In reponse to Ed Miliband's announcement of ten proposed new nuclear power stations, Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party, said:
"Bypassing the planning system in this way -- through the National Infrastructure Commission -- is bad news for democracy and for the environment."
"A key democratic right is for the public to have a say on how their area is developed. Decision-making about where we get our energy from, and the long-term costs associated with nuclear, should be opened up to more accountability, not less."
"We need to win people over to the idea of a future of low carbon jobs and safe, renewable energy. Imposing decisions, whether on new nuclear or on-shore wind, through a Infrastructure Planning Commission, is the wrong way to make public policy."
Lucas continued to say that:
"We need safe renewable power, coupled with a nationwide push for energy efficiency, not Ed Miliband's idea of new nuclear power stations. The government still has no solution for the massive amount of yearly high-level waste that ten new nuclear power stations will produce (200 tonnes per year). Such waste will cost tens of billions of pounds a year to manage, money that could go towards clean and renewable energy."
"We don't need nuclear or new coal plants. With energy efficiency, and proven technologies such as wind, solar and combined heat and power, we can meet Britain's energy needs, create hundreds of thousands of green jobs and slash emissions."