Minister Kamp looks at Groningen in the public gallery during debate on gas © ANP.
The safety of residents of the province of Groningen played no role in the decision until 2013 on the extraction of natural gas in their province.
Hands are visible through a crack in the wall of a house in Bedum © ANP. 
Screaming protesters in the public gallery disrupt the debate on gas extraction in Groningen © ANP. Public Version of investigation
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Interested parties were include the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Shell, NAM and the State Supervision of Mines (SSM). They considered risks for residents especially when risk of damage that could be reimbursed ,, and the security risk they considered negligible ‘, the Research Council writes for Safety, which published a report. The importance of the mining was in the first place.
This conclusion was already in a draft report that was leaked in January.
According to the research council is not handled carefully the safety of residents Groningen. The province regularly occur earthquakes caused by gas extraction. The Board examined the decision-making on the gas at Groningen in the period from the discovery of the gas field in 1959 to 2014.
carelessness is “striking”
The board concludes also that the parties involved in gas extraction, a ,, closed shop ” formed. There was no room for criticism, ,, not even from other ministries or the outside world. ” Then in 1993 it became clear the relationship between gas and earthquakes, that
The Research Council does in his report a number of recommendations. The parties involved in the gas must first acknowledge that they 2013 are not handled carefully the safety of civilians in Groningen. Also, other ministries are involved in the decisions, writes the research council. Finally, to improve communication with residents, according to the council.
Comments involved
Thorough and clear. So called minister Henk Kamp (Economic Affairs), the report of the Research Council for safety
In his response he states. ,, I am very conscious of the seriousness of the problem and also my responsibility, to take adequate measures. “
The Minister decided last week that the first half of 2015 no more than 16.5 billion cubic meters of gas can be extracted from the ground below Groningen. In July, he cuts the knot or the gas is reduced further.
,, The report confirms what we have felt in Groningen for years, “said Dick Kleijer of Groningen Soil Movement. ,, Groningen ran for years against a wall of incomprehension and were declared insane. Finally there is the confirmation of what we already knew: our safety played no role and that is outrageous “
William Moorlag deputy in the province of Groningen, calls the conclusion of the report ‘shocking’. ,, They had no regard for the safety and it is therefore a scandal that there are still a record amount of gas is removed from the bottom in 2013. As a province, we find that after July 1, the gas needs further close “
He continues:.., , This report is a crowbar to the bulwark of the State Supervision of Mines with the NAM and the Ministry to break. “
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