Carbon plan to be shelved over funding shortage as fears grow for Tories’ green agenda after chancellor’s ‘austerity’ remark Scottish Power is understood to have pulled the plug on a major green energy scheme at Longannet power station, Fife, close to the Firth of Forth. The threatened scrapping comes amid growing concern that David Cameron and George Osborne want to scale back the green agenda on the grounds that low carbon technology, such as carbon capture storage (CCS) and offshore wind power, cost too much in a time of austerity. The chancellor told the Conservative conference this week that if he had his way the UK would cut “carbon emissions no slower but also no faster than our fellow countries in Europe”. Scottish Power and its partners Shell and the National Grid have just completed a detailed study of the Longannet scheme. They are concerned about its commercial viability without more public backing.The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) had promised £1bn but the developers are understood to be saying they cannot proceed unless more money is provided to enable them to trial a scheme which involves burying carbon emissions in the North Sea. Both sides insist “talks are ongoing” but well-placed industry and political sources say the process is “pretty much over” and a statement is expected shortly. Jeff Chapman, chief executive of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, said the collapse of Longannet would be a “severe disappointment” for the wider hopes of the sector. A senior Conservative backbencher with knowledge of the energy sector told the Guardian he expected the CCS deal to collapse within weeks. He said blame lay with the Labour government, which had dithered in awarding the CCS demonstration contract until only one bidder was left, leaving the government in an impossible negotiating position. A DECC spokesman said Longannet was only one CCS project and the government still planned to choose another three that could be eligible for cash from an EU fund by the end of the year. In May DECC submitted seven UK-based CCS projects for European funding, including Longannet, but the Fife scheme was by far the most advanced and is spearheading the drive to develop the new technology in Britain. Ministers have repeatedly stressed the importance of CCS as a way to keep coal and possibly other fossil-fuel burning power stations in operation without undermining moves to cut carbon emissions and counter global warming.But they have already seen E.ON back out of plans to construct a new coal-fired power station with prototype CCS technology at Kingsnorth in Kent. At 2,400MW, Longannet is the third largest coal-fired power station in Europe and was once highlighted as Scotland’s biggest single polluter. In 2009 at the launch of a small-scale pilot study Ignacio Galán, the chairman of Scottish Power and its Spanish parent group Iberdrola, highlighted the importance of the scheme. “We believe that the UK can lead the world with CCS technology, creating new skills, jobs and opportunities for growth,” he said. “There is the potential to create an industry on the same scale as North Sea oil, and we will invest in Scotland and the UK to help realise this potential.” Charles Hendry, the energy minister, said in May that Longannet and other CCS schemes in the UK showed it was “at the cutting edge of the low carbon agenda.” But an industrialist in the department told the Guardian ministers were now privately questioning renewable power and other schemes that involved substantial public subsidies. Ministers have come under sustained lobbying from traditional power companies and energy intensive manufacturers to concentrate on lower priced, higher carbon fuels such as gas. WWF Scotland’s Director, Dr Richard Dixon, said: “This news is deeply worrying. If the UK truly wants to lead the development of this technology, as many politicians have said, then we hope that all those involved can find a way to make this project happen. It would be a major blow to international efforts to develop carbon capture and storage if this scheme were not to happen at Longannet. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) Energy Fossil fuels Carbon emissions Climate change Coal Renewable energy Scotland Green politics George Osborne Conservatives Terry Macalister Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk
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Carbon plan to be shelved over funding shortage as fears grow for Tories’ green agenda after chancellor’s ‘austerity’ remark Scottish Power is understood to have pulled the plug on a major green energy scheme at Longannet power station, Fife, close to the Firth of Forth. The threatened scrapping comes amid growing concern that David Cameron and George Osborne want to scale back the green agenda on the grounds that low carbon technology, such as carbon capture storage (CCS) and offshore wind power, cost too much in a time of austerity. The chancellor told the Conservative conference this week that if he had his way the UK would cut “carbon emissions no slower but also no faster than our fellow countries in Europe”. Scottish Power and its partners Shell and the National Grid have just completed a detailed study of the Longannet scheme. They are concerned about its commercial viability without more public backing.The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) had promised £1bn but the developers are understood to be saying they cannot proceed unless more money is provided to enable them to trial a scheme which involves burying carbon emissions in the North Sea. Both sides insist “talks are ongoing” but well-placed industry and political sources say the process is “pretty much over” and a statement is expected shortly. Jeff Chapman, chief executive of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, said the collapse of Longannet would be a “severe disappointment” for the wider hopes of the sector. A senior Conservative backbencher with knowledge of the energy sector told the Guardian he expected the CCS deal to collapse within weeks. He said blame lay with the Labour government, which had dithered in awarding the CCS demonstration contract until only one bidder was left, leaving the government in an impossible negotiating position. A DECC spokesman said Longannet was only one CCS project and the government still planned to choose another three that could be eligible for cash from an EU fund by the end of the year. In May DECC submitted seven UK-based CCS projects for European funding, including Longannet, but the Fife scheme was by far the most advanced and is spearheading the drive to develop the new technology in Britain. Ministers have repeatedly stressed the importance of CCS as a way to keep coal and possibly other fossil-fuel burning power stations in operation without undermining moves to cut carbon emissions and counter global warming.But they have already seen E.ON back out of plans to construct a new coal-fired power station with prototype CCS technology at Kingsnorth in Kent. At 2,400MW, Longannet is the third largest coal-fired power station in Europe and was once highlighted as Scotland’s biggest single polluter. In 2009 at the launch of a small-scale pilot study Ignacio Galán, the chairman of Scottish Power and its Spanish parent group Iberdrola, highlighted the importance of the scheme. “We believe that the UK can lead the world with CCS technology, creating new skills, jobs and opportunities for growth,” he said. “There is the potential to create an industry on the same scale as North Sea oil, and we will invest in Scotland and the UK to help realise this potential.” Charles Hendry, the energy minister, said in May that Longannet and other CCS schemes in the UK showed it was “at the cutting edge of the low carbon agenda.” But an industrialist in the department told the Guardian ministers were now privately questioning renewable power and other schemes that involved substantial public subsidies. Ministers have come under sustained lobbying from traditional power companies and energy intensive manufacturers to concentrate on lower priced, higher carbon fuels such as gas. WWF Scotland’s Director, Dr Richard Dixon, said: “This news is deeply worrying. If the UK truly wants to lead the development of this technology, as many politicians have said, then we hope that all those involved can find a way to make this project happen. It would be a major blow to international efforts to develop carbon capture and storage if this scheme were not to happen at Longannet. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) Energy Fossil fuels Carbon emissions Climate change Coal Renewable energy Scotland Green politics George Osborne Conservatives Terry Macalister Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Educators and immigration advocates are blaming Alabama’s controversial new immigration law for widespread absences among Hispanic kids in the state’s public school system this week. The omnibus law, like most of the state-level anti-illegal immigration legislation passed over the past two years, operates via “attrition through enforcement”–a deliberate effort to encourage illegal immigrants to leave
Continue reading …Educators and immigration advocates are blaming Alabama’s controversial new immigration law for widespread absences among Hispanic kids in the state’s public school system this week. The omnibus law, like most of the state-level anti-illegal immigration legislation passed over the past two years, operates via “attrition through enforcement”–a deliberate effort to encourage illegal immigrants to leave
Continue reading …Nearly two months later, an answer to what killed Jani Lane : alcohol poisoning. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office determined that the former Warrant frontman died from acute ethanol intoxication, the AP reports. E! notes that a half-empty vodka bottle and prescription drugs were found alongside Lane’s body in a…
Continue reading …Reluctant slackers: economy leads young Americans to put adulthood on hold
October 6, 2011 No CommentThe slackers of the 1990s are remembered as listless MTV watchers and basement dwellers who opted out of America’s striving, mercenary ethos. Many young adults today look similar at first glance. They’re in their 20s or early 30s, they don’t have jobs or spouses, and many live with mom and dad. But that’s not by
Continue reading …Reluctant slackers: economy leads young Americans to put adulthood on hold
October 6, 2011 No CommentThe slackers of the 1990s are remembered as listless MTV watchers and basement dwellers who opted out of America’s striving, mercenary ethos. Many young adults today look similar at first glance. They’re in their 20s or early 30s, they don’t have jobs or spouses, and many live with mom and dad. But that’s not by
Continue reading …France is famous for defending its language and culture from foreign invaders, and now the French have a new enemy in their sights: ketchup. The French government is banning ketchup from school and university cafeterias—with a single exception. The American condiment can be served with French fries, the LA…
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Doctor accused of helping CIA find Osama bin Laden should be charged with high treason, says Pakistani state commission A Pakistani doctor accused of helping the CIA to track down Osama bin Laden should be charged with high treason, a Pakistani state commission has recommended. The finding against Dr Shakeel Afridi, who allegedly ran a fake Hepatitis B vaccination scheme in Abbottabad at the behest of the CIA , is likely to further complicate relations between Pakistan and the US. Afridi was picked up by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) three weeks after the raid on May 2 in which the fugitive al-Qaida leader was killed, and he has been held without access to a lawyer ever since. The US has pressured Pakistan to release Afridi into American custody , saying he helped locate the most wanted fugitive on earth. But Pakistani spies, furious at being humiliated by the CIA, have indicated Afridi would have to face the full force of the law. In a statement, the four-man government commission which was set up to investigate the killing of Bin Laden, and which is led by a supreme court judge, said it was of the view that “prima facie, a case of conspiracy against the state of Pakistan and high treason” should be made against Afridi. The finding came hours after it conducted an “exhaustive interview” with the ISI chief, General Shuja Pasha, it said. The commission interviewed Afridi earlier in the week. The commission also announced it was ending restrictions on Bin Laden’s wives and children, who have been in custody since the raid, potentially opening the way for their repatriation to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The ISI has been at the centre of most US-Pakistan tensions this year. US critics questioned whether Pakistani spies had been aware of Bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan. More recently, the ISI has also been accused of secretly supporting the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network on the Afghan border. President Barack Obama said he was concerned by the ISI’s ties to “unsavoury characters” , but he said he was not about to cut off aid to Pakistan. Afridi was employed as a senior government doctor in the Khyber tribal agency, and is believed to have set up the CIA vaccination programme in Abbottabad earlier this year. Since the attack on Bin Laden, the ISI has cracked down on international aid agencies working in Pakistan, with officials trying to find out if any aid workers are secretly moonlighting for intelligence agencies. The aid agency Save the Children has suffered the most severe repercussions , with senior expatriate staff forced to evacuate the country for two weeks in July following a warning from US officials. Afridi appears to have used Save the Children as cover for his work, telling his wife that he working on a project for them when he was in fact working for the CIA, according to a senior western official. Save the Children has vehemently denied any links with the fake vaccination programme but says it may have been unfairly targeted because Afridi twice attended training courses run by the aid agency. The CIA has rejected criticism by aid workers that its vaccination programme was unethical. “It was conducted by genuine medical professionals who planned to provide everyone with the full course of treatments,” a senior US official with knowledge of the programme told the Guardian. “No one should be threatening or harassing or rounding up medical personnel on the ground in Pakistan. The damage here was caused by locals reacting to the mistaken idea that this was a fake public health effort.” Health workers in Abbottabad say the CIA programme had in many cases administered just one vaccination shot out of three to local children before it was closed down. The US official said: “The reality, also, is that this program was part of an effort to pinpoint the location of a man who was himself a menace to public health worldwide.” The Pakistani commission directed that Bin Laden’s house in Abbottabad should be handed over to the local civil administration “for disposal in accordance with relevant law”. Just what that means in practice is unclear. Speculation has swirled around the house for months; some analysts believe it may ultimately be razed. Pakistan CIA Osama bin Laden United States Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk
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Defence secretary joined by Adam Werrity despite claiming he had never accompanied him on government business Liam Fox was joined by a close personal friend and self-styled adviser when he met senior Sri Lankan ministers during an official visit this summer despite claiming that Adam Werritty had never accompanied him on government business. Fox has insisted that Werritty, who has distributed business cards describing himself as an adviser to the defence secretary, is not part of his political entourage, but these fresh disclosures are likely to raise further questions about the nature of his role in the defence secretary’s inner circle. The Guardian has already revealed that Werritty, who was Fox’s best man, visited the defence secretary on 14 occasions in little over a year at the MoD’s HQ in Whitehall, prompting Labour to demand an inquiry into whether there had been any potential breaches of national security. Fox said he had now asked his permanent secretary to investigate what he called “baseless allegations”. The defence secretary was under pressure to explain his involvement with Werritty after it emerged he had brokered a meeting in Dubai in June that may lead to Fox being called to give evidence in a blackmail trial in the US. Despite the furore over that episode, Fox met Werritty again in Sri Lanka a month later when the defence secretary was on an official visit to give a lecture. Though the MoD insists Werritty was not part of Fox’s party, it confirmed that Werritty did meet Fox during the visit. A photograph of Fox arriving to give the address on 9 July shows Werritty in the background, following closely behind Sri Lankan government ministers and the British high commissioner, John Rankin. During the visit, which enraged the Tamil community – who accuse the Sri Lankan government of war crimes – Fox also met President Mahinda Rajapaksa, foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama and economic development minister Basil Rajapaksa. A video of Fox meeting the president appears to show Werritty also present. Two associates of Werritty have identified him in the grainy video. However, the MoD has denied that Werritty was there and insisted he did not accompany Fox during any official meetings. Werritty, who hands out business cards embossed with a House of Commons portcullis logo that describe him as an “adviser to Rt Hon Dr Fox MP”, has visited Fox at the MoD headquarters in Whitehall 14 times in 16 months. After details emerged of Werritty’s links with Fox dating back 14 years he said in a parliamentary answer earlier this year: “Mr Werritty is not an employee of the MoD and has, therefore, not travelled with me on any official overseas visits. ” Fox’s spokesman added: “He is a friend of the secretary of state.” However, the MoD backtracked last night. It said: “Adam Werritty was not part of Dr Fox’s delegation and he did not attend any official meetings though he was present at the memorial lecture [in Sri Lanka], which was a public event at which the defence secretary spoke.” The Guardian has been told Fox met Werritty “for a quick drink” after the lecture, which was to honour the late Sri Lankan politician Lakshman Kadirgamar. “Adam Werritty was not there in any official capacity,” an official said. “The trip to Sri Lanka was sanctioned by the Foreign Office. Werritty was not part of the official delegation. Dr Fox has a long-standing interest in Sri Lanka going back to the 1990s when he helped to broker a peace accord.” The revelation of the meeting will increase the pressure on Fox, 50, who has been accused of putting national security at risk by offering Werritty regular access to his office. Questions have also been raised about whether Werritty has sought to profit financially from the relationship. Werritty ran a defence company while Fox was shadow defence secretary, and he was involved in a health company while Fox was shadow health secretary. Werritty, 34, has accompanied Fox on several trips to Sri Lanka, including one in 2009 when the pair reportedly met the president, prime minister and foreign minister. He lived with Fox in a flat near Tower Bridge before the defence secretary married Jesme Baird in 2005. Werritty was a guest at Fox’s 50th birthday party at his official Whitehall residence last month. Last night Fox launched an investigation to clear his name. In a statement, he said: “A number of baseless accusations have been made in recent days. For the sake of clarity I have asked my permanent secretary to establish whether there has been any breach of national security or the ministerial code. She will report back in due course.” Jim Murphy, the shadow defence secretary, said: “This gets murkier and murkier. People will be shocked Liam Fox is unable to provide straight answers to straight questions. We have previously raised serious concerns about his insistence on visiting a Sri Lankan government failing to produce an independent and transparent investigation into allegations of war crimes. We need a full explanation for his visit as well as clarification of the role of Adam Werritty. Mr Werritty’s role is unclear and is now becoming a real concern. We need to know precisely why he was on the visit, why this was denied and especially if he benefitted personally or professionally from the visit.” Fox was initially scheduled to visit Sri Lanka last December but was forced to abandon his plans following a row with the foreign secretary, William Hague, who feared the speech would upset Britain’s carefully balanced relations with Colombo. Fox rescheduled the visit for July despite leaked US embassy cables providing fresh allegations of the Sri Lankan government’s complicity with paramilitary groups in its offensive against the Tamil Tigers. Liam Fox Defence policy Rupert Neate Nick Hopkins guardian.co.uk
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