Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham today challenged the Government to reveal their policy on Carbon Capture and Storage in areas such as Teesside – if it existed.
In the 2015 Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced that the £1 billion budget for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) would be scrapped. Since then there has been no clear direction from the government when they would implement a budget in to their policy.
Today there was an Urgent Question on air quality strategy when Alex asked:
“Emissions from industry are a major contributory factor to poor air quality but major strides to improve it in areas like Teesside could be made if the Government backed carbon capture and storage. We’ve been promised a Tory policy on it since it ditched funding two years ago when will we get it?”
Andrea Leadsom MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs responded:
“Well as an Energy Minister of the past I can absolutely tell him we’ve always been clear that Carbon Capture and Storage will play a part in future plans, but that actually doesn’t impact on the NO2 plan that we are talking about today.”
Alex said:
“Andrea Leadsom was an Energy Minister when the funding to help develop CCS was abandoned. It could drive hundreds of jobs for areas like Teesside whilst at the same time helping improve air quality. Yet again the Government has failed to provide us with a tangible policy on CCS and appear to have lost all interest in it.”
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For more information please contact Alex Cunningham on 01642 345291.
