News item | 06-12-2024 | 4:00 PM
The health of residents living nearby Tata Steel will be given a prominent place in the tailor-made agreement that the state is discussing with the company. This has already been decided previously, and the second advice from the IJmond Health Expert Group underlines the urgency of this. State Secretary Jansen (Infrastructure and Water Management) and Minister Hermans (Climate and Green Growth) reported this to the House of Representatives in response to the second advice from the IJmond Health Expert Group. The advice of the Expert Group will be adopted where possible.
The government is currently in discussions with Tata Steel about a possible tailor-made agreement. With these types of agreements, the government wants to help companies become more sustainable in the Netherlands. This involves reducing CO2 and nitrogen emissions and contributing to a clean living environment.
With the intended tailor-made agreement with Tata Steel, the government wants to achieve as many health benefits as possible before 2030, in addition to sustainability. Concrete measures that contribute to this include closing Coating Gas Factory 2 as quickly as possible (which is an outdated factory that regularly emits harmful substances), accelerating the construction of roofs over raw material fields and implementing noise-reducing measures. This way, local residents are better protected against air pollution, dust and noise pollution.
Emissions down
The government also wants to record in the tailor-made agreement that Tata Steel will continue to focus on the further transition to sustainable and clean production. This is expected to lead to fewer emissions of substances of very high concern. Tata Steel will also have to continue to minimize substances of very high concern after the agreements have been made. This is legally required for all companies that emit these substances. The tailor-made agreement speeds up the process.
Finally, the government will tighten the regulations, so that the competent authority (in this case the province of North Holland and its environmental agency) is better able to deal with matters that are not currently realized with the tailor-made agreement, through licensing, supervision and enforcement. to enforce.
Big step
With these measures, the government is responding to the advice of the Expert Group. At the same time, it will not be possible to implement all the advice within the intended customized agreement with Tata Steel. Implementing all advice requires more measures, more resources and more time.
State Secretary Jansen: “With the tailor-made agreement, we are working on a transition to green steel, and thus on maintaining steel production for the Dutch economy. And at least as important: I expect that with this agreement we can take a major step in terms of health gains before 2030. I would therefore like to thank the Expert Group for their advice. In this way we work together towards a cleaner and healthier living environment in the IJmond.”