Thursday, July 17, 2008

We need a separate Department of Energy

Full marks to Alexis Rowell on the Belsize LibDem blog, who deserves a pat on the back for his excellent post entitled: The rising cost of food and energy. It has set me thinking quite deeply.

But one thing the article has jolted me to ponder on is the need for a separate Department of Energy in government, with its own Secretary of State. Wikipedia tells the history of the Department of Energy here. It was set up during the 1970s oil crisis and then wound down in the 90s with its energy efficiency brief going to what is now DEFRA and energy policy going to BERR, where it has its own page on its web site.

The US has it own Department of Energy with its Cabinet secretary. It is blindingly obvious that, with the huge, multi-generational challenge to wean ourselves off oil and onto renewables with reduced use of energy, we need a government, cabinet level ministry to decide the strategy and drive it.

I note that Nick Clegg's new policy document Vision and Values, includes plans, or at least suggestions, to scrap the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. I hope that energy policy is retrieved from this "scarpping" and recycled with energy efficiency into its own department.

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