Guy Salmon

Guy Salmon is the Executive Director of Ecologic Foundation, a New Zealand environmental consultancy, think tank and advocacy group. Salmon is the group's sole full time policy employee.

Work with coal miner, Bathurst Resources
In August 2011 Bathurst Resources announced that they had appointed Guy Salmon, the Executive director of the free-market think tank, the Ecologic Foundation, as the chairman of "the Environmental Reference Group, an initiative of Bathurst Resources Limited to actively monitor and guide the environmental performance of the Company’s New Zealand operations." The company stated that the group would report to the company's board of directors and "will include independent representatives with experience in the particular environmental needs and challenges posed by operations in New Zealand."

In its March 2012 newsletter, Bathurst Resources featured Salmon's role in assisting the company with its controversial Buller Coal Project. “Let’s look at the two key environmental concerns about coal mining. The first is climate change. This development on the Buller Plateau is not about thermal coal that’s going to burn in power stations. There are many ways of generating electricity and, in my view, coal isn’t the best way. This coal is steelmaking coal and, at the moment, there is no substitute for coal’s role in steel making. So as long as the world needs pots and pans, at least for the foreseeable future, we need this type of coal," Salmon stated.

“The second issue is biodiversity. This sandstone plateau is a very special environment. Sandstone is quite common in Australia, but in New Zealand we only have about 10 examples and most of them are in Buller. It’s really important we protect the distinctive plants and animals that are here," Salmon stated.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Guy Salmon
 * Ecologic Foundation
 * New Zealand and coal
 * New Zealand Mining Industry Association
 * Solid Energy