Pressure Grows For Comprehensive Delay To ETS
June 24th, 2009
With the Select Committee reviewing the Emissions Trading Scheme now running some three months behind schedule, it appears inevitable a significant delay to implementation of the whole scheme will need to be announced shortly. However, sectors due to come into the scheme should expect the entry dates which have already been announced will continue to apply and the only significant change will be the date by which they are required to start reporting their sector’s emissions. This is the signal to be taken from last week’s announcement by Environment Minister Nick Smith the forestry sector will not now be required to report emissions until January 31, 2010, a year later than envisaged. However, the start date for forestry’s entry into the scheme remains January 2008. The stationary energy and industrial processes sectors are meant to come into the scheme from January next year, but this looks equally unlikely and industry lobbyists are becoming increasingly vocal about the lack of time available to establish systems for reporting by then.
Meanwhile, forest owners are expressing frustration at the delays, pointing to wasted investment in seedlings which have in many cases been ploughed back into the ground as anticipated demand has failed to materialise in the absence of clear rules for treatment of forestry under the ETS.
Copyright © Media Information Ltd
NZ Energy & Environment Business Week
Amalgamated Dairies