Cloudy, with a chance of appeals
Vernon Rive . 21/01/2010 3:45:14 p.m.
Over at Hot Topic, Bryan Walker has posted his 19 January Waikato Times article following Environment Judge Newhook’s recent interim decision giving an “indication of a possible positive recommendation” to Crest Energy’s proposed marine turbine power generation project in the Kaipara Harbour (Crest Energy Kaipara Ltd v Northland Regional Council A132/2009). There are high hopes for marine generation in New Zealand, and this decision is a notable step in that regard.
Crest’s consenting process hasn’t been all clear skies and calm waters. In June 2009, representatives of a Northland hapu of Ngati Whatua (Environs Holdings Ltd) brought judicial review proceedings to overturn an EC decision declining a stay or adjournment of the hearing of various EC appeals on the proposal. A stay was sought to avoid prejudice to a pending claim under s33 of the Foreshore and Seabed Act that was anticipated if the EC proceeded with the appeal proceedings under the RMA.
The High Court gave the application reasonably short shrift, holding that the claimants could run their arguments (including concern at expected prejudice to rights that may be confirmed under the Seabed Act) in the RMA proceedings, also noting the EC’s role in relation to the restricted coastal activity consents needed for the marine turbine operation was recommendatory only. As with the Whangamata Marina case, the Minister of Conservation has the final say, a factor (the HC said) that “adds a safeguard to the process from the group claimants’ point of view”.
The EC appeal proceeded. In the event, the Court was not ultimately swayed by extensive submissions and evidence on the part of Environs in opposition to the RCA consents, holding (amongst other matters) that Crest’s offer of a Memorandum of Understanding and proposed funding of a trust for environmental restoration in and around the Kaipara Harbour “can be seen to address aspects of cultural offence deriving from biological and physical degradation of past land and water management practices, and together with satisfactory conditions of consent addressing ecological and other biophysical matters, should, if those things are adequately addressed, amount to adequate provision for the matters the subject of Section 6(e).”
The EC has asked for more information on monitoring and the proposed conditions of consent, however all signs point to a positive final recommendation, once i’s are dotted and t’s crossed.
Turning to wider issues of energy policy, as Bryan notes, there are question marks around government priorities for renewable energy generation:
In the case of marine energy [the Government] has, admittedly, provided $8 million over a period of four years to support selected projects. But it committed $20 million over three years to gather seismic data in support of oil and gas exploration, and has extended tax exemptions for offshore exploration.…In a rational world we’d be more interested in finding ways of leaving it in the ground, knowing, as we now do, the fearful prospects ahead if we keep burning the stuff. There’s still some priority-sorting needed at government level.
Even assuming Government gets on board, quite how the “priority-sorting” should best demonstrate itself is an interesting question in itself, as was seen in a rather different decision by another division of the Environment Court on another controversial renewable energy project – Meridian’s planned 176 wind turbine Project Hayes (Maniototo Environmental Society Inc v Central Otago District Council C103/2009).
In Maniototo an “All of Government” submission in support of the proposal under section 141A(4)(c) RMA was considered, the issues advanced on behalf of the Crown “duly assessed” and “had regard to”, but the Crown’s involvement in support “as an ‘other matter’ for the purposes of section 104(1)(c)” was ultimately not of sufficient moment to offset the concerns of the majority of the Court with impacts on landscape, and its assessment that Meridian had not sufficiently analysed relevant alternatives.
The Maniototo decision has been criticised for creating “a new test for projects to overcome which is unworkable; which will result in planning paralysis and in conflict between organisations wanting to advance separate projects”. Meridian has appealed to the High Court, whose decision may well prove to be one of the more significant RMA judgments in 2010.
In the meantime, its hard to escape the view that clearer central Government direction on issues of national significance in the renewable energy arena – the kind of guidance that will not simply be relegated to ‘another matter’ to be thrown in the mix - is sorely needed. Something like, say, a clear NPS on Renewables? It can’t be far off, surely…
By Vernon Rive on 21/01/2010 3:45:14 p.m. | Comments (0) | Print |
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