Complicated issue
By RTL News 1 minute ago Modified: 0 minutes ago
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RTL
Research into relaxing the nitrogen regulations has not yet yielded any results. Scientists say that the current regulations are too strict, but there is not enough measurement data to come up with a new proposal. The provinces therefore want a broad study into nitrogen deposition, but that could take years.
Research institute TNO, together with scientists from the University of Amsterdam (UvA), delved into the nitrogen regulations that apply in the Netherlands. Many construction projects are at a standstill and farms do not have permits because, according to Dutch law, too much nitrogen is released. Since 2019, projects that deposit 0.005 mol of nitrogen per hectare annually have been cancelled.
The lower limit of 0.005 mole per hectare per year is much too low, according to the study that was published last night. The nitrogen influence of those individual projects cannot be demonstrated with such low precipitation. A ‘mol’ is a chemical unit that expresses the weight of a number of particles.
TNO and the UvA call the lower limit of 0.005 mol per hectare ‘not scientifically substantiated’. In neighbouring countries the limit is much higher, at 10 mol per hectare, but there is no scientific evidence for that limit either.
‘Complexity issue’
The researchers write that it is ‘reasonable’ that there is a lower limit. Above that, nitrogen deposition can be traced back to a polluter. But due to simplified models and too little data, this cannot be found at the moment.
The scientists advise further research, but also warn. “It is unclear how long such studies would take and whether, given the complexity of the issue, they would lead to a practically useful result,” they write.
This is the nitrogen problem in 1 minute:
Who emits nitrogen and how does it spread? In this video we explain.
Nevertheless, the provinces want to investigate, together with Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma (BBB), whether the limit can be extended. “I believe that we should seize all possibilities to arrive at a lower limit,” Wiersma says. “Certainly given the urgent problem of PAS reporters.” These are (farm) companies that have become illegal through no fault of their own because they emit too much nitrogen.
‘Legal goat path’
A majority of the Lower House (NSC, PVV, BBB, VVD and ChristenUnie) requested at the end of last year to allow projects that deposit a maximum of 1 mol of nitrogen per hectare. That is much more than the 0.005 mol that currently applies. In their proposal, the factions did demand that the total nitrogen emissions should still be reduced.
Former MP Tjeerd de Groot (D66) called the plan a ‘legal goat path’ at the time.
