News Date: Wednesday 22nd April 2009
The 2009 Budget's Failings for The Environment
MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, Tim Loughton, has welcomed the announcement from Shadow Chancellor George Osborne and Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Greg Clark of 10 measures that the Government should have introduced in the 2009 Budget. These measures would have released £30 billion of private sector investment and lay the foundations for a stable, competitive and low carbon economic recovery.
‘It is important that through this recession we do not lose sight of environmental issues. The economy and the environment are by no means mutually exclusive and the Government should have listened to these measures and used them in their Budget.
‘We have seen through the EYE project and other initiatives locally that local people are keen to do their bit for the environment locally. The next Conservative Government will do more to enable everyone to take part but it is important that we also take the lead on strategic environment enhancing projects like these which is why these proposals are so important’.
The 10 measures are:
1) A £6,500 energy efficiency entitlement for every home in Britain.
2) Fund at least three Carbon Capture and Storage projects.
3) Bring forward the roll out of smart meters for homes and businesses.
4) Bring forward the introduction of Feed-in Tariffs for renewable generation.
5) Create a national recharging network for electric vehicles.
6) Begin work on a new high speed rail network.
7) Invest in the creation of an electricity internet-a smart grid.
8) Provide Government loan guarantees to companies investing in green technologies and create the world’s first environmental trading market.
9) Create a network of Marine Energy Parks.
10) Build an offshore DC Cable network to allow offshore renewable developments to access the electricity grid.
