BUDGET 2013: Fracking gets green light
Thursday 21 March 2013
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EmailGreen campaigners warned George Osborne that his enthusiasm for the oil and gas industry will make it harder for Britain to meet its climate targets.
The Chancellor unveiled a "generous" new tax regime yesterday to promote early investment in shale gas, which is extracted using the controversial fracking process.
"Shale gas is part of the future. And we will make it happen," he said.
Mr Osborne's Budget also included tax incentives for manufacturing ultra-low emission vehicles and support for two major projects to capture and store CO2 emitted from power stations.
But Friends of the Earth's head of campaigns Andrew Pendleton said: "A few crumbs of comfort for the green economy are dwarfed by his enthusiasm for new oil and gas."
Greenpeace said Mr Osborne needed to shift to carbon-free energy.
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