Charles Chauvel
Labour Spokesperson on
Energy and Climate Change Issues
Associate Spokesperson on
Justice and Commerce

18 June 2009 Media Statement


Brownlee Bumbles On

Energy-efficient light bulbs are a must for New Zealand contrary to what the Minister of Energy believes Labour’s Energy spokesperson Charles Chauvel says.

“Recent tests on eco-bulbs carried out by Consumer prove that Labour was right to incentivise the phasing out of old-style incandescent bulbs. Good eco-bulbs turn 80% of energy into light, unlike incandescent bulbs which turn only 5% of energy into light. They use 75% less energy, and reduce our environmental footprint.

“Gerry Brownlee has also been caught out misleading the public. The Minister was happy to waffle on about the mercury level in the new bulbs, but there is more mercury in an amalgam filling than in an eco bulb,” Charles Chauvel said.

“Eco-friendly policies are clearly not a priority for the National Government. The incompetence of Nick Smith and Gerry Brownlee on Climate Change and Energy policy defies belief. Since taking office in November, National has simply walked away from a strategy for long-term low pollution economic growth.

“There is no economy-wide plan to deal with climate change and the challenges it presents. Instead, in both the climate change and energy portfolios, National has caused job and investment-haemorrhaging and uncertainty. National’s short-sighted policies, of stalling the Emissions Trading Scheme, repealing the renewable preference for new electricity generation, and removing the biofuels obligation, have all cost Kiwi jobs and new investment,” Charles Chauvel said.

“National’s policies have brought the emerging carbon market to a halt – a major opportunity for our country to maximise our geographic, skills-based, language and time zone advantages – thrown away when the ETS was put on hold and the NZX put TZ1 on the market.

“That same policy has cost us enormous international investment in the forestry sector, along with hundreds of new jobs, while 8 million seedlings rot in the ground as foresters sit on carbon credits, but have no certainty as to with whom they might be able to trade them.

“When Gerry Brownlee repealed the biofuels obligation under urgency before Christmas, an international company pulled out of building a 60 million litre biodiesel plant in the Bay of Plenty, and the expansion of production plants in Auckland and Waharoa are on hold indefinitely

“The Government needs to play its part in the fight against global warming, not just lip service. Ministers Brownlee and Smith are clearly out of their depth and New Zealanders are paying for this,” Charles Chauvel said.

ENDS

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