Tuesday, May 24, 2011

William Powell backs revision of TAN 8

William Powell, the Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for Mid & West Wales, attended the "March to Cardiff" rally on the steps of the Senedd, addressing the rally and speaking to individual protestors.

He said: “Welsh Liberal Democrats are clear that we need to work much harder to reduce our energy consumption and find cleaner and more sustainable ways of generating electricity. But whilst Wales must reduce our over reliance on fossil fuels, this cannot be at the expense of our countryside.

“The hub and transmission power lines that are currently threatening Mid Wales are poorly conceived and the electricity companies need to go back to the drawing board.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are clear that we want to see greater investment in offshore tidal and wind resources, where developments do not affect populations, and promote small scale community renewable energy schemes, rather than large scale projects.

“Unlike the Conservatives who made no commitment whatsoever in their Manifesto on Tan 8, the Welsh Liberal Democrats are committed to a revision of TAN 8 to ensure that it does not put so much pressure on rural mid Wales and that community organisations benefit directly from the money generated by new wind developments.

“We have seen jobs lost as a result of the economic downturn, but the green energy industry is expanding. Many skilled young people are finding work in this new hi-tech sector. So we mustn’t reject wind energy entirely but with careful planning and open debate that takes into account the views of all parties and individuals, I strongly believe we can meet the need for more sustainable energy in a way that is sensitive to local communities.”



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