News item | 10-10-2023 | 17:37
Government and companies must better protect the health of those living near industry. Health must be fully taken into account when making policy and in supervision. Contact with local residents also needs to be improved. The government is starting to work on this. State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen (Environment) wrote this today in a response to the ‘Industry and Local Residents’ report from the Dutch Safety Board (OvV).
The OvV states that it is not self-evident that the health of local residents is sufficiently protected. And that companies do not yet pay sufficient attention to the health effects of their production processes on local residents. It is up to both companies and the governments involved to change this. The OvV looked at three cases: the area around Tata Steel, Chemours and Asfaltcentrale Nijmegen.
“These are serious conclusions that the cabinet takes into account. It is unacceptable that the health of local residents is not sufficiently protected. This concerns a constitutional duty of care,” State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen responds. “We have to get to work. By we I mean governments, but also the companies themselves. It must be sustainable, clean and healthy. Together we must ensure that the health risks of those living near the industry are reduced and we must regain trust. That is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one.”
Health central
The government sees the need to take action and will work on this together with local authorities, companies and local residents. The basic principle is that health must always be taken into account in full and as a guiding principle. When creating industrial and environmental policy, when working on new permits and when amending existing permits. The government wants to keep companies in the Netherlands, because the industry supplies products that we need in our daily lives now and in the future. But this production must be done in a sustainable, clean and healthy way.
Heijnen: “The cabinet must, together with other governments such as provinces and municipalities; and with companies, to ensure that people can live in a healthy environment and that the air they breathe is clean.”
The government takes the OvV’s recommendations to heart and translates them into a number of actions, which are further elaborated in an action agenda.
- We are working towards a healthy living environment in 2050. This means that air, soil and water pollution is not harmful to people and nature. But 2050 is still far away. That is why we are working on clear frameworks with answers to the question of how much health gain should be achieved at what time, on the way to 2050. To achieve this, choices have to be made. An action agenda will follow at the end of this year.
- Health must be fully taken into account when granting permits by governments, and in monitoring compliance with permits and their enforcement. For example, better and more regular monitoring of the health effects in the vicinity of the industry must be carried out. We also want to see more frequent use of temporary or conditional permits. In this way, conditions can be imposed on companies, for example regarding emissions and health.
- This requires more knowledge, including from environmental services. The government will ensure that. There will also be a rapid response team that can be deployed where necessary. Such a team can support competent authorities quickly and adequately with knowledge, research and capacity.
- The government is increasingly entering into discussions with residents of industry, as is already happening with residents of Tata Steel, for example. Problems they face can then be addressed earlier. It is very important that companies are also involved.
- The responsibility for limiting emissions and nuisance and improving the living environment lies primarily with companies. In anticipation of possible additional policy, companies must work to continuously reduce emissions and nuisance. Various actions are already underway to this end from both governments and the business community.
- Within the customized agreements with major CO2 emitters, reducing the impact on the living environment and the health of local residents is also included where relevant. The most important points of attention are specifically examined for each ‘custom company’. Stricter short-term standards for air and water quality and industry emissions are most effective if they apply everywhere in the EU, and the government is committed to this in Europe. In parallel, the government is looking at national steps if sufficient progress cannot be made in the EU context.
Conversations with local residents
State Secretary Heijnen: “In conversations with local residents, I have heard their concerns about their health and that of their loved ones, and about the impact of this on their daily lives. I admire the persistent way in which they draw attention to this from companies and the government, and at the same time I wish them that this is no longer necessary. It is crucial that the health of local residents is well protected and that they also feel heard. Both by the companies and by the authorities involved. We will work on that together.”
Heijnen will inform the House of Representatives before the end of this year about the content of the action agenda, the further elaboration of the recommendations and the associated timeline.