival Committee to exclude SEFE means I’ll be denied the chance.

Many, many years ago as a journalist I covered a story on the then great future hope of the coal industry.

It was called “white coal”, now it’s better known as “clean coal”.

The hope, all those years ago, was that we would find a technique that would allow the safe burning of coal to produce electricity.

We may still be waiting for that to happen but a report published this week in The Guardian www.guardian.co.uk /environment/2009/nov/15/coal-int o-clean-energy-gasification suggests that recent research is offering very real progress in this field.

My point is that facing, as we are, a global crisis we’d be unwise to dismiss outright any technology offering or with the potential to offer even a partial solution.

Alex Nicol

Bega

Not renewable

Vince Phillips, Corporate Affairs Manager of the Eden chip mill may find it “remarkable” that his company has not been included as part of the Clean Energy Expo at the Bega Festival (BDN 13/11) as the company he represents says it wants to use a “renewable” source in wood waste from milling operations for electrical energy.

Yet informed people such as those involved in Transition Towns know that the majority source is native trees for the wood waste fuel.

And they are not “renewable”.

Nor is this forest furnace energy clean or green.

While SEFE should have the right for the public to gain information, their proposed wood fired electricity product is not clean energy.

Total emissions from native forest sources would be six times that of a modern coal fired plant.

And SEFE can no longer say they are Green Power following complaints to the ACCC and the Green Power accreditation agency.

As Dr Ken Henry, the head of Treasury has stated, native forests are not renewable within any reasonable timeframe.

They take hundreds of years after logging to replace lost carbon, water, wildlife and habitat, including essential hollows.

Over 70 per cent of Australians do not agree with logging native forests, which would supply the main fuel source.

Yet the forestry industry rules, as both Liberal and Labor are afraid of the power of the CMFEU, NAFI and TCA.

Neither will challenge the native forestry sector, in spite of plentiful taxpayer subsidised plantation timber and fibre for paper.

Unless SEFE stops native forest woodchipping and changes its fuel source to 100 per cent plantation they will continue to find opposition to their proposed wood furnace to produce power.

This opposition is scientifically based on the importance of intact native forests for climate, water catchments and wildlife.

Prue Acton

Wallagoot

High Noon debate

This coming Saturday, as part of the Bega Valley Festival, Rob High and I will be having a debate about the science of climate change.

My position will be that climate change poses a serious threat to our region.

Rob’s position is that the threat of climate change is exaggerated.If you agree with me, then urgent steps need to be taken to address the problem.

If you agree with Rob, then those steps are expensive and meaningless.

No matter what your point of view, this is an important debate.

Climate change has become the most important issue of our times.

The aim of the debate will be to encourage community participation.

I am hoping this discussion will lead to further community debate about solutions to issues raised in the High Noon debate.

The discussion will be held at the St John’s Church hall in Bega and will be moderated by Tim Holt from local ABC radio.

I am hoping there will be a broad range of people at the debate and there will be plenty of time for questions from the audience.

If you have questions about the science of the climate change problem we face, then come to the St John’s Church hall and be there at noon sharp.

Matthew Nott

www.cleanenergyforeternity .net.au

We need bike paths

The Federal Government has recently awarded an amount of about $40 million dollars to develop bicycle paths throughout Australia.

Some 170 projects were approved.

Of that $40 million, various local government authorities in NSW were awarded $8.86 million covering just over 40 different projects.

Some councils had more than one project approved.

Sadly there was not a single reference to the Bega Valley Shire Council in the list of approved projects.

Yet it is patently obvious that the Bega Valley in general and Bega in particular desperately need improved cycling infrastructure.

Does this mean that no project proposed by Bega Valley Shire Council was approved or does it mean that the Council did not propose any project at all.

I contacted the Bega Valley Shire Council on this matter about a fortnight ago but, at this stage, have had no response.

We are recent arrivals in the Bega Valley and we came from an area where cycling had been encouraged and assisted for many years - so we cycled frequently.

We live in Jellat Jellat where the only access to Bega is via the Bega-Tathra Road.

To ride a bicycle on that road would be almost suicidal.

Surely the council should recognise that the health of its residents - not to mention the streets - would be greatly improved if more of us cycled regularly.

I hope that the council is planning some cycle paths, with or without the assistance of the Federal Government.

Lex Marshall

Jellat Jellat