We have recently learned that the Government of Mariano Rajoy (PP) has presented a resolution in the Congress of Deputies to tax oil extraction. Apparently, the implementation of the tax will be subject to ...
We have recently learned that the Government of Mariano Rajoy (PP) has presented a resolution in the Congress of Deputies to tax oil extraction. Apparently, the implementation of the tax will be subject to the extracted volume representing a relevant percentage of the national crude oil demand, according to the resolution. And I can only think about how opportunistic the measure is, how convenient it is for Rajoy to wink at the Government of the Canary Islands in the promise to apply a tax to oil companies.
It is unfortunate that in adverse economic times this is one of the few proposals put forward by the State in energy matters, precisely an area in which the Executive must rely to diversify the current model. To this I add the unfortunate statements made by the president of the Canary Islands Confederation of Entrepreneurs (CCE), Sebastián Grisaleña, during his last visit to the island. The businessman considers it necessary to "share the cake", and he said so thinking about the possible benefits generated by the extraction of hydrocarbons off Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
Such statements sound more than offensive, especially a few days before the first anniversary of the demonstration that brought more than 20,000 people to the streets mobilized against Repsol's explorations. In addition to being inappropriate, I consider these statements to be unsupportive for several reasons. Firstly, because of the unfairness of the phrase "share the cake" which denotes the businessman's interest in sharing possible benefits, I highly doubt that these will revert to the islands, rather I am convinced that this will not be the case. Secondly, because at no time does he mention the idea of jointly assuming the consequences of a disaster, which we should not happily rule out, regardless of the corresponding security.
The positions of Rajoy and Grisaleña are not unique, nor do they possess the full truth. At the other extreme, there are positions of experts of the stature of Juan Verde, current advisor to the American Government, who clearly answer these gentlemen. Verde anticipates that solar energy, for example, is absolutely competitive with fossil fuels. Even with wind energy there is already parity if you take into account what it costs to import, refine, distribute or subsidize oil. That is to say, that in the field of those who operate with great powers, the future is no longer thought exclusively around oil exploration but other alternatives are promoted. And we have them. We have those options.
Lanzarote is an island rich in green energies, with a high environmental awareness, amply demonstrated in the mobilization of 24-M, with a good part of its territory protected and with a tourist industry that is the engine of its economy. Fossil fuels, which are increasingly expensive and scarce, are not valid for planning the future. Renewables go hand in hand with technological progress and this is our bet, we have to lead it. As a socialist I am clear about it and the management of my group is aimed at achieving the implementation of clean energies.
The defense of outdated policies that leads us to covet goods that harm our territory does not contribute to improving our situation, on the contrary, it takes us away from a more sustainable and profitable time in the long term. The promotion of clean energies is among our challenges and we want to meet them, ignoring petty premises that turn their backs on popular demand.
* Joaquín Caraballo, spokesperson for the Socialist Group in the Cabildo of Lanzarote