Friends of the Earth has joined with other environmental organisations in   condemning the announcement by Alcoa that it had reached an agreement to source its electricity from Loy Yang Power’s brown coal station for the next 26 years.

Federal resources minister Martin Ferguson's announcement that he will pursue plans for a national nuclear waste dump at the Muckaty site, north of Tennant Creek in the NT, continues the shabby and unfair process set in train by the Howard government.

Our Energy Minister, Peter Batchelor, wants to allow some ‘entrepreneurs’ to get their grubby mitts on some of Victoria’s dirty coal, so they can sell it to India and make big bucks. Never mind that it increases global emissions at a time they need to be cut. Around 200 people turned out at a lunch time protest to tell him they don't like this idea.

Clean Energy or Coal? Is the question being posed to residents of Victoria and the Brumby Government at a public meeting in Morwell on the evening of Wednesday, Sept 9, 2009.

On Sunday September 13, 2009, people from across Victoria, and Australia, will come together for a day of peaceful community mass civil disobedience to Switch off Hazelwood and Switch off Coal, while taking action for renewable energy. UPDATED with report and photos from the weekends action.

Friends of the Earth condemn the announcement by Resources Minister Peter Batchelor that the Latrobe Valley will be the site for carbon capture project and a coal to liquids plant as another step in the wrong direction on climate change.

Friends of the Earth say plans by Environmental Clean Technologies (ECT) to build a Coldry pellet plant, which will essentially bake brown coal to the water level of black coal, is a desperate attempt to prop up an industry that is environmentally and economically unviable.

Environment, climate and local community groups have joined forces in a campaign to replace Alcoa's Anglesea power station with renewable energy.

Press Release

"Clean Coal is a Dirty Lie," say cleaning ladies.

The Climate Cleaning Ladies have taken to Flinders St. Station to see if there is such a thing as clean coal.

"We have been scrubbing coal all morning and all that's happened is we're now covered in coal dust, and as dirty as the coal," said Sadie Brown of the Climate Cleaning Ladies.

The Labor government claims it wants to do something about climate change – yet continues to fund and support new coal fired power stations across Australia. To stop global warming we need kick the coal habit and have a moratorium on new coal power stations in Australia. In Victoria's Latrobe Valley the proposed HRL coal power station has recieved $150 million in taxpayers money through state and federal government grants. HRL will, if allowed to go ahead, emit more than 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 a year, yet is being promoted as so-called 'clean coal' by the government. Join Friends of the Earth in stopping the proposed HRL coal fire power station and help bring about a moratorium on new coal stations that will pave the way for a just transition to a renewable energy future.