State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief (D66, Mining) was “infuriated” when he heard in January that the NAM wanted to start independent arbitration about the costs of damage and reinforcement in Groningen. And furious, “I actually still am,” he said on Wednesday to the parliamentary committee of inquiry in The Hague that is investigating gas extraction.
The NAM and the State, who together had “a lot of fun” from the Groningen gas, “ultimately caused what happened in Groningen together,” said Vijlbrief. “I just don’t think it’s appropriate that all kinds of arbitration cases are started. I just think they should pay.”
The NAM refuses to pay costs that, according to the gas company, cannot be directly traced to the earthquakes. Vijlbrief “totally disagrees with that”. According to Vijlbrief, the NAM wants “to solve the insecurity and not all other frills, my position is that those other frills are part of the problem.”
He notices this during his monthly conversation at the town hall in Loppersum with residents who have mental problems due to the bureaucracy in which they have ended up and who have the feeling of insecurity and unequal treatment. He would like to say to the NAM: “Come and spend a day with me in Loppersum, then you will immediately notice that those damages are very intertwined.”
Also read: State Secretary Vijlbrief: I will not enter into the discussion about increasing gas production
Surrender arrangement
One of the things the gas company is questioning is the area in which the so-called ‘reversal of the presumption of evidence’ is applied. That is the rule that damage is compensated if it can be ‘reasonably’ caused by gas extraction. “This makes me furious,” said Vijlbrief again, when it came to this. It is not appropriate for NAM ‘to nag’, he thinks. According to him, the presumption of evidence must be applied ‘widely’. Also in the peripheral areas or at gas storage facilities: “It is very striking that a lot of cracks have appeared there after the gas extraction and not before. I really try to stand on the side of the people in Groningen and not next to the institutions.”
Although Vijlbrief is “furious” at NAM, he still wants to talk to the company about a solution. “But my commitment is crystal clear.” Shareholders Shell previously argued for a ‘buy-off arrangement’. An ‘unfortunately chosen’ term, says Vijlbrief. But essentially it comes down to that. “The result is: pay. But the question is: for how long? That is a difficult question.” One of his officials is conducting “exploratory talks with NAM as to whether this could be a route”.
The involvement of Shell and ExxonMobil, the shareholders of NAM, is ‘crucial’ for the conclusion of a ‘final agreement’. “They have that company together.” How great does Vijlbrief estimate the chance that such a concluding agreement will succeed? The Secretary of State is not optimistic about this. “I don’t see that at all, because it’s very complicated.” Still, he wants to try. “I have to do that.” “Theoretically you can reach an agreement, because there is something for everyone. Only you just heard what my commitment is towards the NAM. Maybe they don’t want to talk to me at all after this interrogation.”
Press for more gas
Vijlbrief has repeatedly promised to stop gas extraction in Groningen by 2023 or 2024 at the latest. He adheres to this, despite the fact that the Russian invasion in Ukraine has caused gas prices to reach record highs and the pressure to extract more gas from Groningen is increasing. But no opinion article, expert or foreign appeal makes Vijlbrief change his position: “It is not safe.” The gas tap can only be opened if another safety aspect outweighs the safety of residents in Groningen – an option that only comes into play when, for example, hospitals no longer have gas to heat their buildings. “As it now appears, there will be enough gas this winter.”
He also experiences support for this position from the House of Representatives: “In the House of Representatives I count 120 seats that are against opening the gas tap.” Some of the opinion articles and experts on television who argue for more gas extraction from Groningen are “like” Vijlbrief “not at all”. These are the opinions that argue for more open Groningen gas taps to compensate the residents of Groningen. “Then I understand that people from Groningen think that they do not understand it at all in the West: it is not about money for them.”
Tough job
Vijlbrief, who was previously Director-General at the same ministry where he is now State Secretary, and Treasurer-General at Finance, considers this the toughest job he has ever had. The problems in Groningen are heavier on his stomach than the euro crisis, which he had been dealing with day in and day out as Treasurer General. “The weight and depth of the file are greater than I thought.” He is particularly affected by the grief and impotence of the people of Groningen.
On Monday, during a visit to Wirdum, which was hit by an earthquake last weekend, he shot himself at a woman. She said to him: “I just don’t trust you, I don’t trust the people in The Hague.” He thought that “very much. If citizens don’t trust their government, that’s about the worst thing there is. That’s why it’s tough.”
This article is also part of our live blog: Blok: I did not want to blame the announcement of extra gas production on my successor