Response to interpellation 2023/24:604 on the mining of seafloor limestone
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 L considers liming to be an important environmental measure and that the government is working for more efficient permit processes to support the climate transition 1. 2 L argues that fuel prices, not a lack of lime, are the main reason that liming has slowed down 2. 2 3 L argues that there is no shortage of lime in Sweden and that the government is working to ensure the mining industry receives favorable conditions 2 3. 4 5 S argues that the government has denied permits for lime mining in Norrbotten and Värmland, which has affected the price of lime 4 5. 6 S argues that the government should act so that Cementa on Gotland receives long-term permits to secure the country's lime supply 6. 6 S considers that the government is accountable for opposing interests leading to long legal processes. 7 L argues that the investigation should examine how the balance between different interests can be achieved in a better way to avoid long processes where the state speaks with multiple voices 7. 7 L considers that it must go faster and better to meet the climate transition 7. 7 L argues that the mines are relevant because they need permits for environmentally hazardous activities and that the government is working to ensure the mines receive sound rules of the game moving forward 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! Isak From has asked the Minister for Energy and Business if the Minister is considering any measures to enable the mining of seafloor limestone in Sweden. The work within the government is so distributed that it is I who shall answer the interpellation.
Liming of lakes and watercourses to counteract the effects of acidification has been carried out for over 40 years and is one of the most extensive environmental protection measures implemented in Sweden. Well-functioning liming ensures that acidification-sensitive species can survive and reproduce. The work against acidification is an important part of the work to achieve the environmental goals Living lakes and watercourses and Only natural acidification.
Access to limestone is a prerequisite for liming activities. To extract and process limestone, a permit for environmentally hazardous activity is required according to Chapter 9 of the Environmental Code and often also a permit for water activity according to Chapter 11 of the Environmental Code.
Clear and effective permit processes are of great importance to support the climate transition generally, which contributes to the achievement of climate and environmental goals. In order to achieve a more modern and efficient environmental review, the government is now working further with several of the proposals presented by the Environmental Review Inquiry in the report On review and review - a part of the green transition (SOU 2022:33). The government has also appointed a new inquiry, the Environmental Permit Inquiry (KN 2023:02), which will report its work by December 15 this year at the latest. The Environmental Permit Inquiry shall submit proposals on how the permit review according to the Environmental Code can be simplified and shortened by making the review more flexible, efficient, and predictable.
The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management has the national responsibility for liming in lakes and watercourses and grants funds to the county administrative boards for liming measures, effect monitoring, planning, and control. In recent years, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management has distributed around 160 million kronor per year from the marine and water environment measures appropriation to the county administrative boards for liming specifically. During 2022 and 2023, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management distributed extra funds to the county administrative boards for liming in addition to this, as a result of primarily increasing energy prices.
The deposition of acidifying sulfur has decreased significantly since the mid-1980s, and it is good news that it is now down to the same levels as 100 years ago. This has resulted in a strong recovery in many previously acidified waters. Therefore, it has been possible in recent years to scale back or conclude liming efforts. Acidification remains, however, in many watercourses, especially in the southwestern part of Sweden. To ensure that the liming provides high efficiency and occurs in the correct extent, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management is working on developing a national strategy for liming, which is expected to be completed during the year.
I look forward to receiving the agency's strategy to review what support the agency considers it needs from the government. It is an important issue for the government that there will also in the future be good conditions for effective and purposeful measures against acidification.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Romina Pourmokhtari! When one has followed the debates here during the afternoon, one can actually come to the conclusion that we probably need to submit some further interpellation.
Now we are going to talk about lime. I submitted the interpellation to Ebba Busch because I saw that it had a connection to the mining industry. The starting point, however, was that on October 26 last year I submitted a written question which Romina Pourmokhtari answered, and much of the answer I receive today is also found in the answer to that question.
It can be noted that almost all the Tidö parties criticized the S-government from different starting points. The Liberals perhaps criticized the S-government because a temporary permit was granted on Gotland, while other parties criticized that it went too slowly or that the permit given was too poor. From that starting point, the Tidö government has had a high level of criticism. One must ensure that the permit review goes faster and more securely and that it delivers.
Nevertheless, we have not seen much of this so far. What we have seen during the Tidö government's time is that a limestone quarry in Norrbotten has not been allowed to open, because the government judged the reindeer husbandry as more important than limestone mining, and that Gåsgruvan in Värmland, which has a specific limestone that is particularly well-suited for marine liming, has had to close. Their limestone is also used in traditional cement production, in residential construction, in asphalt production, in agriculture and forestry, and for the gardening industry.
Madam Speaker! A number of county administrative boards, including Kalmar and Västerbotten, are now announcing that they will significantly reduce liming due to the cost situation, which has skyrocketed due to inflation. The price of lime has also increased sharply because production has decreased significantly.
A government can then think that either we can make it easier to produce more lime since there are many sectors that need the lime, or we can provide funds so that the liming that both the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and many of our county administrative boards still consider necessary can be maintained.
Indeed, it is as Romina Pourmokhtari says: The acidification is not like in the 70s and 80s, but in many places it has become much better. At the same time, it may be other activities that contribute to the acidification continuing.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! Thanks to the member, although I am a bit surprised by the reasoning. Since criticism is being presented from the speaker's chair against the government's assessment that the reindeer husbandry in this case could not be set aside for the limestone quarry, I wonder if the Social Democrats thereby mean that the reindeer husbandry should have been set aside in favor of the limestone quarry. Is it the Social Democrats' opinion when it is highlighted that it was the government that denied the permit in favor of the reindeer husbandry? Do the Social Democrats mean that the reindeer husbandry should have been set aside? Instead of insinuations, I would in that case like to hear it straight out.
It is obviously very important that there is a good supply of lime for the liming work. Our information is that it is the diesel prices that have driven up the cost of the liming work. When the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management has needed to inject more funds so that the liming can continue, which the government has gladly provided them with, it has been about the fuel prices. The costs for the diesel-powered vehicles that are used - as far as I know - have been high, not least due to the reduction obligation that the Social Democrats set a level for.
We must therefore be able to point out that fuel prices have been the primary reason why liming has slowed down; that is what I have heard when I have been out and spoken with people. If the member has the impression that it is about the shortage of lime rather than fuel prices, that is very interesting information, given that we from the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management have been told that there is no shortage of lime in Sweden. It is argued that there are no indications that there is a shortage of lime today, and there are also no indications that any shortage of marine lime will arise. The picture of how inflation has hindered liming in different ways thus differs, Madam Speaker.
When it comes to which liming contractors one procures from, there are other limestone quarries in Sweden. But there is also an import from Norway, and if one imports from Norway, the currency of course affects the whole.
I mean therefore that it is somewhat of a simplification to say that the situation would have looked different if the reindeer husbandry had stood aside in this case. It is many different things that affect this.
Not least, Madam Speaker, the permit processes are something that affects this. In my first speech, I mentioned that permits are needed, often according to two laws. That makes it more difficult to conduct this activity. Reviewing how we can apply the powerful Environmental Code in a better and more efficient way without it occurring at the expense of other interests is a very important part, even when it comes to making the liming work better in the future.
I mean that this debate would benefit from us including all parts of this. It concerns permits, fuel prices, inflation and much more.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! We can, of course, weave the whole world into this discussion. I note that the government has denied BDX the opportunity to mine limestone in Norvijaur in Jokkmokk with reference to reindeer husbandry. The starting point for that mining was primarily not marine limestone but the green industrial transition and the limestone needed in LKAB's, SSAB's, and Boliden's industrial production. Both Boliden and LKAB also use a lot of limestone in their existing operations.
As the legislation is currently designed, it is the government that decides when there are conflicting interests, and the government has in this case decided.
I can state that reindeer husbandry during the winter half-year is conducted on 52 percent of the country's area. Just over 30 percent are year-round lands. Mines and quarries comprise approximately 1.7 per mille of the total land area in Sweden. One can say in all honesty that it can be transports and other things that disturb the surroundings, and so it can be.
The starting point is still that the industry claims that the lime price increased by 22 percent when Gåsgruvan in Värmland was not granted continued permission. If the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management now has other figures, perhaps it is based on the fact that Cementa has increased production on Gotland to an extent that I am not aware of. That could be the case. It could also be that the government and Romina Pourmokhtari are sitting calm in the boat because they intend to give Cementa on Gotland long-term permits, as that is essentially the production we have utilized for the entirety of Sweden's dependence, regardless of whether it has been about construction, mines, agriculture, or forestry. Romina Pourmokhtari probably knows better than I do.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! As a member of the government, I cannot, of course, discuss any upcoming permits and how the government intends to handle those issues moving forward, as that would be market-sensitive. What I can say is that we, from the government's side, are working very actively on how we shall ensure that the mining industry receives favorable conditions and that the environmental legislation relates in a sound manner to the mining industry that Sweden is in need of.
We know, just as Member From mentioned, that we need these mines to manage the climate transition. We also know that Sweden has fantastic conditions to carry out this work in a high-quality manner thanks to the country's environmental legislation and environmental requirements. This also applies to the initiatives that come from the industry itself – there is a very high level of commitment to maintaining a high standard from many different perspectives, one of which is precisely the environment and biodiversity.
I am very grateful that Sweden has such a fantastic mining industry that conducts its operations in a sound manner. However, it is not as simple as it is often portrayed. It is not about being for or against mines, but it always concerns a balance between different interests that are pitted against each other. I know that the member is well aware of this, not least because he himself had to answer how we should handle the issue of reindeer husbandry in the case that was mentioned.
It is of course clear that we need to have both the sea lime and the lime for other purposes, not least for the climate transition that we are largely in the midst of.
We are, of course, keeping track and staying informed about what the situation is regarding the limestone supply in Sweden. The picture we currently have of the situation is that there is no shortage, but rather a problem that has arisen due to the economic situation that prevails generally.
We also see that the permit reviews that take place need to review these activities in a more efficient and legally secure manner. It is a very important part for this work to be able to take place in a good way.
The Speaker referred to the fact that the parties have had a high level of tail-end responsibility in connection with the previous government's handling of these issues. This primarily concerns the long-term – being able to have a picture of how the problem should be handled before it arises. It is not least this that we now take with us into the government work. For example, we have a large investigation looking at how these permit examinations should proceed in a way that ensures Sweden has a strong mining industry that can provide the country with everything needed for the climate transition and that ensures Sweden can export what the rest of Europe needs for the climate transition without it being imported from countries with very poor ethical and environmental conditions. In any case, from my side, the criticism has consisted more of this perspective, which I now carry into the government work.
We are, of course, keeping a close eye on how the situation develops with lime. The picture we have today is that there is a supply of lime and that no shortage is expected to arise.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! What we can observe is that the government has, in one case, issued a rejection. In another case, another mine, which has been in operation since the middle of the 1800s, has not been granted continued permission, even though in its application it even showed that the water in the mine is comparable to drinking water.
We can also observe that it is this government that is currently responsible for ensuring that Cementa can continue its mining on Gotland. If it is the government's intention that Gotland and Cementa should supply the entire country with the lime that the country needs, then the government must probably act during the mandate period so that Cementa can receive long-term permits.
Something else we can state, Madam Speaker, is that it is often the case that the operators can show that their operations meet the high environmental requirements that the Swedish Riksdag has decided upon. However, there are conflicting interests that end up in court, in extensive legal processes throughout the entire chain, and ultimately on the government's desk. The question then is: Will the environmental permit investigation that the government is now waiting for handle this, or does the government have another plan?
Regardless of where in the country we are, there is someone else who thinks the activity should be located somewhere else. Here, I think the government continues to be responsible.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! The answer to the question is yes. That is precisely what the investigation shall look into, namely how the balancing between different interests can be done in a better way than now and how we avoid long, protracted processes where it is even to the point that the state, in an almost laughable way, speaks with several different voices and makes several different assessments in a single case. We cannot move forward if we are to manage the climate transition. It must go faster and better than it does now.
The mines are highly relevant because they always need permits for environmentally hazardous activities, so this is obviously part of what the investigation looks at and what we intend to change with the commissioned investigation.
I wish this had happened earlier. Small proposals have been made, but they have not been sufficient. We need to do more, and the government is in full swing with that. Already on my second day at work, I initiated this very important and highly relevant issue, and not least, Sweden's mines will receive sound rules of the game going forward.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.