22 July 2010

Hurunui River moratorium: So What?

According to the Press, the Greens and Forest and Bird have welcomed today's Ecan's moratorium on processing applications for resource consents to take more water from the Hurunui River. It's even been described as a victory for "people power".

That view is just so wrong. Just read the Environment Canterbury announcement all the way down to the sixth paragraph.
"Existing resource consents would not be affected by a moratorium."

So it will have no effect on the applications to dam the Hurunui River for irrigation storage already lodged by the Hurunui Water Project

As far as I know, there is no impending 'flood' of applications to take more water from the Hurunui River about to hit Environment Canterbury. So the moratorium is at best, a futile gesture, and at worst, greenwashing for Smith and the irrigators.

It's the applications to dam the Hurunui River that are the 'game-changers' which will have irreversible adverse effects on the ecology of the Hurunui River. That particular horse has bolted from the stable, so there's not much point shutting the stable door.

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