Nick McKim's Schools Are Powered By A Coal Seam Gas Company

What a surprised to discover that ERM Power, the company that supplies electricity to Tasmania's schools and much of it's public service generates electricity from coal seam gas? ERM Power likes to use the term 'natural gas' but that includes coal seam gas (CSG). Industry observers are more forthcoming on where the gas is sourced, but the fact is ERM are involved in all phases of CSG from exploration to power generation. We also thought ERM power was 'natural gas' but had a closer look after Nick's partner Cassy gave a passionate speech to the IPCC climate change conference in Hobart this week. If the Greens ministers own offices run on power from a CSG producer then how can they lecture climate change scientists? If ERM are selling Tasmanian electricity back to the Tasmanian government at less than half the price that the government can supply it then either ERM are using CSG electricity to offset costs or Hydro and Aurora are hopelessly in debt, or even corrupt.

Minister McKim with education secretary Andrew Finch

The question that now arises is 'why is Nick McKim defying Greens National policy by supporting coal seam gas electricity in Tasmanian schools while Greens policy is a moratorium on CSG?