The plan to allow uranium mining has been criticized by several municipalities. The criticism has been about the fact that the municipal veto is being eroded and the mines pose significant risks to people and the environment.
Larger facilities for uranium mining are currently defined as nuclear facilities in the legislation. This is covered by a special examination under the Environmental Code, which requires that the municipal council says yes.
In a memorandum that the government published on Wednesday, it is proposed that uranium mines should no longer be considered nuclear facilities. This means that the local veto right would disappear.
According to the government, the municipalities should instead have influence through other legislation, such as the Planning and Building Act, writes Dagens industri.
The government motivates the proposal by saying that the extraction and enrichment of nuclear substances differ from nuclear reactors, and therefore the regulations should be different.
