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Thank you to everyone who responded to our member survey and your suggestions, which the committee will take into consideration. The consensus from members on how we should priortise actions ranked them in the following order:

1. Pushing climate-friendly projects for economic stimulus funding
2. Working with KCDC and GWRC to ensure climate change is considered in all relevant council decisions
3. Campaigning for councils to get and use powers to regulate emissions
4. Ensuring KCDC achieves its carbon neutrality target for 2025 and promoting low emissions lifestyles (tied)

We are already working on these particularly #1 with our new open letter to KCDC. On #3, there are promising signs that councils will get these powers – the text of the current RMA reform bill now includes it. If all goes well the change will come into effect sometime around the end of 2021. For more on this see our previous blog posts on RMA reform.

Some good news – the Environment Select committee has recently reported back on changes to the Resource Management Act. They have backed our call (and that of many others) that the ban on councils considering the effects of greenhouse gas emissions from proposed developments is repealed.

This change would take effect from 31 Dec 2021. it’s a while a way but still far sooner than it might have been if left until round 2 of the RMA amendment work. The campaign continues to ensure Government implements the committees recommendations and gives councils clear direction that they must actually use these new powers to regulate emissions, and how.

A summary of the committee’s recommendations can be found here: https://www.brookfields.co.nz/publications/environmental-resource-mangement/477-key-recommendations-of-the-select-committee-on-the-resource-management-amendment-bill

Prepared by LCK member David Yockney with assistance from Irene Thomas and Jake Roos.

V3 LCK Submission on the Comprehensive Review of the Resource Management Act-1-2-20 v3

For background on the review see: https://www.mfe.govt.nz/rmreview 

The Resource Management Act is currently under review. It sets out the system and rules for planning authorities (mainly councils) to approve or reject applications for new developments of all kinds.

The 2004 amendment to the RMA specifically prohibits planning authorities from considering the global warming effect of greenhouse gas emissions.  The offending sections are 104E and 70A both of which state that “…a regional council must not have regard to the effects of (such a) discharge on climate change….”

But none of the proposed changes to the RMA in this bill reverse this, or require consideration of the Zero Carbon Bill.

This is simply outrageous. We are in the midst of a worsening climate crisis and this law means planning authorities must make their decisions as if the applications for developments have no bearing on it, which is absurd. Think of dairy conversions, motorways, coal mines or fossil fuelled power stations – all of it up for approval with absolutely no consideration of what it will do to NZ’s carbon pollution, which needs to come down to net-zero as soon as possible, but is still surging upwards.

This  ties the hands of local authorities when it comes to limiting the emissions coming from their districts. They require more powers to help address the climate crisis.

This must be addressed.

The government must use this bill to repeal sections 104E and 70A of the RMA.

The government should also add a clause to the bill that requires planning authorities to have regard to the objectives of the Zero Carbon Act, its targets and carbon budgets in decisions on whether to grant resource consent applications.

Please make a submission to the Government before midnight on Thursday 7 November at this link:

https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/52SCEN_SCF_BILL_91358/resource-management-amendment-bill

[Read more…] about Let councils regulate carbon emissions! Please have your say by 7 November

Submissions close Friday 20 September at 5pm, so get in quick!

Right now, our Government is consulting on its ten year plan for our petroleum and minerals sector. We need to stand together and make sure our voices are heard above those of the oil sector’s lobbyists. 

The Government’s consultation is really simple. It’s a survey which focuses on the values and principles that should guide the future of petroleum and minerals in Aotearoa.

Please make a submission: you can complete it here: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/development-of-a-resource-strategy/resource-strategy-consultation-questionnaire/ 

It is really critical that government’s are consistent with halting global heating, and that means a rapid fossil-fuel extraction phase out. At the moment the draft strategy includes nothing on this and makes it appear fossil fuels can somehow keep being used indefinitely, which is plain crazy.

Low Carbon Kāpiti have produced a submission copied below and downloadable here. Please have a read and use whatever parts you wish in your response. Note that the online form cannot be saved halfway through – you have to put all your responses in in one go. You are not required to respond to every question.

Many thanks!

[Read more…] about Have your say on the draft Resource Strategy for minerals and petroleum