Plan to Cut Pollution from Combustion Plants Watered Down by the Council
Today (Dec 17, 2014) the Council of Ministers agreed on a position that would limit emissions from medium-size combustion plants [1] but create too many loopholes and unjustified flexibility schemes to be fully effective. The Council’s position exempts operators of refineries, plants operated on large-scale farming sites or plants on islands and there would be complex transition periods for existing combustion plants. The Council has also proposed far less ambitious limit values than what is technically feasible.
The legislative proposal aims to tackle emissions from installations between 1 and 50 megawatts which have, until now, not been regulated despite being a source of considerable air pollution. The Commission estimates there are 142,986 installations in this size category in the EU. The Commission’s legislative proposal is part of the Clean Air Package and is not currently at risk of withdrawal by the Commission.
Christian Schaible, the European Environmental Bureau’s Policy Officer on Industrial Emissions, commented: “Ministers seem to be more concerned with providing derogations and extra flexibility for plant operators than with reducing the number of premature deaths in the EU due to air pollution. The Council is proposing something which rewards laggards and offers à-la-carte loopholes. Doing less than what is technically and economically feasible is hugely irresponsible. We now hope the Parliament will improve the proposal so that there are fewer loopholes and there is a stronger effort to fight air pollution.”
Today’s Council meeting was the first opportunity for EU environment ministers to react to the Commission’s work programme for 2015 announced yesterday. The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) welcomes the strong stance adopted by many countries against the possible withdrawal or amendment of proposals on waste and air quality. The Commission’s announcements yesterday have caused confusion and uncertainty as to the fate of these proposals, both of which would deliver significant benefits for citizens’ health and Europe’s economy and environment.
Notes to editors
[1] The Medium size Combustion Plants (MCP) Directive aims to tackle emissions of three pollutants – nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM) - which are particularly harmful to human health but also damage ecosystems and crops
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