Greeny News

Lib Dem energy secretary threatens coalition rift over plans to consider abolishing climate and conservation regulations

The energy secretary, Chris Huhne, has his conservative colleagues in the government as an attack "right-wing extremists ideologues" and "deregulation zealots" for the placement of environmental regulations on a list of bureaucracy, be held to consider scrapping.

In comments at the weekend made at a conference of socialists in his party, Huhne made it clear that he is to protect the environmental laws such as the Climate Change Act, unlike Act, the Wildlife and Countryside Act and the National Parks in the government contain ' s review of existing regulations in the UK.

His views are thought to reflect a range of opinion within the Liberal Democrats in government. Said a source close Huhne, he of the business secretary, Vince Cable, Lib Dem and ministers were braced to battle hundreds of rules they think their Tory colleagues will be inclined to discard was supported. The move is part of a Liberal Democrat strategy to their aggressive corner, which obviously in the party leadership 's successful opposition to the changes in NHS fight.

Huhne, said: "Between the shows obsession with micro-management and goal-setting by the Labour Party, and the fixation with deregulation and the abolition of the rules just because they are rules have on offer from some right-wing ideologues, We Liberal Democrats a real chance to define an evidence-based, intelligent and unique approach. "

A source said: done "We take issue with this ideology that less regulation is always better the regulation can be incredibly important when the process comes to a head in the autumn, we are certainly not let us go ... regulations fighting and we have a number of ministers on our side. "

Members of the public are invited to pass comment on all regulations on a government website called 'red tape challenge "list. When enough people to reject call for an element, the burden is on the minister to explain why it should be protected. The list includes 278 environmental regulations at a time, a move to a system such as the Climate Change Act scrap was always more muscle. The former head of the civil service Lord Turnbull has recently called the most distinguished individuals for their repeal.

In his speech, Huhne said: have "Whatever the good intent, we mistakenly feel that developing an exercise unnecessary minor bureaucratic hurdles scrap is now placing the foundation stone for the climate given in danger of course nonsense, let me assure you ..: There is a very good example of our most important rules for the protection of the environment remain to ".

But he continued, a number of problems with the government 's approach to deregulation list.

He said he believed the current guiding principle - "One in, one from", where a new regulation may be preferable when another is discarded - not to work with environmental regulations. "This is a sensible approach, but there are some new areas, such as climate protection, we must be realistic, if not scrap old rules having equivalent effect."

He also said the belief that regulation is always a cost was "silly", and the deregulation often had unintended consequences.

"As deregulation zealots would have dealt with the Montreal Protocol, such as the effective international environmental agreements to date? Have with the Protocol in 1987, the countries to phase out production and consumption of CFCs and other chemicals that destruction of the ozone layer. These regulations didn 't replace anything because no one knew until the 1980s that CFCs were damaging.

"We must remember that it is possible deregulation have unintended consequences. Take the case of digging up streets and sidewalks. Thirty years ago, only about a dozen companies the right to dig, had the public highway. Then in the 1990s with the privatization by utilities and the advent of cable TV, which bloated to about 150th Streets were dug repeatedly without coordination or control. Congestion costs time, and time costs money.

"The belief that regulation always means cost is just as silly -. Something 's obvious Liberal Democrats, who have never taken the view that the market is always right"

He drew attention to the handset market, saying the U.S. has a laissez-faire approach was adopted, with the result that the American cell phone will not work outside the state or even city, lines. "At one point the U.S. had no fewer than 16 separate, incompatible networks. In contrast, the EU has a single standard, GSM global roaming has been created. It was so effective that today \ of the world's largest mobile networks 20 Six European and two Americans - and they 're in the 19th and 20th places ".

He cited work done by the U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who looked at the effects of energy standards for refrigerators in the U.S. last 50 years. "To use for the first 30 years, refrigerators, and their energy has steadily increased. Then in 1978, the first energy standards were introduced. Fridges have become even bigger, but decreased the energy consumption considerably. But the most important thing? The real price of the fridge to consumers fell continuously over the entire 50-year period. "

Huhne added: \. "Regulation can help to attract globally competitive businesses, reducing costs for consumers and realize benefits for the environment, society and the economy as a whole, win the argument shouldn 't win be about regulation versus deregulation., less versus more laws. It 's the type of regulation we need. "

Huhne said he had to simplify a move in the regulation when he was a deputy conducted confirmed "poor regulation" needed to be dealt with and pointed to examples of deregulation policies he put in the energy department had, but he said examples of 'smart regulation "were.