News release
Cameron McNeish, President of Ramblers’ Association Scotland, is calling for the setting up of a National Energy Forum. In a speech to the Ramblers annual meeting, to be held at Dunblane Hydro on Saturday 10 March, Cameron will urge those elected to the next Scottish Parliament to establish a new basis for debating how Scotland meets its future energy needs.
Cameron McNeish believes the time for a National Energy Forum has arrived:
“We need a National Energy Forum, set up immediately after the May elections, to bring all stakeholders together to agree the way forward for energy policy. Now is the time for politicians and civic society to map out how Scotland can best contribute to meeting the challenge of global warming, reducing carbon emissions and securing future energy supplies, in ways which make economic and environmental sense.”
Constructive dialogue is the way forward:
“When tackling the energy challenge we must remember the lessons of land reform. In 2003 the Scottish Parliament, as part of its land reform programme, passed “right to roam” legislation and established world class rights of public access to our land and water. A key part of this process was the consensus reached between recreation groups, land managers and public bodies, meeting together over several years, in the National Access Forum.”
“We now need the same constructive dialogue to be established to ensure we have a world class energy policy. A National Energy Forum, incorporating representatives of national and local government, environmental organisations, community groups, energy suppliers and research centres is urgently needed.”
Finally, Cameron McNeish believes current arrangements are seriously flawed:
“All that government has offered so far is “FREDS”, the Forum for Renewable Development in Scotland, whose narrow focus and narrow membership of mostly government officials, private sector energy companies and academics, fundamentally fails to meet the need to discuss energy needs as a whole with the full economic and environmental implications.”
“If government had established a National Energy Forum instead of FREDS we would probably not be wasting time and money today in a public inquiry into the proposed Beauly – Denny powerline. A National Energy Forum would provide us with the basis for agreeing what forms of new energy generation are needed where and what types of national grid upgrade are needed both on and off shore.”
ENDS
