EU co-Rapporteur on Emissions Trade System Groote to EuroFora: CO2-Future Fuel research in parallel

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- CO2 might, eventually, become in Future a Potential Energy Source, if some pioneer Scientists' idea proves to be true, admitted EU Parliament's co-Rappoteur on the "Green House" Emissions Trading System, German Socialist MEP Matthias Groote, in reply to an "EuroFora" question, after a controversial and thin Majority in EU Parliament sent his Report of Backloading back to the Environment Committee, while the EU is currently engaged in various crucial Negotiations for related International Agreements possibly including also the USA and other Major Global Partners, (comp. Infra and other relevant NewsReports). 

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 "EuroFora" had raised a relevant "question on the sidelines of the ETS issue" :

- "Some Scientists, who presented their work 1 or 2 years ago at EU Parliament in Brussels and elsewhere, claimed that CO2 could become in the Future a kind of New source for Energy, with certain Technical Innovations". (See, f.ex. http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/co2futurefuel.html +  http://co2futurefuel.org/ ).

- "Do you think that if it becomes a Reality in the foreseeable Future, this might affect the prices or anything else in the (current) ETS", as it stands today ?, "EuroFora" asked.
 

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 - I don't think that "this means" that we "should", or "ought to" do this or that, vis a vis the ETS, since it can't be said that"we (MEPs) are .. an instrument" of RST, "and that's it", reacted, as a matter of principle, Groote.

 - "It (Scientists' idea that CO2 can be transformed to "Fuel" in the Future) may become true, in 1 Year or 2, who knows ?", EU Parliament's ETS Co-Rapporteur acknowledged, as far as "EuroFora"s Question is concerned.

- "But, for the moment, what we know is that CO2 is a very Dangerous Green House Gas, and it's causing us Problems, that we are trying to solve", he reminded.

- So, "I don't think that it's useful to Speculate about whether COS might become a source of Energy", or not, as things stand today, EU's co-Rapporteur on ETS said, not excluding such a possibility at all...

=> - "Scientists can work on that, (i.e. on the C02 - Future Fuel hypothesis). "It's not my role to work out potential Energy sources, and eventually identify the Carbon Storage, f.ex., as something that we can Develop further", the German MEP suggested.

 - "But, at any case, we need to have ETS Prices, Thresholds, we need to have Financial Resources, etc., and we are actually Damaging the perspective to have the appropriate Investment and EU Trade policy", since "Co2 is damaging, and I don't want to speculate at all" on the need to tackle that problem, he insisted.

 - "Else, I have to say that it's very Unfortunate what happened", earlier today, (i.e. by voting to send back to Committee the Draft Report on ETS Backloading, since EU Commission's proposal was rejected by a thin majority of MEPs). "As Peter Liese said, a lot of EPP Members supported him and me, so that the EPP is not at all a "Polluters' Party", on the contrary it's with us. I welcome and accept that, I'm very Grateful". On the contrary, "those (MEPs : mainly Brittish Conservatives, a.o.) who voted in that damaging way, are going to face their Responsibilities, and we must make them understand for the years to come", Groote warned the recalcitrants vis a vis ETS, as things stand today.

Groote said that after a proposal lodged by some 40 to 50 MEPs managed, with a Thin Majority of only 334 against 315 votes, and 63 Abstentions, to send his Report on the "Timing of Auctions of Greenhouse Gas allowances", back to the Environment Committee.

Christian-Democrat MEP Peter Liese also expressed his "Regrets" for that Negative vote on the Backloading Report, warning that it might "Drop Further" the ETS' "Prices".
But Liese also observed that "to refer the Report back to Committee will give" to MEPs an "Opportunity to Re-Consider their Position", in one way or another.  

Apparently, this might include also a possibility to have a better view on eventual developments concerning the above-mentioned C02-Future Fuel hypothesis (Comp. Supra).

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+ Meanwhile, focusing on the adoption, of his own Report on the "Scheme for Greenhouse Gas Emmission Allowances Trade" by 577 votes against 114, and 21 abstentions, Dr. Liese launched a Call to New USA State Secretary, John Kerry, to find either an Agreement or an "Alternative" vis a vis Europe's ETS system, as he had personaly supported as a Senator in the Past, and as US President Obama reportedly seems to accept in principle, despite an initial refusal by the American Senate, (which is, however, still controlled by Obama's Democratic Party).

For the Time being, EU Parliament accepted "for 1 Year" to exclude International Aviation from EU's ETS obligations, mainly in order to give a chance to EU Commission to conclude "a Global Agreement" inside ICAO, "may be in a slightly Modified" version of the current European system, which would hopefuly include the USA, but also Russia and possibly China, etc, Liese observed, pointing, indirectly but surely, also again at the importance of making good use of the Right Timing for a well informed choice of what is really best to do and when...