October 2008

The European Parliament Environment (ENVI) Committee voted this week on the proposed amendments to the EU ETS Directive. The Rapporteur (MEP Doyle’s, IRL-EPP) Report on ETS was adopted by 46 votes to 20 with 1 abstention, with a majority of the EPP voting against. Almost all compromise amendments proposed by MEP Doyle were adopted, which meant that the corresponding consolidated amendments tabled by Korhola, Florenz, Andrejevs and others were rejected. 

Only the compromise amendment on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) was rejected (33 votes to 33), but the Doyle, McAvan, Davis amendment 500 was adopted. The vote was extremely generous for CCS with 500 millions of allowances taken from the New Entrants reserve for providing free allowances to CCS.
Amongst EuLA’s and BLA’s priority issues, the points of worry now include: the New Entrant definition, the International agreement definition, the Transition measures for sectors exposed to carbon leakage and the Carbon leakage criteria.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For more information please contact Gwil Neal by tel: 0207 9638000 or e-mail neal@mineralproducts.org

The BLA is a constituent body of the Mineral Products Association Ltd., the trade association for the aggregates, asphalt and ready-mix concrete industries. The BLA represents the interests of six member companies, responsible for producing more than 95% of the lime sold in the UK. The BLA members are Hanson, Lhoist UK Ltd, Singleton Birch, Steetley Dolomite Ltd, Tarmac Buxton Lime & Cement UK and Totternhoe Lime and Stone Company Ltd.