Fuel CO2 veto passes first Parliament vote

The European Parliament’s environment committee wants to veto the controversial proposed implementing rules for the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD).

After the committee backed the objection from Green MEP Bas Eickhout and ALDE’s Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy on Wednesday, it now goes forward for a plenary decision in two weeks’ time.

The proposal concerns how to count fuels’ climate impact as part of the FQD commitment to cut the carbon intensity of fuels by 6% by 2020. The Commission proposed an approach that would not allow specific feedstocks’ carbon intensity to be counted, which opponents say leaves the door open to unrestricted use of heavily polluting tar sands in Europe.