Government publishes response to consultations on transport elements of RED and FQD
Tue 08 November 2011
View all news
The Department for Transport has published its response to the consultations on the the transport elements of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD). In a ministerial statement, transport minister Norman Baker said that it is crucial that we do all we can to ensure that biofuels both deliver real greenhouse gas emission reductions and do not cause unacceptable environmental and social side effects in the process.
Norman Baker said that the UK's policy on biofuels is relevant to both Directives and that there remain a number of uncertainties regarding the sustainability of biofuels and their best use. The minister said that he believes that genuinely sustainable biofuels have an important role to play in our efforts to tackle climate change and in security of energy supply and that this is particularly so in areas where there is no viable alternative fuel on the horizon such as for HGVs and aviation.
While the extent of these impacts remains uncertain, the minister said that there is robust evidence that widespread use of some biofuels can lead to significant indirect greenhouse gas emissions through indirect land use change (ILUC). Norman Baker said that he has written to the European Commission twice, expressing the Government’s concerns regarding ILUC and pressing for robust and proportionate action to be taken to address the impacts of ILUC.
The minister said that the Government is still of the view that there is a place for sustainable biofuels in our wider policy on carbon reduction and does not support calls for biofuels targets to be scrapped.
Mr Baker said that the Government will prioritise implementation of the RED over that of the related FQD in order to ensure that financial reward is no longer given to those biofuels that do not meet the RED sustainability criteria.
The UK Government has recently been criticised by environmentalists for seeking to delay attempts by the European Union to penalise oil derived from tar sands through its treatment under the FQD. (See related LowCVP story link.)
The Department has also launched a consultation on its proposals for the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) Guidance for fuels suppliers and verifiers. This consultation will run for four weeks, closing at midnight on Sunday, 4 December. This is not a formal consultation and respondents should note that the consultation period is shorter than that of the Department's formal written consultations.
Related Links
< Back to news list