Welcome to this blog
Welcome to this blog about the parliamentary inquiry into gas extraction in Groningen. NRC reports here on the most important news from the hearings of the committee of inquiry. From Monday 27 June, the seven-member committee will question those involved almost daily (with an interruption of the summer recess) in an annex of the House of Representatives. In seven weeks, about seventy people will have their say, including Groningen victims, scientists, civil servants, administrators and former ministers. This first week serves as an introduction: the committee wants to show what gas extraction has meant for the Netherlands and how complex it is technically and organisationally.
The survey kicks off on Monday with two residents. First, Herman de Muinck has the floor, who in 1959, as a 10-year-old boy, was present at the first gas drilling on the land of farmer Boon in Kolham. The committee then listens to horse farmer Sijbrand Nijhoff, whose farm was extensively damaged by the earthquakes. For its recognition, he had to litigate for years against NAM and the State. Finally, Susan Top will talk about her experiences as secretary of the Groningen Gas Council. She represented the injured people of Groningen in negotiations with the ministries and regional administrators about a better approach to damage and the reinforcement of houses.