NOS News•today, 05:32
Minister Christianne van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen, VVD) has relaxed the nitrogen rules for Schiphol Airport in recent years, despite negative advice from her highest nitrogen official. This made it easier for Schiphol to obtain a nature permit, so the number of flights did not have to be reduced. NRC reports this based on internal documents from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), which were requested by environmental organization Mobilization for the Environment (MOB).
Experts tell the newspaper that the permit will probably not stand up in court. Other companies cannot claim the relaxation.
The relaxation concerned, among other things, nine farms near the airport, which Schiphol purchased at the beginning of last year. The documents show that Schiphol was allowed to fully use the amount of nitrogen saved because the farms stopped to compensate for its own nitrogen emissions. The government did not check whether there were any natural areas in the area that first needed to be restored, although this was required by European regulations. Other Dutch companies are held to this.
Delay
Moreover, ministry officials, on behalf of the minister, appeared to be deliberately working slowly on a new nature permit, which would allow the airport to get away with high emissions for longer. When the nature permit was finally granted to Schiphol last fall, the ministry already took into account that there would be legal proceedings from nature clubs. “The expectation is that this will take at least a year and a half,” the officials wrote to Van der Wal.
The leniency for the airport largely stems from concerns within the ministry about the possible disappearance of flights and thus also employment. In the most serious case, the stricter nitrogen rules would halve both the number of flights and jobs, the released documents warn.
Environmental law researcher Ralph Frins calls the ministry’s strategy of delay towards NRC “bad”. “You have to adhere to the law, especially as a central government.”
