Ep. 100 Screw Lightbulbs, Cancer cluster in Singleton, Mt Piper power station

Click to download: the third degree - Ep. 100 Screw Lightbulbs, Cancer cluster in Singleton and Mt Piper power station controversy
Aired on 2SER radio 107.3 fm Sydney - April 15th 2010
Presenters: James Hitchcock and Jessica Minshall

SCREW LIGHTBULBS
Guest: Donna Jackson from Climate Change Research Centre at the University of NSW, co-author of a new book entitlted “Screw lightbulbs – smarter ways to save Australians time and money”.

CANCER CLUSTER IN SINGLETON
This week saw an ABC expose on the impact of coal mining pollution on health in the Hunter Valley. The Four Corner’s report revealed a string of complaints, from cancer to respiratory problems, and The Sydney Morning Herald investigated claims that a cancer cluster was present in Singleton.
Concerns over a cancer cluster follow from brain tumours found in 5 residents living in the same two-street block in singleton. There are also issues of higher respiratory illness in the area. Singleton is smack bang in the middle of coal mining and power station territory.
2SER’s Shevonne Hunt spoke to Dr John Drinan, environmental scientist and member of the Singleton Shire Health Environment Group.

MT PIPER POWER STATION
Earlier this year the NSW State government approved two new base-load power stations – Delta Electricity’s Mount Piper in Lithgow, and Macquarie Generation’s Bayswater in Muswellbrook.
An independent inquiry by environmental engineering firm Arup, commissioned by the state government, found that Delta Electricity’s Mount Piper will actually produce an extra 20% of emissions than it stated.
This missed amount is equivalent of half a million cars, bringing mount pipers total energy contributions to 2.9 million cars. All of this bringing the extra contribution of NSW up to 25 million tones a year, these two power stations adding an extra 17 % of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Jessica Minshall spoke to John Kaye NSW Greens MP.