Dear Editor,

I write in reference to a recent article which indicated the contract we have recently signed with E.ON UK for our UK electricity was not purely 'renewable' (Emission-free light railway a UK first for Midland Metro, Post Business, Oct 2).
 Chris Crean of Friends of the Earth, raises an interesting point in that the issue lies with the Government's classification of the term 'renewable' as stated in the Finance Act of 2000 - and not with National Express Group.
 We agree with Chris that this definition need to be much more transparent.
 National Express Group takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously.
 In searching the market we sought the advice of leading NGO, the Climate Group, to ensure the E.ON tariff was one of the cleanest on the market. In reality the tariff is a far better option for the environment than the alternative 'brown' contracts and is something our employees have been very keen to see implemented.
 There are two issues related to these tariffs - the definition of what is classified as 'renewable' and whether Renewable Obligation Certificates should be retired.
 In the coming year we expect there to be new standards defining the 'greeness' of different tariffs and at this point we will review the market again to see what is available to us.
 In the mean time we are committed to taking the lead in issues such as this - as our recent position on biofuels clearly demonstrated - and we are happy to engage with any groups or individuals interested in our position.