Rutte admits he hasn’t done enough in Groningen earthquake saga but won’t step down – EURACTIV.com

Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD/Renew) admitted his efforts to mitigate the impact of gas extraction in the province of Groningen were not enough during a parliamentary debate on Wednesday, as he ignored demands to step down.

The Gronigen gas field is the largest gas field in Europe and one of the largest in the world with an estimated 2,740 billion cubic meters of recoverable natural gas. First discovered in 1959, it has been exploited ever since but the extraction of the gas has led to subsidence and earthquakes, the largest of which were magnitude 3.6, causing extensive property damage.

The debate, which spanned two days from Tuesday to Wednesday, was sparked by a recent report by the parliamentary inquiry committee into the negative effects of gas extraction, which concluded that the Dutch state and oil companies had neglected long-term risks because of their economic profitability.

“My interventions did not always lead to the desired result, no matter how much I would like them to be otherwise,” Rutte said during the discussion.

And although he said much had been done, he admitted that “on the whole, it’s not enough. And it hurts.”

During the debate, Rutte came under heavy criticism from opposition MPs and members of the Christian Union Alliance (CU/EPP) and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA/EPP).

The bulk of the criticism fell on Rutte’s failure to respond to warnings about the potential impacts of gas extraction in Groningen by regulators in 2013. That year, the state watchdog for mines (SODM) released a report urging the government to quickly reduce gas in the area in Aftermath of the 2012 earthquake in the village of Huizinge. Despite this warning, gas extraction reached record levels in 2013.

Rutte responded, “This high extraction in 2013 is dangerous but was not actually caused by the government,” blaming long-term supply contracts already in place. According to him, the true extent of the situation became clear only after a decision by the State Council to readjust the amount of gas extracted in 2017, which was “very unclear” before this decision.

However, his interpretation was not enough to sway the opinion of the legislators.

Green Party leader Jesse Claver stated that “the prime minister is trying to give us a chance”, claiming that Rutte had failed to act out of greed despite the warning.

The understanding that the gas could turn back was there, but the opposite happened. “It should never have happened,” said CU leader Miriam Becker.

refused to step down

Rutte ignored opposition parties’ demands that he should step down on several occasions during the debate, indicating that he wanted to help rectify the situation.

“I realize we can’t get rid of the suffering of the past. But I want to be part of the way forward,” Rutte said, putting all his eggs in the basket of a package of measures introduced by the government in April. “This should work now.”

However, opposition MPs insisted that the government’s time was up.

“[…] What needs to happen before the alliance can say for once: enough, enough? asked Caroline van der Plas, BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) ​​leader.

In the childcare benefits scandal, the previous government felt that, due to systemic failure, it had no choice but to resign. How is that different from now? Claver added.

Billang van Niederland (BVNL) MP Webern van Haga has already announced that he will submit a vote of no confidence in Rutte.

(Benedict Stoeckl | EURACTIV.com)

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