Australia’s states press for carbon trade changes

Australia's influential states have written to the national government to raise concerns about a planned carbon emissions trading scheme amid warnings it may drive big polluting firms offshore or out of business.

The premiers of South Australia and Tasmania states wrote to center-left Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to press for changes in design of the scheme, which will begin in 2010 and force 1,000 of Australia's largest polluting companies to buy emissions permits.

"We made submissions to the federal government to see if we can get some special exemptions," South Australian Premier Mike Rann told Australian Associated Press.

Tasmania's leader David Bartlett told the Australian newspaper he had also written to Rudd after global smelting company Nyrstar said the planned emissions trade scheme could force closure of zinc and lead plants in both states.

Queensland, Victoria and conservative-ruled Western Australia state -- Australia's resource exports hub -- had also raised concerns about the impact of the regime on trade-exposed industries like cement and aluminum, the paper said.

Click here to read more

Source: Reuters