Archived press release

Opencast Coal Moratorium Must Follow Gas Moratorium

3 December 1997

Friends of the Earth today gave a guarded welcome to the Energy Minister's announcement of a moratorium on new gas-fired power stations [1] and called for an additional moratorium on opencast coal mining on economic, social and environmental grounds.

However, Friends of the Earth warned that coal policy needs to follow the Government's climate pledge and not water it down. Meeting the Government's target of a 20% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 will necessitate a decrease in coal burning. The challenge for the government is to assist coalfield communities through this period of transition.

Anna Stanford, Energy Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said;

“The Government must formulate a sustainable energy policy to meet its target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This means an immediate moratorium on opencast mining, and priority given to renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport options. Our research shows such a strategy could create more than 250,000 new jobs.”

The Government has completely ignored the issue of opencast coal in the whole debate about the future of the coal industry. Opencast coal now accounts for over a third of UK coal output, mainly due to the decline of deep-mined coal. As part of the gradual move away from coal, the priority should be to end opencast coal mining, which causes significant environmental damage, and threatens public health and local economies.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] Local Friends of the Earth campaigners near proposed gas plants are hailing today's announcement as a success. FOE believes that proposals for new gas stations are premature ahead of the Government's consultation on its strategy for cutting carbon dioxide emissions after the Kyoto Climate Summit.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust