UK Pushed For Loophole In New EU Rules On Waste Incinerators Emissions - Greenpeace

The United Kingdom has been lobbying for a loophole clause to soften EU rules aimed at lowering emissions from waste incinerators, the Unearthed, the Greenpeace investigative journalists, reported on Thursday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2018) The United Kingdom has been lobbying for a loophole clause to soften EU rules aimed at lowering emissions from waste incinerators, the Unearthed, the Greenpeace investigative journalists, reported on Thursday.

The rules that are currently under discussion would have incinerators lower emissions of nitrogen oxides by 25 percent by 2024. The EU member states are expected to vote on the rules in early 2019.

According to the Unearthed, the United Kingdom has pushed for a clause under which many existing incinerators could meet a standard that is 20 percent higher than a new target, if they cite a plant's inability to install one of the emissions reductions technologies.

The clause refers to the selective catalytic reduction (SCR), which is little used by the EU incineration plants and is not installed at the UK plants, the Greenpeace investigative journalists said.

The United Kingdom was also against stricter monitoring for toxic mercury emissions, according to the leaked notes of a delegate, cited by the Greenpeace.

"It is categorically untrue to claim that the UK has been lobbying to weaken new EU rules on toxic emissions from waste incinerators," a spokeswoman for the UK Department for Environment, food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said, as quoted by the Unearthed.

The official said the new clause would not soften the standards.

The Greenpeace sources claimed that the United Kingdom was opposed to the new rules mainly on economic grounds.