Friday 19 October 2012

George Osborne 'describes green lobby as environmental Taliban'

Media_httpitelegraphc_jfmef

The joking reference reflects the Chancellor's position as the Treasury fights to water down renewable energy commitments in the Coalition's Energy Bill, according to a newspaper.

It comes after the Government's quad of top decision makers - Osborne, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander - met yesterday to thrash out details of the legislation with Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey. The bill is expected to be published within weeks.

Mr Davey is said to be pushing for a legally binding commitment to the total amount of carbon that can be emitted by power stations by 2030, in order to "bind in" the Government to renewable energy.

The Liberal Democrat minister has also been arguing that the Treasury should guarantee loans that energy companies will need to invest in new renewable and nuclear power stations.

However, Mr Osborne and the Treasury have been opposing both measures, reflecting the Chancellor's growing scepticism about the need to take immediate action to "de-carbonise" the economy during a recession, senior Conservative sources told The Independent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenpolitics/9617217/George-Osborne-describ...

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