A “guiding and suggestive survey” prepared only by “opponents of the restart of oil production”. It has nothing to do with measuring support, rather with risk assessment. Naoberschap Oliedorp (NOD) is serving up the recently held village survey. According to them, the village council dropped stitches, but Dorpsbelangen does not want to do that.
NOD spewed strong criticism during the committee meeting in the town hall of Coevorden on Tuesday. This group of residents, proponents of oil extraction and wastewater injection (if responsible) seriously question the outcome of the village survey in and around Schoonebeek.
Dorpsbelangen Schoonebeek wanted to use this instrument to map out how the local population views the injection of waste water into empty gas fields at a depth of three kilometres. In this case, it concerns production water that is pumped three kilometers into the soil.
The NAM is planning to restart oil extraction near the village, but has not yet obtained the necessary permit for the injection of the waste water. Secretary Vijlbrief has indicated that he will take the point of view of the village into account when considering whether to provide this. Whereupon Dorpsbelangen Schoonebeek came up with the questionnaire.
The survey was distributed to more than 4,000 addresses in and around Schoonebeek and part of the municipality of Coevorden. In total, more than 1,300 people (35 percent) responded. Of that number, 57 percent have spoken out against the waste water injection.
The NOD believes that the survey does not provide a good picture. “In total, 780 people have spoken out against waste water injection, about 19 percent (of the total 4,000). “The other 81 percent have not completed the survey, have spoken out in favor of water injection or have expressed themselves neutrally,” said Margriet Weerman of the NOD. A non-response of 65 percent says much more than a response of 35 percent, she says.
According to the NOD, the committee of inquiry consisted only of members of the action group Stop Afvalwater Schoonebeek (SAS). This group would like to see an end to oil extraction and wastewater injection. So biased. According to the NOD, Dorpsbelangen dropped stitches when the client of the survey did not take up his task.