Yorkshire Against New Coal

Right now, you may just be asking yourself, “what is it that I can do to oppose a new coal power station at Ferrybridge?”

There are things you can do, and you won’t be on your own.  By taking individual action,  then collectively our actions can become a positive force for change.

This page explains what you can do right now.

(The content of this page is availble  for download in our What Can I do document – it’s in .pdf  format so you’ll need a free reader if you don’t already have one)

Visit your local MP

Your elected MP has a duty to listen to you, and to represent the constituency in Parliament.   MPs will usually only deal with issues raised by their own constituents.  Because they are sensitive to the electorate they will also place greater emphasis on individuals concerns rather than a campaign group or organisation.

Find out who your MP is

You can phone the House of Commons information desk on: 020 7219 4272

Or visit http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/

Visit http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ for other background information such as government position they may hold, voting history and committee’s they may be involved with.

Meet your MP.

MPs are usually in the House of Commons from Monday to Thursday and in their constituency on Friday.   The MPs ‘surgery’ is the time given allocated to meet local constituents to discuss problems and concerns.  Surgery dates will usually be advertised within the local papers or in the public library.

Before the meeting:

If you go as a group make sure everyone knows their role i.e. spokesperson, note taker etc

Be well briefed – rehearse the key messages

Prepare for common counter arguments

During the meeting:

Don’t be intimidated MPs are human and aren’t experts in every subject matter.

Your MP is there to serve you.

Your preparation in rehearsing your key messages and preparing for common counter arguments will make you more authoritative.

Understand your MPs view and get a promise of action that they will take on your behalf.

Write down what your MP says

Engage, don’t confront.

After the meeting:

Write a letter and thank the MP, reinstating the main points of the discussion and the action points that the MP will take.

What you can ask your MP to do

Your MP can write to a Minister with responsibility for energy and climate change, outlining your concerns.  The more letters received, the more attention becomes focussed on the issue of concern.   So for example, your MP should send a copy of your letter along with a cover letter to Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whose responsibility it is to say how the country will tackle climate change and who will also decide if new coal power stations should be built.

MPs can also:

• See the Minister in person to raise the issue
• Ask Parliamentary questions
• Initiate or sign an early day Motion – placing on record their opinion of a subject matter.
• Try to raise the  issue  in the half-hour Adjournment Debate
• Speak in a government debate

When not in Parliament the MP can also:

• Issue a press release to show support of the issue
• Write to the local authority
• Write to the local media
• Pledge support for the campaign
• Sign/receive petitions
• Speak at a meeting
• Participate in local events.

Let your local MP know that you are opposed to the building of a new coal power station at Ferrybridge.  These are some of the issues that you may want to raise.

These are the key messages

• Government has said we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂ etc) by 80% by the year 2050 if we are to tackle climate change.
• Coal is the most carbon intense of all the fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas).  If we are to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we must reduce our dependency on coal.
• The government is currently thinking about approving the first new coal power station in the UK in 30 years – this is at Kingsnorth in Kent.
• If Kingsnorth is approved, this will pave the way for at least 6 more coal power stations in the UK including at Ferrybridge – clearly, by building new coal power stations, we will emit massive amounts of CO₂ and not be able to reduce our emissions and therefore fail to tackle climate change.

Some common counter-arguments and how you can respond.

1)    We’ve always had coal in the area.

Just because we’ve always had coal doesn’t mean to say we should keep continuing to dig it up out of the ground.  Future generations will face devastating climate change impacts unless we deal with the source of the problem now.

Today’s politicians are aware of the dangers of climate change and have a responsibility to act   Building new coal power stations is not the answer.

2)    The use of clean coal technology such as carbon capture and storage will allow us to continue burning coal.

There is no industrial or commercial application of CCS anywhere in the world.  This may take decades to work or may take decades to prove is not able to work.  We need to reduce our emissions now.

3)    Ferrybridge is building a CHP plant.

Ferrybridge is consulting to build a CHP plant – however, this is not a replacement for the 1000 mega watts of coal power plant that is due to close by 2015.

The CHP plant is intended to supply energy on site only and will not feed into the national grid.

The CHP is also likely to burn coal as well as municipal waste.

4)    Wee need coal to keep the lights on.

If all the coal and nuclear power stations that are due to close in the next few years are not replaced, there will be an electricity shortfall of about 30%.  The Prime Minister has confirmed that 40% electricity can be generated from renewables by 2020.  Renewables can meet our electricity demands without any shortfall of generating capacity.

If the government pushed clean electricity production from renewables (such as wind wave and solar as well as energy efficiency, we could meet our energy demands.

5)    Jobs.

To achieve 40% electricity generation by 2020 the government’s Renewable Energy Strategy consultation has found that 160 000 jobs could be created.

6)    Security of supply.

Using renewables such as wind wave and solar would mean less dependence on imported fuels and therefore increase our own security of supply.

Write a letter to your local newspaper

Your local MPs office scour the local newspaper to understand what is happening within their constituency.  By writing to the local newspaper, they will see that the public are concerned about climate change and opposed to a new coal power station.  You may also find your letter generates subsequent letters of support from across your community and nearby towns.

Set up your own community network of opposition

Climate change will affect everybody.  You don’t need to be an environmental activist to say no to new coal power stations.  You can say no as an individual or you can say no to a new coal power station if you belong to any group or network, for example

Mums, dads, and toddlers

Grandparents, aunts and uncles

Knitting clubs

Sports clubs

Or any kind of group that meets together.

You could form a local community opposition campaign, starting amongst friends and neighbours, your street or estate.

We all need to act – now.

For more info and support, contact

chris@nonewcoal.org.uk

Leave comments at www.yanc.org.uk