King's Speech: Scottish Greens call for SNP Government to publish position on oil and gas
Earlier this week, SNP Westminster Group leader Dave Doogan MP made a pro-fossil fuel amendment to the King’s Speech which stated there must be new oil and gas licences granted for the North Sea while also claiming this was compatible with climate action and a just transition.
The Scottish Government is yet to publish its position on oil and gas, bringing no clarity on the SNP’s position, and the amendment to the King’s Speech suggests that they have opted to pander to the fossil fuel lobby and take backward steps towards new drilling in the North Sea.
Scottish Green MSP and spokesperson for energy, Patrick Harvie said:
“It is utterly untenable to call for more destructive oil and gas drilling while also promising a transition towards renewables. It is a dangerous step backwards rather than actually delivering on Scotland's climate ambitions.
“The only way we can achieve this is by reducing our reliance on oil and gas and investing in the green, clean, renewable energy sources that we have in abundance in Scotland.
“More licenses for fossil fuel will not cut household bills and won’t protect the workers either. Oil and gas that is extracted in Scotland is priced and sold by the global market. Meanwhile it’s communities who suffer, both through damage to our climate, and through the fossil fuel industry’s failure to invest in transition.
“The SNP are right to say Westminster has benefited from Scotland's energy sources for too long. But instead of taking a ‘drill first and fix it later’ approach, they should be setting out their position clearly, and supporting a stronger energy windfall tax.
“The climate emergency is only going to become more important as we head towards the future. The Scottish Government must stop pretending that it can be a climate leader while doing the bidding of fossil fuel lobbyists.”