Environmental Pillar

Lobbying Organisation Environmental Pillar

Date published 19 May, 2017

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Energy and Natural Resources

Period 1 Jan, 2017 to 30 Apr, 2017

Specific Details Clean Energy Package

Intended results to ensure that the EU adopts efficient policies that ensure the use of biomass for energy is limited to only truly sustainable, waste and residue based sources, which provide GHG savings in a policy relevant timeframe.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Michael Ewing

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Letter (1)

• Ensure that the commitment to cut public support for first generation biofuels post 2020 is maintained and that land based biofuels (and other bioenergy grown on agricultural land) is phased out all the way to zero by 2030 at the latest. • Strengthen the provisions to end public support for highly inefficient electricity-only bioenergy, which is a welcome and an urgently needed way to limit the fastest growing demand of biomass. • Revise the Annex 9 of the Renewable Energy Directive to include only truly sustainable waste and residue feedstocks that effectively reduce GHG emissions. As a priority, energy crops, material quality woody biomass, molasses and tall oil should be removed from the list, as they are neither wastes or residues, but products or by-products. Policy-makers need to ensure that proposed targets are in line with sustainable levels of availability. • Exclude or cap the most harmful sources of bioenergy from the renewable energy targets

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Denis Naughten Minister (Department of Environment, Climate and Communications)