Will UK scupper EU tar sands ban vote next week?

People & Planet activists challenge the tar sands

After being delayed for over 2 months, the EU is set to vote on the Fuel Quality Directive, legislation that would effectively ban tar sands from European import. The vote is scheduled to take place on 23 February.

Under intense lobbying from the Canadian Government, keen to create new markets for its dirty oil and stop the EU from setting a precedent for the rest of the world to follow, the UK Government is refusing to support the European Commission’s proposal, and actively encouraging other states to oppose it.

• Tell Norman Baker and Nick Clegg there is no place for dirty oil in a green European Union!

Keep the pressure up!

In November, over 800 People & Planet supporters wrote to Under Secretary of State for Transport and self-proclaimed environmentalist, Norman Baker, telling him to vote for the ban.

With the vote once again imminent, we want to raise the pressure on Norman Baker and his boss Nick Clegg, to make the EU tarsands ban a crucial issue for LibDems in the Coalition government. Supporting a tarsands ban in the EU is essential to maintaining the Liberal Democrat party’s strong reputation on the environment.

Closing the doors on dirty oil

With Barack Obama’s recent move to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, (which aimed to pump tar sands from Alberta to Texas), and growing First Nations protests against a proposed Enbridge pipeline to Canada’s west coast (to supply eastern markets, such as China) the world’s doors are closing to Canada’s dirty oil. Without the demand, industry cannot justify its planned expansion.

Take 2 minutes and send Norman Baker and Nick Clegg an email telling them that there is no place for dirty oil in a green European Union!

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Dear Ministers, I am writing to you with regards to the EU’s Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) and the importance of the UK voting to close the EU’s doors to Canadian tar sands (and other high polluting fuel sources) on February 23rd, to help ensure we can achieve the proposed 6% reductions in transport emissions by 2020. On 3 October the European Commission published its proposals for the FQD, which included a default value for tar sands, listing their emissions as 23% higher than those of conventional crude oil. I understand that the UK has failed to support this decision and that the government continues to advocate for an alternative implementing methodology and ‘to have discussions with colleagues in other member states to ensure all heavy crudes are dealt with, not simply oil sands.’ I am writing to express serious concerns about the UK’s current position. The current FQD proposal includes a review clause stating that higher intensity conventional crudes will have values assigned no later than 2015. The European Commission has said it will introduce these values as soon as the data is available. This is no reason to delay the FQD and let most intensive fuels, which have data available now, off the hook. Whilst there is some variance in conventional crude emissions, on average none are anywhere near as carbon intensive as tar sands and other unconventional sources. Not supporting the FQD gives the oil industry a free pass to continue to increase the carbon intensity of its products. The UK is the pushing the same strategy proposed by the tar sands industry, knowing that establishing default values for each non-conventional fuel source will delay legislation for years, providing ample opportunity for the industry to develop a foothold in European markets in the meantime. If we do not clearly label tar sands as unacceptable now, we put the EU at a much more serious risk, as new infrastructure and markets are developed for dirty oil, locking the continent into fossil fuel dependency for the foreseeable future. While there have been some suggestions that the UK may abstain from voting on the FQD, I believe it is crucial to support the current legislation, while acknowledging that changes will be needed as default values for other fuels become available (as the current wording already ensures). If this is indeed going to be ‘the greenest government ever’, you personally must stand up for cleaner fuels and a low-carbon future by supporting the Commission’s proposals for this landmark climate change legislation. I appreciate EU member states are currently subject to intense lobbying from the Canadian Government to exempt tar sands. If the UK feels unable to support the Commission’s common sense proposals, I would respectfully ask that the government does not lobby other EU member states to reject the proposals. As the world’s most climate-hostile transport fuel in commercial production today, a strong market signal is urgently required to show that tar sands have no role to play in achieving a low carbon economy. On 23 February, I hope you will stand for the values of environmentalism and sustainability that have helped your party achieve its current position in government. Sincerely,

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Read our response to Nick Clegg’s reply letter