Announcing the 14-member council yesterday, which will lead the charge towards low emission coal, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said he wanted the council to establish a National Low Emission Coal Research Centre within its first year.

“Accelerating the development, deployment and commercialisation of low-emission coal technologies in Australia is an enormous challenge,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson said the council would play a “vital” role in guiding the uptake of technologies for Australia to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets.

Last month the Rudd government established the National Low Emissions Coal Council and the Carbon Storage Taskforce in steps to reduce the country’s coal emissions.

Former Minerals Council of Australia chief Dick Wells will chair the council which includes the following members:

• Queensland Department of Mines and Energy director-general Dan Hunt;
• New South Wales Department of Primary Industries deputy director-general Alan Coutts;
• Victorian Department of Primary Industries deputy secretary Dale Seymour;
• Western Australian Department of Industry and Resources regional program manager Dominique Van Gent;
• Xstrata Coal chief executive Peter Freyberg;
• Loy Yang Power chief executive Ian Nethercote;
• Petroleum Resources energy chief Beverley Ronalds;
• University of Newcastle research vice-chancellor Barney Glover;
• Australian Coal Association executive director Ralph Hillman;
• Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism resource head John Hartwell;
• Rio Tinto Coal Australia managing director Hubie van Dalsen;
• Australian Coal Association Low Emissions Technologies chair Ross Williams; and
• CS Energy chief executive David Brown.

The federal government has come under increasing pressure to combat coal emissions as it ventures down the path of lowering Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett was put under pressure in parliament this week by Greens Senator Christine Milne over Waratah Coal’s new Queensland coal proposal.

Waratah’s Galilee project, which includes a new 25 million tonne a year coal mine, a 500km rail line and a new port, all worth $A5.3 billion, was recognised by the Bligh government as a “significant project” for the state.

However, the federal government could use the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act to stop the development going ahead.

Milne raised her concerns over the project in the Senate and called on Garrett to block it, according to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald.