Tim Yeo's extensive financial interests in the renewable energy sector have been well-documented elsewhere. (Search on 'Tim Yeo', and 'conflict of interest' is the first thing that google suggests.) So by rights he should be disqualified from being Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy and Climate Change.
Such is the corruption of modern life, he ploughs on regardless: and now he plans to sabotage the only strategic aspect of UK energy policy that makes any sense.
The story so far: for discreditable reasons the government has carried forward most of the scorched-earth energy policy made by Ed Miliband when last in power, endorsing fatuous green targets of various kinds and, most stupidly, sticking with the 'legally binding' charade. However, in the knowledge that much of this is not just daft, it's physically infeasible if we wish to live ordinary civilised western lives, a strategic let-out was engineered into the Energy Bill - there are a few grown-ups somewhere in Whitehall - by setting the EPS (emissions performance standard) for a power plant at 450 gCO2/kWh until 2045.
The significance of this is that, while it disbars even the most modern coal-fired power plant without CCS (the sort they are building as fast as they can in Germany) , it allows modern gas-fired plant to be built and operate efficiently for its entire working life, without fitting CCS. (It also allows gas-fired plant to run in less-efficient back-up mode behind windfarms etc.)
Coupled with the government's recent pronouncement that it wishes to encourage 26-37 GW of new gas-fired plant to be built, we have a policy that at least offers a physically feasible way of keeping the show on the road. I accept, of course, that security of gas supply is an issue.
The government has already swatted away the proposal of the CCC (under our friends Gummer and Kennedy) to set the EPS at 50 gCO2, which of course means that all fossil fuel plant must install, or be liable to retro-fit, CCS - thus ensuring none (I say again, none) gets built. The speed with which Ed Davey delivered his blunt rebuke was such that I'm guessing he actually understands the game.
Enter Yeo, who intends to amend the Bill to reinstate a CCC-ispired EPS: "He would accept a compromise of a range for the target, of 50g to 100g. 'I see it as a helpful contribution'".
I see it as reason to have the whip withdrawn, and Yeo deselected forthwith. Happy Christmas and goodbye, Mr Yeo: it's uncooked turkey and stone-cold pudding for you.
ND
10 comments:
Yeo got an airing on BBC R4 Today, inevitably. Fits in with the BBC's CAGW propaganda of course.
It's funny how the greenies were so anti-Nuclear a decade ago but now welcome it with open arms. And all because of CO2, that oh so dangerous gas that's only 0.04% of the atmosphere and essential for life on this planet (including our own).
But then idiocy from the establishment is par for the course.
Margate had a great fun fair called "Dreamland", have you seen it these days? On energy we are in our own dream land and are also in the hands of the wrecking crews.
Tim Yeo is a fascinating man. Is he drunk on his own corruption or is he a psychopath? I am beginning to understand why the French revolutionaries guillotined the entire families of their corrupt leaders! I hope that people like him can be stopped before such violence is brought to our shores.
Why is Yeo tolerated? I don't get it.
All these green loons are achieving is to move pollution from one part of the world to another. Apart from which accepting that we are causing climate change there are number of things we do know with any reasonable certainty. We do not know a)how much climate change is man made and how much is natural, b)if the benefits of climate change may balance out the harm or maybe even better it, c)if the steps we are taking to reduce CO2 levels are the correct ones or even if they they may do more harm than good, d)if the models used for prediction are accurate and if not whether they are underestimating or overestimating the consequences, I suspect the latter. What we do know is that what we are currently doing is costing vast amounts of money at a time when the economy is very fragile. I fear that the outcome of theses green policies is going to make us all a lot poorer.
The way Yeo is indulged amazes me, too
going to make us all a lot poorer - oh, yes, that much we know
FYI
http://notrickszone.com/2012/12/17/damning-german-study-confirms-renewable-energy-feed-in-act-redistributes-wealth-from-the-poor-to-the-rich/
trady
No idea where "trady" came from above! Spirit writing?
tx Mr Trady - interesting link that I shall visit again!
"...it's uncooked turkey and stone-cold pudding for you."
And cheap Christmas crackers too. The type containing nasty little plastic clowns which must be clipped together but won't quite fit ... and the place next to him to be set for the most fractious little toddler whom he must entertain for the entire lunch.
I was awarded a 1st Class train journey out of recognition for good work and took Mrs E-K to London on it this weekend.
At the table behind us were seated grandparents and their 'adorable' little grandaughters - after ten minutes the story book had been finished and then proceeded the "I'm bored - I'm bored - I'm bored - I'm bore ... " singing in time with rhythmic foot stomping.
"There's no such word as 'bored' in this family." Says grandma in an equally sing-song voice.
Wrong.
An hour later - sing-song still going - the family tradition had been well an truly cast into history.
Post a Comment