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Policy : Climate portfolio Spencer Fitz-Gibbon


Green MEPs condemn massive subsidy for

failing nuclear industry

22nd Sep 2004

 

EU agrees £6bn British energy bailout.

EU Commissioners have given the green light to a bailout of Britain's nuclear industry with £6 billion of taxpayers' cash.

Euro-MPs and environmentalists condemned the decision as a "disaster" which ignores the polluter-pays principle, at the expense of renewable electricity sources.

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MEP who lodged the initial complaint with the Commission, said: "Today's decision is nothing short of a disaster. It will lower the cost of generating nuclear power - by granting the industry a massive subsidy of taxpayers' cash.

"This will force renewable generators and research projects into bankruptcy and set back efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.

"Nuclear power is dangerous, deeply unpopular and economically unviable. This decision represents yet another blow for the democratic legitimacy of the EU."

BE is de facto bankrupt, as its assets are insufficient to cover both operating costs and its multi-billion liabilities - the cost of processing radioactive waste generated by the UK's ageing nuclear power stations.

Nuclear power plants generate waste that must be processed decades after their reactors are closed. To pay for these activities generating companies are supposed to put aside a percentage of their revenue.

In the UK, which has the oldest reactors in Europe, it has now become clear that insufficient funds have been put aside and the Government is now proposing to bailout these waste management activities.

British Energy ran into huge financial difficulties in 2002. The UK government proposed a £6bn rescue package in apparent contravention of EU rules outlawing 'unfair state aid' to prevent government cash being used to distort the EU's internal free market.

The Commission today argued it was obliged to accept the state aid because of its obligations to promote and protect the nuclear power industry under the Euratom Treaty.

Today's decision clearly shows the incompatibility of Euratom with internal market rules,

Dr Caroline Lucas, South-East England's Green Party MEP and a Member of the Parliament's ...

Green Party challenges Tory leader Michael Howard as he makes his first major speech on climate change.

The Green Party accuses both party leaders of "trying to pull the wool over the voters' eyes".

Dr Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, who was today appointed to the party's "Green Cabinet" with a newly-created climate portfolio, started his new job by throwing down the gauntlet - stating twelve commitments the Tories and Labour must make NOW if they are to have any credibility on climate change (2).

The twelve commitments include:

- Immediately setting a target of 90% reductions in UK CO2 emissions compared with 1990 levels by 2050 at the latest.

- By 2010, be spending at least £2 billion a year from ecotaxes on non-nuclear renewables and energy conservation measures.

- By 2010, end the £9 billion annual tax break which is given to the UK aviation industry and invest the resulting revenue in Green alternatives - to stop aviation being the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.

- Establish two million solar roof systems in the UK by 2010.

- Immediately scrap the national roadbuilding programme and invest in Green alternatives, aiming for at least 20% traffic reduction within 10 years.

Spencer Fitz-Gibbon commented today:

"Tony Blair has a history of saying the right things about climate change, then utterly failing to match his words with action. And the Tories have simply never had a clue. If they can't make this twelve-point commitment, it'll confirm they're just trying to pull the wool over the voters' eyes.

"But climate change is at last rising up the political agenda, and every year we get closer to exposing their greenwash for what it is.

"In the general election we can expect climate change to be a bigger issue than ever before - and the Green Party will once again set the standard the other parties must reach. Except it's gradually getting harder for them to conduct business-as-usual behind a smokescreen of concerned statements."

Dr Fitz-Gibbon, who is also one of the longest-served members of the party's national executive, continued:

"Climate change is the biggest single threat to the world's economy. We need a Green industrial revolution to stop it, and the growth of the energy conservation and renewable energy sectors will generate 200,000 UK jobs.

"But stopping climate change will be a global effort, and that means rich countries like the UK making free transfers of sustainable energy technology to countries like China and India, to help them develop sustainably.

"No-one can say we can't afford to stop climate change. The fact is, we can't afford not to."

Notes

1. The Independent on Sunday reported 12 September 2004 that Michael Howard and Tony Blair, "in an unprecedented double-act", would be delivering major speeches on climate change on Monday and Tuesday this week respectively. Also in a speech at the World Clean Air and Environmental Protection Congress in London, 24 August 2004, environment minister Lord Whitty stated that that "internationally our first priority is climate change, in the long term probably the most important issue we face as a global community."

2. Climate Change Challenge: 12 urgent commitments the government must make will be published on Monday 13 September 2004.

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