Friday, 12 December 2008

Dunne to oppose Govt repeal of biofuel law

UnitedFuture Leader Peter Dunne has announced that he will oppose the Government's repeal of the law obliging oil companies to sell biofuel.

"I am disappointed that National feels the need to revisit this legislation"

"When the Biofuel Bill was debated earlier this year UnitedFuture voiced legitimate concerns over the potential importation of unsustainable biofuels and the impact that production of such products may have on worldwide food supply," said Mr Dunne.

"However as the Bill progressed amendments were made, including a source sustainability clause, which addressed our concerns."

"I am particularly disappointed for the domestic biofuel industry, which has for a long time signalled to me that unless Parliament enforced stiff regulatory legislation there would be no capacity to develop a domestically based tallow industry."

"As a result of National's repeal domestic suppliers will find themselves undercut by cheap, unsustainable imports, which will eventually force them out of the industry."

"The environmentally conscious biofuel consumer will be faced with an imported product with all of the source sustainability uncertainties that we are all actively trying to avoid."

"The repeal of this legislation means there is nothing to stop the importation of biofuel from cleared South-East Asian rainforests, from land that used to grow food for the poor people of the third world, or from the United States' carbon-intensive ethanol market."

"While National claims it's repeal is due to concerns about environmental protection and world food shortages, it is about to do the very thing that will potentially bury a 100% sustainable tallow-based biofuel industry right here in New Zealand," said Mr Dunne.

ENDS

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