Greens ignore chance to cut carbon footprint

YOU carried a report and photographs (January 15) of electric cars on the Aran Islands where it is hoped that they will be powered by wind generated electricity.

My company delivered these cars to Galway docks using a diesel-powered truck. Had this event taken place two years ago that truck would have been powered by Irish grown and produced rapeseed oil.

Today, thanks to Minister Eamon Ryan’s abandoning of the previous scheme introduced by his predecessor Noel Dempsey, we run on conventional diesel imported from some distant land by sea transport. When Mr Ryan abandoned Mr Dempsey’s scheme he promised to introduce something better — he hasn’t. While I commend this scheme for the Aran Islands, I continue to wonder why a Green minister ignores the opportunity to reduce Ireland’s carbon footprint, increase employment, increase agricultural output while reducing agricultural pollution and increase our national fuel security through encouraging the use of a home-produced biofuel for trucks.