At a rally here today, the Malaysian Climate Emergency Coalition criticised the bill for its lack of regulations covering all phases of carbon capture projects, including planning, operation and closure, leaving potential concerns and risks unaddressed.
The coalition said until the bill was revised to include comprehensive regulations, no permits or licences should be issued for carbon capture projects.
“We are asking them to send the CCUS bill back to the Dewan Rakyat for further debate. Do not pass this bill,” said Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) environmental bureau leader Suresh Kumar.
The coalition delivered its memorandum for the bill to a special officer of Senator Hasbie Muda in the presence of over 20 protesters, along with 58 copies for distribution to other senators.
Though the coalition consists of 19 NGOs, only five were at the rally – the PSM environmental bureau, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism, Klima Action Malaysia, Sahabat Alam Malaysia and Greenpeace.
The memorandum also proposes an independent advisory body to oversee carbon capture projects and demands that the bill’s financial implications be debated if government funds are needed for extra financial expenditure.
Suresh said the bill was “bulldozed” and passed undemocratically, with insufficient opportunities for opposing MPs to debate during engagement sessions as it was scheduled during lunch and prayer times.
The bill was passed by the lower house on March 6, and must be approved by Dewan Negara and receive royal assent before it becomes law.
Parliamentary procedure requires that the bill be returned to the Dewan Rakyat for approval if any change is made in the Dewan Negara.
Previously, environmental watchdog RimbaWatch had urged the government to halt the bill, citing concerns about the carbon capture process releasing sour gas and substantial greenhouse gas emissions.
RimbaWatch said the bill did not limit the use of locally captured carbon dioxide, a loophole that could promote increased fossil fuel extraction and pose more climate risks.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia had previously pointed out “serious gaps” in the bill, citing inadequate risk contingencies and a lack of environmental safeguards.