The government itself has argued in favor of stretching the rules for the emission of toxic substances from asphalt plants. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the (provincial) Environment Agency Nijmegen Region (ODRN) wanted to ensure that the power stations would not run into problems during their production process.
Specifically, it concerns the emission of the carcinogenic benzene, a substance that appears on the list of Substances of Very High Concern, reports Broadcasting Gelderland.
“It is as if the traffic police observes that a continuous 200 kilometers per hour is driven through a residential area and then puts up signs with 200 everywhere; because then the speeders comply with the law again,” responds Roel van Tiel from Nijmegen. He is chairman of the Vereniging Dorpsbelang Hees and strongly opposes the APN asphalt plant, right around the corner from him.
In his struggle, Van Tiel works together with similar committees of local residents in Eindhoven, Den Bosch and Bergen op Zoom. It is the residents’ committee in Bergen op Zoom that has now uncovered documents by invoking the Open Government Act (WOB).
Three years to stretch the rules
In 2016, the regulations for benzene emissions became stricter. It was soon clear to the government that the production process of the asphalt plants was in trouble as a result, according to the documents. On the advice of, among others, the Ministry and the Environment Agency of the Nijmegen Region, it was proposed to temporarily stretch the rules for a period of three years.
That would give companies time to adjust their production process in such a way that the standard could be met. Finally, it was also decided to broaden the rules.
‘Too bizarre for words’
Roel Van Tiel calls the pieces “astounding to read”. “It’s just too bizarre for words. I’m furious. This is just not possible. Let’s not forget that this is about the emission of carcinogenic material,” he says. An less than a year ago the asphalt plant APN also proposed to raise the standards for benzene emissions by 500 percent. The plan was withdrawn after protests from local residents.
Recently, the APN power station was in the news again, this time not because of benzene emissions, but because of naphthalene emissions. Naphthalene is also on the list of Substances of Very High Concern. APN emitted 17 times more naphthalene than allowed, but according to the municipality there was no acute danger to public health. Research by the GGD recently showed that there are no long-term harmful health effects.
Next Tuesday, the residents’ committees in Nijmegen, Den Bosch and Bergen op Zoom will discuss a joint action.
The municipality of Nijmegen says through a spokesperson that it cannot respond substantively to the article by Omroep Gelderland. A majority of the city council said earlier to want to close the asphalt plant as soon as there is a legal basis for this.
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