Listen to your commissioner for the environment

Press release - July 24, 2006
Greenpeace calls on the Government to heed the recommendations from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and to intervene immediately and stop a proposal for a coal fired burning power station - Marsden B.

In his report 'Electricity, energy and the environment: Environmental performance assessment 1 July 2004 - 30 June 2005', tabled in Parliament today, Morgan Williams says "Proposals for new coal-fired power stations appear to undermine the Government's attempts to stabilise New Zealand's carbon emissions and that by supporting the Marsden B proposal the Government appears to place short-term economic benefit over the country's international commitments and considerations of environmental sustainability. Global warming is an issue that must be taken seriously and meaningful actions must be taken immediately."

Greenpeace welcomes this commonsense and clear advice from the Commissioner and hopes the Government listens.

"Immediate action required of the Government is to stop the madness that is Marsden B - the first major coal fired power station in 25 years," says Greenpeace Campaigner, Vanessa Atkinson.

"We reiterate what the Commissioner says is needed from the Government - developing renewable sources, and promoting local and distributed generation."

"We urgently need policies to lower our emissions, encourage renewable technology such as wind farms, stop climate-polluting power sources such as Marsden B, phase out coal and increase energy efficiency to lead us to a 100% renewable electricity sector," concluded Atkinson.

On Thursday 27 July, Greenpeace will be making a submission to the hearing of the Climate Protection Amendment Bill that repeals the sections of the Resource Management (Energy and Climate Change) Amendment Act which prevent the consideration of climate change in the granting of air discharge consents and the formulation of regional plans.

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