At the turn of the year, the ban on uranium mining in Sweden expired. In a second step, the municipal veto against uranium mining will be abolished.
But affected municipalities in Jämtland and Västergötland, among others, have loudly protested their drastically reduced influence. This is especially true regarding the extraction of uranium in alum shale, where the largest deposits are found, and where vanadium, nickel and rare earth metals can also be extracted.
The government is now choosing to listen to that concern.
"We are strengthening local influence in the municipalities that have alum shale through a special veto. I will present an investigation that ensures local influence, transparency and that Sweden remains a strong mining nation," writes the minister responsible for mining, Ebba Busch (KD), to TT.
Must say yes
The warnings that drinking water and agricultural land could be affected are a legitimate concern, says Pourmokhtari.
"Alum shale is a fragile rock and extraction is associated with major challenges for health and the environment. With our proposal, the municipalities need to say yes to being allowed to mine alum shale," she says.
According to her, the Liberals have had to fight hard to get the other government parties on board with their solution. That is why the decision has taken so long. But now the government has agreed to appoint a rapid investigation where the investigator will also propose that the veto can apply retroactively.
A veto doesn't always mean a no.
The mining industry believes that the municipal veto must be removed for the repealed ban on uranium mining to have any effect.
Will there be increased uranium mining in Sweden if a municipal veto is introduced regarding alum shale?
"There are mines today that mine uranium but are not allowed to use it," says Pourmokhtari.
She also points out that the municipal veto does not always have to mean a no.
The Moderates also emphasize that they understand the concerns about possible environmental risks in the municipalities concerned.
"To ensure that this type of mining always takes place with local support, we therefore want to quickly investigate a municipal veto on mining in alum shale," writes Minister of Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M) in a comment.
