What applies to Groningen must apply to Drenthe. In short, that is the tenor of the story of the municipalities of Noordenveld, Tynaarlo, Aa en Hunze and the province of Drenthe. The claim they submitted to the government a week after Groningen can therefore be seen as a cry not to be forgotten.
After all, the consequences of gas extraction do not stop at the provincial border. Mayor Marcel Thijsen of the municipality of Tynaarlo, for example, remembers 2016 vividly. “Before then, earthquakes were not discussed in the city council, but an earthquake near Zuidlaren changed things completely.” Thijsen remembers the unrest that arose. “That has major consequences and does something to the psyche of the inhabitants.”
The consequences for mental health should not be underestimated, according to the municipalities and the province. It is therefore also specifically included as part of the claim.
According to mayor Anno Wietze Hiemstra of the municipality of Aa en Hunze, the gas problem in Drenthe has been neglected for years. “When State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief came to visit here last month, I heard residents say that they finally felt heard.”
If it is up to Hiemstra, the proverb ‘equal monks, equal hoods’ will apply. In other words: Drents who are damaged by gas extraction must be compensated in the same way as the people of Groningen. The province of Groningen claims 50,000 euros per inhabitant of the province. The province of Drenthe claims 50,000 euros per inhabitant of North Drenthe. This amounts to about 4.5 billion euros in total. That is outside the legal handling of damages, because as far as the Drents are concerned, they also have to be paid out.
In the letter to The Hague, the municipalities of North Drenthe once again plead for a broader application of the reversed burden of proof (see box). According to alderman Robert Meijer of the municipality of Noordenveld, the claims handling causes uncertainty in his municipality. “In Een you have the crazy situation that one gets money and the other doesn’t. That causes resentment.”
Claims handling in Drenthe is becoming even more complex thanks to stacked mining. “We are dealing with the Groningen field, the Annergas field, salt extraction and there is still a gas storage facility in Langelo,” explains Hiemstra, who believes that there should be a single point of contact to get all damage compensated. “It should be simpler.”
Hiemstra emphasizes that North Drenthe ‘doesn’t have to get rich’ from this claim. “But we have to get what we deserve.”
Mayor Marcel Thijsen of Tynaarlo certainly does not think the claim is too high. “They have extracted more than 400 billion euros from the ground here, haven’t they. The Netherlands has benefited from this area for years. Then it is logical that we want good compensation for that, right?”
In May, the cabinet will respond to the claim of Groningen and Drenthe. Deputy Tjisse Stelpstra hears ‘good signals’ from The Hague. “There is recognition, that’s nice.”
But money remains a thorny issue, says Stelpstra. “That is still being looked at in detail. But it should be clear that we will not be fobbed off with a tip.”