You have to admire the persistence of business lobby groups in refusing to lie down over the Emissions Trading Scheme. Their latest attempt to stall the legislation is an open letter to all MPs, signed by the heads of 14 business lobbies, coordinated by the Greenhouse Policy Coalition. The letter complains about the lack of time submitters were given to appear before Parliament’s Finance & Expenditure Select Committee. It  asks for another opportunity to present submissions on proposed changes to the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewables Preference) Bill and also recommends an independent regulator be appointed, as mooted by the Rudd Govt in Aust.

The letter is signed by the Greenhouse Policy Coalition, Federated Farmers, the Road Transport Forum, the Major Electricity Users’ Group, the NZ Business Roundtable, the NZ Minerals Industry Association, the NZ Chambers of Commerce, the Wood Processors’ Association of NZ, the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association, Deer Industry NZ, Business NZ, the Seafood Industry Association, the Meat Industry Association, and Meat and Wool NZ.

The letter claims the Bill, as reported back from Select Committee, has not taken heed of serious concerns raised by those in the productive sectors of the economy, the sectors which generate the export receipts and employment in NZ. It notes, in what is one of the most far reaching economic reforms NZ has ever attempted, many submitters to the Select Committee were given only 10-15 minutes to present on their concerns, while the Select Committee considered over 60 reports in 12 hours, and had three days to consider over 1000 amendments to the Bill.

The letter notes a comparison of the only other mandatory emissions trading scheme, the European Union ETS, shows the NZ scheme (because it is much more comprehensive and there are proportionally less free allocations) is five times more expensive than the EU scheme on a per unit basis and 10 times more expensive on a population basis. Greenhouse Policy Coalition Executive Director Catherine Beard says the letter reflects the “strength of concern” across the whole of the productive sector and shows a degree of frustration that “the substantive issues and submissions haven’t been addressed.”
Greenpeace is accusing the business lobbies of making a “shameful, last-ditch attempt” to stop the ETS. Executive Director Bunny McDiarmid says it is “complete bollocks” to suggest the submission process was rushed. McDiarmid adds, “rarely has a piece of legislation been so heavily analysed and widely consulted over as the ETS. Calls of ’slow down’ say more about the self-interest of big, polluting business than they do about the robustness of the legislation.”

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