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REVIEWS ARE IN A BOOK WITH PURPOSE PAGE 7
By MICHELLE SLATER
THE Latrobe Valley’s three coal generators have accepted the Environment Protection Authority’s updated licence reviews, which sets pollution limits for Victoria’s brown coal power stations. But, environment groups grr have slammed the renewed licences as a “failure” that would not lower greenhouse gas emissions, accusing the EPA of making “modest tweaks” to pollution limits. The EPA released the updated licences on Friday after the process began in 2017 with the input from 493 submissions. The new conditions include limits for mercury, fine i partticlles and d coarse part rti ticlles, and d each h power station must continually monitor their air emissions and publicly share the data online. The EPA is also requiring power stations to monitor class three indicators - or extremely hazardous substances.
Yallourn is required to install a continuous realtime emissions monitoring system for nitrogen and sulphur dioxide - in line with the Valley’s the other two power stations. Yallourn and Loy Yang A must now provide coal ash pond rehabilitation plans and carry out mine dust controls. There are also changes to the amount of start rt-up t and shutdown hours across the three stations and reduced wastewater limits. The new licences were issued in accordance with the Victorian government’s long-term target of net zero greenhouse grr gas emissions by 2050. EPA regulatory standards executive director Tim Eaton said the community would now have the “bestt infformattion ab boutt emiissiions comiing in a timely matter”. “The health of the local community and the environment is EPA’s first fii priority, and these additional requirements will ensure both remain protected,” Mr Eaton said.
“EPA’s licence review progr gram r aims to ensure they are consistent with policy, are enforceable and meet community expectations.” Environment Victoria chief executive Jono La Nauze said the reviews did not impose any limits on carbon dioxide pollution and the group grr was consideri ring i legal options to challenge the renewed conditions. Mr La Nauze said there were no requirements to install “basic pollution controls” in line with US, the EU, China and India that could reduce pollutants by more than 85 per cent. “Today’s outcome makes a mockery of the An Andrews n government’s efforts over the past five fii years to modernise the EPA and to strengt gthen t our cllimatte laws,”” Mr La Nauze saiid. “If this is the kind of decision we get in 2021, then Victori ria’s i climate laws simply aren’t up to the job and neither is our environmental regu gulator.” u Continued on page 4
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