The government is reviewing the Norwegian Environment Agency and opening the new E6 through the nature reserve at Lillehammer.
This is what the Ministry of Climate and the Environment writes in a press release.
– There must be a very high threshold for allowing interventions in protected areas. In this case, the government believes overall that this is the best solution, says Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap).
The development of the E6 past Lillehammer was postponed indefinitely in December, when the Norwegian Environment Agency surprisingly did not grant a dispensation to build a motorway and bridge through the Lågendeltaet nature reserve.
– Would not delay
But the government considers that postponing the road project in order to start planning again is not a solution.
– The Norwegian Environment Agency was not asked to look at the whole, compared to the alternatives. As the supreme authority, we must do that, says Klima. and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide to VG.
He says that the threshold must be high for changing the protection regulations.
– But occasionally you have to do it, when overall societal considerations dictate it, says the Labor minister.
He says the government’s goal is to be able to build roads with more mitigating measures against nature than what is in the original plan.
The decision applies to the 23 kilometer long stretch Roterud-Storhove, which is part of the new E6 between Moelv and Øyer.
Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) and Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) will come to Lillehammer on Friday morning to participate in an E6 meeting with several mayors in the district, reports GD.
– Crazy knee drop
Compensatory measures must be taken to reduce the negative consequences for nature, states the Ministry of Climate and the Environment.
– This is completely incomprehensible, says SV’s Storting politician Lars Haltbrekken.
He believes the government is weakening nature conservation in order for Nye Veier to get what they want.
– What a crazy knee-jerk reaction for the motorway interests, says Haltbrekken.
Party leader in MDG Arild Hermstad believes that the government is showing with this that protecting nature has no meaning in practice.
– Climate Minister Espen Barth Eide is good at talking nicely about nature and saying the right sentences. But you cannot build a motorway through the Lågendelta and at the same time claim that you take nature conservation seriously, says Hermstad.
– Very problematic
Nature and Youth is critical of the government’s decision.
– Changing the conservation regulations to build a four-lane motorway through such an important nature reserve is very problematic, says NU central board member Aleksander Snarheim to VG.
Bellona believes that the government is ignoring environmental advice and undermining the importance of nature reserves and vein areas.
– Barth Eide proclaimed at the nature summit just before Christmas that Norway should protect more nature. Then he goes home and overtakes the Norwegian Environment Agency in an important nature case. It clearly shows how weak nature conservation is even today, says head of department Christian Eriksen in Bellona.
The Norwegian Environment Agency has pointed out that the road project in question has a negative socio-economic benefit of minus 5.9 billion 2019 kroner.
– In addition, there is the deterioration of very valuable nature that cannot be measured in kroner, which reinforces the conclusion that the measure is very economically unprofitable, wrote the directorate.
Director of the Environment Ellen Hambro will not comment on the political decision, informs the press guard in the Norwegian Environment Agency.
Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård believes the new E6 will be safer and more accessible.
– It will mean a lot locally for the development of the residential and market regions, it will mean a lot for business and it will mean a lot for long-distance transport between Oslo and Trondheim and Oslo-Northwestlandet, says Nygård.
