Greens still want biogas laws passed

2024-08-27 05:06:10

In a second attempt, the Greens hope to pass the Renewable Gas Bill (EGG) in September. In the first attempt, the Austrian Vice President and the Green Party failed to pass the draft law due to votes from the Socialist Party. This provides gas suppliers with green gas quotas. SPÖ took issue with the passage that a regulation could be enacted to relieve the “unusually heavy burden” on end consumers. This optional provision has now been replaced by a mandatory provision.

According to a previous draft, the current energy minister Leonore Gewessler (Green Party) could have provided funds to energy suppliers who are obliged to meet green gas quotas to “alleviate exceptionally high costs for end consumers” burden”. SPÖ criticized the draft because it only indirectly targets end consumers and the regulation is only formulated as an optional provision. The Social Democrats warned that the additional costs for families would be high.

In the new draft, paragraph 11 will be revised and optional provisions will be replaced by binding provisions. The Minister confirmed that a regulation will be issued to regulate the requirements for subsidies to end consumers rather than suppliers. “We are now meeting with the SPÖ again,” Green Climate and Energy spokesman Lukas Hammer said in a statement. A Green Party spokesperson told APA that the new draft was also coordinated with government partner ÖVP.

“All new biogas plants will probably only produce waste and residues, and for those biogas plants that are already operational, there is a fixed exit path with intermediate targets,” Hamer continued. “If no decision is made, existing biogas plants will continue to be allowed to use food – and no one wants that!” Hamer said.

If the green climate and energy spokesman has his way, the new draft should be approved at the final plenary meeting in September. “From our point of view, nothing now prevents the approval of the law.” The decision requires a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly; Hamer relied on votes from the ÖVP, Greens and SPÖ. The FPÖ said early in the negotiations that it would refuse to ratify the EGG and voted against it in July.

The so-called Green Gas Act aims to force gas suppliers to gradually replace fossil natural gas with biogas in accordance with set quotas. In addition to CO2 emissions, this should also reduce dependence on Russian natural gas. Organizations such as environmental groups, agriculture and the biogas industry had previously called for the bill to be passed, but the Labor Chamber (AK), the Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) and the Industry Association (IV) warned of the high costs.

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