Wet Tropic Times, 2024, January 18, Newspaper Edition

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Thursday, January 18, 2024 $2 INSIDE

ISC STUDENTS GAINED VALUABLE SKILLS IN 2023

PA G E 2 REELING IN THE FUTURE: HUNDREDS OF BARRA RELEASED INTO THE HINCHINBROOK CHANNEL

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The unexpected forming of Michael Creek Mt Fox Action Group SARI RUSSO WITHOUT immediate action Mt Fox is set to contain the most extensive Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in the southern hemisphere. The group has until January 30. When combined, the project site has a total area of 3,185 hectares. It forms the western boundary of Hinchinbrook Shire Council Local Government Area https://www.hinchinbrook. qld.gov.au/economic-development-tourismplanning/planning-and-development/ applications/have-your-say/. The residents of Mt Fox only recently noticed signs being placed in relatively obscure locations regarding the Material Change of Use – Battery Storage Facility requirements for Ewan Road, Mount Fox.

much of the remaining native vegetation is highly fragmented it is surprising to many that the Queensland Government would allow the decimation of significant amounts of pristine rainforest, particularly when Western countries internationally who have already gone further down the renewables pathway are now transitioning into nuclear https:// www.energy.gov/articles/cop28-countrieslaunch-declaration-triple-nuclear-energycapacity-2050-recognizing-key. Since the Queensland government has allowed rainforests to be cut down and the development of windmills in their place, there have been significant protests from the locals in the communities where they are imposing these changes.

On August 2, 2023, State code 23 the state government of Queensland opened a consultation on proposed updates to its wind farm development code and related planning guidance https://planning.statedevelopment. qld.gov.au/planning-issues-and-interests/ updates-to-state-code-23-wind-farmdevelopment-and-the-associated-planningguidance. The changes are to ensure the following: -The purpose of this code is to ensure that the impacts arising from the construction, operation and decommissioning of wind farms do not result in unacceptable adverse impacts on individuals, communities and the natural environment.

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The areas mentioned in the proposal are Ewan Road, Mount Fox; • Lot 18 on WU6; • Lot 591 on SP302249; • Lot 592 on SP302249; • Lot 57 on SP237064; • Lot 3 on WG274; and • Several existing road reserves (Mountain Ash Road; Spotted Gum Road; Knuckledown Road; and Furber Road). The primary concerns expressed by the leadership and members of the Michael Creek Mt Fox Action Group are the proposed significant forest land that will be decimated to create the facilities and that there appears not to have been an adequate assessment of the potential runoff into Michael Creek and the impact on native flora and fauna regarding the proposed BESS in the Planning Report Submitted to the Hinchinbrook Council on September 27, 2023, mainly as a BESS is new and unproved technology that is known to be prone to significant fire concerns. When considering that Australia has already lost 40% of its forests https://academic.oup. com/jpe/article/5/1/109/1294916 and now

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