F 39B Emergency Motion 1: Energy and Democracy
Liberal Democrat Federal Conference September 2015
F 39B Emergency Motion 1: Energy and Democracy
Conference notes that:
A. The new UK government is introducing measures to fast track shale gas drilling planning applications and undermine the democratic integrity of local decisions.
B. At the same time they are withdrawing pre-registration of small scale renewable schemes, and lowering feed-in tariffs, increasing the financial risks for individual and community schemes.
Conference recognises that:
i) Local battles over fracking planning applications, in places such as Ryedale and Lancashire, urgently need our support.
ii) Small scale, community renewable energy schemes democratise the energy market and deserve our support.
Conference calls on the UK Government to:
1. Respect local decisions on both renewable energy and fracking, and significantly reduce the frequency with which they are overridden after being called in to be reviewed centrally.
2. Maintain the practice of permitting small scale renewable energy schemes to pre-register for government support.
3. Provide people with access to independent expert advice on finding finance and gaining planning permission for domestic and community renewable energy schemes.
This motion was:
Drafted by Simon Oliver, Chair of the Green Liberal Democrats
Proposed by Steve Bolter, Vice Chair (Policy) GLD
Summated by Graham Neil, Vice Chair (Organisation) GLD
PROPOSAL SPEECH (As planned, with recalled impromptu additions and modifications)
At the South Bank Centre I saw a poster reading "tell me something I do not know". I think most of you will know most of what needs to be said and why. Some of was said very eloquently yesterday when people went beyond Duncan Brack's amendment updating F23. We just need to formalise it.
First, a statement of interest. My house is not in an area where drilling licences are up for grabs, but 5km away, the borehole that supplies my drinking water is.
Second an explanation. More comprehensive motions on Fracking were submitted for both this Conference and the one before the Election, but they were rejected. This is Emergency Motion and has to be restricted to new issues. We hope there will be a full "Keep fossil fuels in the Ground" motion in York (Spring 2016).
Back in May, with a YouGov poll showing public opposition to fracking outnumbered support for it by 57 to 43, Amber Rudd promised that, with the "the impediment of the Lib Dems removed" the government would expedite extraction of shale gas and change the law to allow frackers to drill under national parks.
Under the new planning guidance issued in August, councils are strongly encouraged to meet the existing deadline of 16 weeks to approve or reject complex fracking applications. Greg Clark, the Secretary of State for Communities, will now be able to systematically 'call in' applications and decide them for himself.
Councils that turn down applications, risk having claims against them for legal and delay costs, if the Secretary of State subsequently overturns their decisions. Senior members of Government stating that "shale gas will be delivered", places Councils in difficult positions. Simply by spending vast amounts of money on legal teams, Corporations can now intimidate Councils.
Rather than facilitating intimidation, Government should be offering Councils protection from large claims.
With the possible arrival of a TTIP with Investor State Dispute Settlement, it is important that the correct decisions are taken now, because once Corporations have a foot in the door they could attempt to use ISDS to prevent this or future Governments changing the conditions of permissions.
Our Councils deserve our support in their endeavour to look after their populations. The threat of compensation claims can have more influence on the result of applications than the relevant planning issues. Councils need adequate time to deal with complex applications, funding to employ suitably qualified personnel, and protection against claims from the fossil fuel industry.
The combined effect of the financial and political support for fossil fuels, and the reduction in the amount and certainty of incentives for renewables,
has severely slowed the rate of renewables installation.
The combination also makes it clear that Conservative policy is not a defendable subtle planto speed the elimination of coal burning by short term use of gas,while renewables, storage, and energy saving measures are built up.
It is simply a plan to help the fossil fuel industry at the expense of local populations.
While I have some sympathy for the reduction of support for dumping acres of solar panels on good agricultural land, to ensure the continuing development of the solar industry any reductions need to be measured.
There is a continuing need for feed in tariff rates to encourage the more the more expensive renewable energy installations, including putting solar panels on roofs. Prices of solar panels have fallen, but it is still as expensive to erect scaffolding and mount panels.
To encourage small private and community schemes, there was the facility to preregister and lock in on incentives before starting installations.
This facility is being withdrawn. Ten organisations who have been lending for renewables projects have had to withdraw their services.
One provider of finance for community schemes, the "Trillion Fund", stated
"Recent changes in government policy have rocked investor confidence and made the landscape for future renewable energy projects very uncertain.
As a result we have decided that, with regret, we will not be able to offer any new renewable energy loans for the foreseeable future."
It has been questioned whether it is right to give subsidies to those who can afford to invest, at the expense of all electricity users, including the poor. But it is funding for investment in community schemes, from which all benefit, that is being hardest hit.
Where the free market does not provide for our future needs, responsible Government has either to invest itself, or rig the market to persuade others to invest. I have no problem with the former, but many would regard it as illiberal!
Investment in renewables will keep down the cost of energy in the long term, even making gas cheaper as demand for it falls. It is in the interest of all, but most critically to the poor, that energy prices do not escalate.
We need to:-
- Maintain the practice of permitting small scale renewable energy schemes to pre-register for government support.
- Continue to support investment in renewables with feed in tariffs.
- Provide people with access to independent expert advice on finding finance and gaining planning permission for domestic and community renewable energy schemes.
The Tories have promoted fossil fuels, discouraged investment in low carbon energy sources and wrecked community schemes. Please show your disapproval by voting for this motion [and by attending the Climate Change march in London on the 29th of November].