Browse by topic: Press release, Climate Change and Energy

Filters:

European Parliament vote on fuel taxes: reaction from Transport & Environment

Brussels - Fuel tax havens such as Luxembourg and Spain may have to raise their low diesel taxes following a vote in the European Parliament in Strasbourg this afternoon on a proposal to revise the EU’s Energy Tax law.  Commenting on the outcome of the vote, Magnus Nilsson, senior campaigner at T&E said: “This vote is good news for countries like Portugal, Belgium, France and Germany who currently lose billions in tax revenue as a result of lorries filling up in fuel tax havens such as Luxembourg and Spain.  Lower diesel taxes are bad for the climate and force governments to find cash elsewhere, such as by raising job-killing labour taxes.  ”

Study debunks oil industry claim that new fuel law would kill refineries

The oil industry’s claim that a new EU law designed to cut emissions from petrol and diesel production would impose a ‘disproportionate administrative burden’ has been debunked by a new report (1). A study carried out by three consultancies (CE Delft, Carbon Matters and Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands) found that the administrative and reporting costs of new implementing rules for the EU’s Fuel Quality Directive would costs drivers less than half a cent on an average fill-up, or around 1 cent on a barrel of crude oil. Transport & Environment is calling for EU Member States to press ahead with approving the new rules without further delay.

Commission backs away from allowing megatrucks

The European Commissioner’s top transport official appeared to back away from plans to allow megatrucks to travel freely across European national borders at a stormy meeting yesterday afternoon of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee.  Transport & Environment says the EU should scrap plans to boost longer and heavier lorries, and instead propose changes that would allow future lorries to be more aerodynamic and safer but without changing the length or weight of the load space. 

Decision on dirty fuels law to be taken by Environment Ministers

A key meeting on the future of the EU’s plan to cut carbon emissions from transport fuel production reached no agreement today.   A decision on carbon emissions values for highly polluting sources of fuel such as tar sands and coal-to-liquid will now be taken by Environment Ministers in the Summer.

Environmental groups hail court decision on aviation climate law

A transatlantic coalition of environmental groups today applauded the decision of Europe’s highest court to uphold the EU law to reduce carbon pollution from airplanes. The decision, from the Court of Justice of the European Union, affirms that the EU law is fully compliant with international law.

High carbon oil: California backs law to move away from dirty oil, while Europe is still talking

Europe’s climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard is meeting EU environment ministers today to discuss Europe’s plan to force oil companies to clean up transport fuels. The meeting comes amid a long-running lobbying campaign by Canada and the oil industry who are resisting attempts to force dirty sources of oil such as tar sands and coal-to-liquid to be produced in a more sustainable way. Meanwhile, California, America’s largest transport fuel market, gave renewed backing on Friday to its own ‘Low Carbon Fuel Standard’: the world’s first.

Pages