The case in summary: • Residents of Nome in Telemark are concerned about planned mining on the Fens field, which contains Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth species.• The local population fears the destruction of nature, pollution and radioactive waste as a result of the mining.• The Nature Conservation Association shares the concern and warns against a rushed process and weak regulations around mining in Norway.• Nome municipality is in the process of assessing the consequences of mining and is asking the citizens for input on which areas should be assessed. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. She looks out over Bærevann as a fish jumps and creates rings above the surface of the water. A mosquito quietly whizzes past. – I fear that this will become a huge landfill for toxic mining waste, says Linn Obrestad. Linn Obrestad is head of the Helga welfare association in Nome. She is familiar with the dangers of this type of mining abroad and fears the worst for her village and the municipality. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news Obrestad is the leader of the charity in the area. She has received calls from many concerned neighbors recently. Recently, she and several others in the village discovered a map with a large circle of the area they use for hunting, fishing and recreation. Fears a rushed process The news that the largest deposit of rare earth species in Europe can be found in the Fens field in Telemark has gone around the world. Today, China has most of the production of the metals on which the wind turbines, mobile phones or defense equipment of the future depend. Now Europe will become self-sufficient. Everything from American CNBC to The Brussels Times has mentioned the gigantic find. The rare earth species are crucial for the green shift. In the small village of Helgen, the locals are afraid that the result will be anything but green. Hunting and fishing have been done here for generations, explains the landowner who now fears pollution further down the protected Herrevassdraget. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news They are worried about a rushed process, where mining will destroy their nature. – I have fished here since I was a child, says landowner Sigmunn Ytterbøe. Together with the other landowners, he is worried that the municipality will buy the properties by force. Because it is here that one of the companies planning mining on the Fensfield wants the tunnel opening from the underground mine to come out. Bærevann is secluded, but at the same time is connected to a watercourse that ends in the Herrevassdraget, which flows further down towards Skien and Bamble. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news With associated industry and landfill. Much more the citizens do not know right now. The municipality will investigate the consequences of this and three other areas. A final option is not to have the mineral park in your own municipality, but for example in the neighboring municipality of Skien. A blue splendor water nymph. Around Bærevann in Helgen in Nome, there is today a rich wildlife. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news The citizens are now being warned against a hasty process, where the consequence will be pollution and radioactive and toxic mine waste. The Nature Conservancy shares the concern. The Nature Conservation Association warns – We are not against mining per se, and at least not minerals that society needs. But we are afraid of too much haste, explains Truls Gulowsen, head of the Nature Conservancy. He fears that the EU will press on and that shortcuts will be taken in the process of extracting the rare earth metals on which the world is so dependent. The Nature Conservancy believes that the regulations surrounding mining in Norway today are too weak. Truls Gulowsen is head of the Norwegian Nature Conservation Association and is concerned that nature is being forgotten in a process to ensure Europe’s production of rare earth metals. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news The big fear is that important natural values will be lost if things are placed in the wrong place. And in the worst case, radioactive contamination. Asking residents for input Mayor Linda Thorstensen from the Labor Party in Nome says she understands the concern. The municipality is concerned with a good process around the selection of a location, she explains. – The aim is to find the area that produces the least possible negative consequences and the most possible positive ripple effects. The mayor of Nome says she is concerned about a good process and is now asking for input from the residents on which areas should be assessed for impact on industry and landfill linked to mining on the Fensfield in Ulefoss. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news The municipality has already excluded one area near Helgen from the process, because it was too close to people and buildings. Now they are left with three areas to be investigated. They are also asking for input from residents about a fourth area. They have until Friday to come up with their input. These areas must then be assessed for impact. Nome municipality has chosen to proceed with three areas and is asking for input on a fourth. They have chosen to take out an area that was too close to the local population in Helgen. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news – I don’t think the residents of Nome municipality have any idea how big it is. They have no idea about the consequences and they cannot know that either. Because no information is available, says the manager of Helgen Vel. Obrestad’s daughter has heard her mother talking a lot on the phone recently. Now the 8-year-old himself has sent a letter to the politicians. – Because I want to live here. A lot of nature is destroyed and I don’t want that, explains Fauna Johanna Obrestad. Fauna (8) hopes the politicians will listen to her and the others who live in the small village of Helgen. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news Published 23.06.2024, at 19.55
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Fears mining and radioactive waste – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
