The Dutch gas field that caused the earthquakes earned the major oil companies billions

A parliamentary inquiry found that Shell, ExxonMobil and the Dutch government earned €429 billion from exploiting the Groningen gas field, but left thousands of residents with cracked homes and health problems.

A Dutch parliamentary report on Friday concluded that geological destabilization caused by drilling in Groningen, Europe’s largest natural gas reserve, resulted in 1,594 earthquakes and the destruction of more than 85,000 buildings.

She said that the profits attributed to the two major energy companies amounted to 66 billion euros, while the largest beneficiary of the extraction was the Dutch treasury, which generated revenues of 363 billion euros over the past 60 years.

“The state and companies made a lot of money, but they ignored signs that there was a causal link between gas extraction and earthquakes, and when this link was established, they underestimated how serious these earthquakes were,” Tom Van Der Lee, a green politician who led the investigation, told the Financial Times. Times.

“This is a slow-onset disaster… The effects are very significant but because our government cannot act on it, the people affected have been waiting and waiting for years and you can’t move on with your life.”

Groningen does not lie on any tectonic faults, but craters have led to earthquakes of up to 3.9 on the Richter scale. At this level, they can usually be considered fairly mild tremors.

But due to the nature of the extraction, the tremors were much closer to the surface than normal earthquakes, and so would have sounded closer to a magnitude of 5 or greater – closer to the tremors Turkey has felt in recent weeks.

The report said more than 11,880 buildings had not yet been secured.

Van der Lee said 10 billion euros was spent on compensation for residents and efforts to support the buildings, but for every euro that went to residents, 70 cents was spent on bureaucracy.

Residents suffered from insomnia and heart palpitations, while a research report indicated that those who lived near earthquakes were at risk of an early death.

Groningen is believed to hold about 450 billion cubic meters of recoverable gas, nearly three times what the EU was importing from Russia before the invasion of Ukraine.

The drop in Russian gas flows has increased pressure on Dutch authorities to keep Groningen open as EU countries scramble to secure replacement supplies.

recommended

Despite this, in October, the Netherlands capped production from Groningen at 2.8 bcm for the year – down from 42.5 bcm in 2014 – and said it would end extraction there this year. A decision on extending production will be made in June after discussing the conclusions of the report.

“The people of Groningen have borne a large part of the burden of gas production and only seen a small part of the benefits,” said Marjan van Loon, Shell Holland’s President and CEO.

She added that all parties, “including Shell, did not listen carefully enough to the people of Groningen when they expressed their concerns about the damage to their homes and the safety risks of gas production. . . We have important lessons to learn here.”

Exxon said it “cooperated fully” with the investigation and that it “takes time to analyze the full report and its recommendations.” “We hope that the report will explain the region of Groningen and its people.”

“The people of Groningen have always been right about the consequences of gas extraction,” said Dutch Mining Minister Hans Vilbreef. “To acknowledge the suffering they have suffered is the most important thing today.”

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos