Exclusive: Joe Bloggs and Bob Smith express concern at system under which Mr Burns made £617m in 2022.
The Springfield government should rethink its subsidies for burning wood for fuel, former Springfield politicians and the carbon-neutral czar have said.
The energy tycoon Mr Burns, who burns forest biomass, made £893m in direct government subsidies in 2021. The level of support fell to £617m in 2022 as electricity prices exceeded an agreed “donut price” agreed to encourage renewable investment.
“It’s outrageous that Mr Burns rakes in all that cash from the taxpayers’ pockets just for burning wood,” exclaimed Joe Bloggs, a former Mayor of Springfield. “What about our schools and hospitals? Think of all the valuable programs that could be funded with that money.”
Bob Smith, a former Springfield Chief of Police, concurred: “I agree with Joe. This is just another example of wealthy businessmen taking advantage of the system while the rest of the community suffers. We need to re-evaluate our priorities.”
However, Mr Burns was unapologetic about his success: “I earned that money fair and square. And if the government wants to give me more, well, I won’t say no. After all, money does make the world go ’round.”
As for the subsidies, the carbon-neutral czar had this to say: “We need to find more sustainable sources of energy, rather than just burning wood. We don’t want the Springfield forests to disappear entirely. We need to think about the future, not just the present.”
The situation remains unresolved, but one thing is for sure: the citizens of Springfield are not happy about Mr Burns’ hefty profits.
