The Dostor Party has called for the banning of the use of all forms of coal in residential areas, saying it rejects the amendment of the Environment Law which allows the use of coal at power stations and for a number of industries.
In a statement read out recently, the party called for the application of the decision issued by former Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawy in September 2013, which obliged energy-intensive factories to cull 50 percent of their needs from renewable energy sources.
The party also requested the need to overcome obstacles facing the application of wind and solar energy pricing laws.
The statement added that the amendment has allowed industries to obtain a permit from control authorities to use coal in power plants, as well as in the cement, coke, aluminum, iron and steel industries. Permits can also be given out for residential and tourist areas.
According to the party, the amendement represents disaster because it has included exceptions for the use of coal in urban communities and tourist areas.
Dostor went on to point out that the use of coal threatens the citizens' health. It added that health and environmental care, as a result of the use of coal, would cost the state and citizens twice the money saved as a result of using coal instead of other relatively expensive clean energy sources.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
