Aussie law to put carbon under the ocean

After Greenbang brought you news of a $1 billion carbon capture project in the land of the free and the home of the brave, here’s news of a similarly ambitious project in the home of the Minogues and the land of the Vegemite.

Yes, our Skippy spawning cousins Down Under are now turning to carbon capture and storage. And here to put all that spare carbon? Well, when you’re the world’s largest island, the sea would seem an obvious option and that’s just where PM Kevin Rudd and chums plan to put the carbon.

According to local paper The Age, the Labor government is introducing changes to offshore petroleum law that would see the oil industry allowed to push ahead with carbon capture.

The amendments will tackle “access and property rights for greenhouse-gas injection and storage in Commonwealth offshore water and provides a management system to ensure safe storage,” says the paper, and look not to tread on the toes of industries like telecoms and shipping that might be affected.

The bill will see exploration permitted for carbon capture sights, which would have to be greenlighted by the government before they could be used.

The bill is open for public consultation for the rest of this month.