German economy minister defends plans to build gas-fired power plants
With coal being phased out to meet climate protection targets, and due to price of carbon dioxide (CO2), secure energy capacity is need, Reiche argued in Berlin. "We urgently need a gas supply, even over a longer period."
The minister, who took office last week, dismissed accusations of lobbying and advocated measures to store and re-use carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture and utilization (CCU).
"When I now hear and read that the gas lobby is at work here, I would like to immediately tell the critics that we must simultaneously enable the capture of CO2, meaning CCS and CCU," she added.
"If we need secured capacity and want to pursue climate protection at the same time, we must deal with the CO2 produced, and we will do so by capturing, transporting and storing it."
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's new government has faced criticism for its plans on energy policy.
The administration - made up of Merz's Christian Democrats, the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union and the centre-left Social Democrats - agreed in its coalition deal to build new gas-fired power plants with a total capacity of up to 20 gigawatts.
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NATO scrambles jets after Russian strikes near Romania
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They take a more skeptical view of mergers in sectors where only a few major companies are competing. But Alford was fired last month. And now, he's gone public about what happened, outlining what he said amounted to a 'pay-to-play' scandal, where companies paid well-connected outside MAGA influencers to try to get mergers approved, and certain top DOJ officials played ball. 'For 30 pieces of silver, MAGA-in-Name-Only lobbyists are influencing their allies within the DOJ and risking President Trump's populist conservative agenda,' Alford said. 'Their goal is to line their own pockets by working for any corporation that will pay top dollar to settle antitrust cases on the cheap.' 'Perverted justice and acted inconsistent with the rule of law' Though Alford didn't have anything negative to say about Trump or Attorney General Pam Bondi, he pointed the finger at two officials in particular: Bondi's chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, and Associate Attorney General nominee Stan Woodward. 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Antitrust reformers like Stoller liked Slater and took her appointment as an encouraging sign that 'Trump wants to take on big tech.' In practice, though, Trump's administration has been most defined by its weaponization of government for shakedown tactics. Trump likes deals, and he likes getting companies (or universities) to cough up money. He likes it when people ask him for favors, and he likes asking for things from them in return. He was never truly committed to an ideological agenda of tough antitrust enforcement. And he's fine with Big Tech, so long as Big Tech gives him what he wants. Slater and Alford apparently didn't get the memo and thought they'd have a free hand to enforce the law as they felt appropriate. But this earned them enemies inside and outside the administration, CBS News reported last month. There were deals to be had — and money to be made. In his speech, Alford referred to 'people inside and outside government' who 'consider law enforcement not as binding rules but an opportunity to leverage power and extract concessions.' But though Alford put the blame on those two DOJ officials, his description seems to fit Trump's approach to governance quite well. We don't know whether Trump himself got involved in the Hewlett Packard matter. But, as the saying goes, the Cossacks work for the Czar.
