Biofuels ruled out in Wales

This week the Assembly received a statement on the Welsh Government's Bio-energy Action Plan.

Leanne Wood:
There are potentially several difficulties with bio-energy. When energy crops are grown, processed and transported, greenhouse gases can be released, and that is a particular concern if crops have to be imported. I note from your statement that you recognise the need to proceed with caution in terms of growing energy crops, and real care needs to be taken before decisions are made to change land use from food crops production to energy production. We have received warnings from elsewhere in the world that incentives in certain countries to change land use in favour of energy crops has caused the price of many basic foodstuffs to rise quite considerably, and that has a knock-on effect in terms of population and poverty. There are also concerns about the potential effect on wildlife populations, particularly if land used for energy crops is not managed in the appropriate way. Therefore, I ask that the consultation on this takes account of the delicate balance that we need to strike when working with nature. If properly regulated and planned, a Welsh bio-energy sector could help to meet our climate change targets, but we need to tread carefully to ensure that what is a positive in one area does not result in greater negatives elsewhere.

Jane Davidson:
I can tell you categorically that the Welsh Assembly Government has no intention of supporting the production of biofuels from energy crops grown in Wales due to concerns about the potential for biofuel crops to displace food crops, and due to the energy requirements for the production of biofuels. We will be looking at all opportunities for growing different kinds of energy crops. Some of those are in the grass sector and some are woody, as you know. Work is going on with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at present looking at the most effective outcomes. We are hugely mindful of this issue in terms of the relationship between energy crops for transport and food crops.

Treorci Recycling Centre closure

What sort of message is Rhondda Cynon Taf council sending out by its decision to close the Treorci Community Recycling Centre?

As Plaid Cymru’s Assembly spokesperson on Sustainability, I’m appalled that residents have been left in limbo with some facing a 10- mile trip if they want to recycle bulky waste. I mentioned the closure in the Assembly yesterday.

There has been a lack of consultation with local members and the public and the timing of the decision on December 23 is suspicious.

Plaid members staged a demonstration against a decision to shut a facility before a replacement has been provided, whatever the site’s capacity shortcomings. The scheme for a replacement is on hold because of a funding shortfall and there is no indication when a new site will be opened.

It all goes to make the closure decision baffling and it is unacceptable to ask residents to drive 10 miles and may lead on to more fly-tipping.

Sourcing our food locally

As Plaid's Sustainability Spokesperson, I have tried raise awareness of the role that local food and projects like allotments, local growing and community gardens can make towards improving peoples' lives in Wales. Allotment gardening is becoming more popular in Wales and the UK. Growing our food locally makes more economic sense as supermarket food prices rise.

There is an urgent need for an expansion of local food production across Wales. I have spoken many times in the Senedd and elsewhere I have supported campaigns in my region such as the fight to save the Haigside allotments in Treherbert, and the campaign fpr a community garden in Ely in Cardiff. On Monday I went to see the Riverside Community Garden, a project which provides growing space for people in Cardiff and emphasises reaching out to disadvantaged groups. In Riverside the older generation pass on food growing skills to younger people which helps to build relationships and mutual respect. There is a huge amount of good work going on, but it could do with being more joined-up.

Yesterday in the Senedd I spoke in a debate on Sustainable Procurement. My main points were that the Assembly Government and public bodies under its control could and should boost local economies by sourcing as much of their food as locally as possible. Locally procured food cuts down on carbon emissions and food miles as well as ticking alot of the health boxes. If we put local procurement rules in place when contracts are issued by the public sector, then we can give small shops, co-operatives and local growers an extra leg-up to compete against the supermarkets.

A new option in the Severn Barrage debate

Today the RSPB have issued a report proposing a 'Severn Reef'. UK and Welsh Ministers are currently overseeing a Feasibility Study into the generating power of the Severn estuary. Most people have heard about the Severn Barrage proposal, but other ideas are also being considered. The Feasibility Study is looking at the best way to harness the tides in the Severn, which are the 2nd most powerful in the world. We must use these tides to create renewable energy in a way that does not fundamentally harm the environment. The RSPB and others say that the proposed Barrage would alter the Severn's tides forever and could have a huge impact on wildlife, especially birds.

An alternative is to deploy a number of tidal lagoons, which could be linked to local communities onshore. Friends of the Earth have said that tidal lagoons could generate even more power than the Severn Barrage, for a fraction of the cost, although they accept that more aggregates would have to be used in the construction. Tidal lagoons are untested technology, but are nevertheless being considered by the joint Feasibility Study.

The RPSB are now adding another alternative to the debate. They tasked an engineering company to draw up ideas for a 'reef' project which would cost about £2billion less than the Barrage and produce around 20,000 GW of electricity, which is more energy than the Severn Barrage's projected 17,000 GW. The RSPB say that their Reef is "more in tune with the way the estuary works" and would be able to produce electricity for longer and more sustained periods than the Barrage. I intend to raise this idea with the One Wales Sustainability Minister Jane Davidson to ensure that the RSPB's proposal is fully considered as part of the debate on the Severn estuary.

Rally Against new M4

Today the Campaign Against the Levels Motorway (CALM) held a protest outside the Senedd. They are campaigning against the building for a second stretch of M4 motorway to bypass regularly congested parts of Newport.

I have a lot of sympathy for the campaigners. If we are serious about climate change, and we take heed of the warnings over peak oil, we would not spend around £20million per mile on a motorway. Our public transport system is in urgent need of investment. More roads inevitably result in more traffic. This in addition to the fact that the proposed road would run through the Gwent Levels, five miles of which are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

There are various stages and processes to go through before a decision is made, including an independent public local inquiry. The campaigners are already gathering evidence and information in preparation, and they are doing a good job of lobbying politicians.

The environmental case against this road is strong. CALM have to make sure that the public inquiry hears the arguments loud and clear.