Author of the post: The Associated Press Mike Corder Published Apr 25, 2023 – 2 minute checked out THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)– Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte asked forgiveness Tuesday to citizens of the northern province of Groningen who have actually suffered for many years from earthquakes brought on by gas extraction that harmed countless houses and destroyed lives. Rutte’s apology and a promise to money a generation-long program to rejuvenate the remote area came as his federal government released its main response to a damning parliamentary commission report released in February that stated the federal government owed the Groningen area a “financial obligation of honor” after putting gas revenues prior to individuals for years. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to check out the current news in your city and throughout Canada. Unrestricted online access to short articles from throughout Canada with one account. Get special access to the National Post ePaper, an electronic reproduction of the print edition that you can share, download and discuss. Delight in insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our acclaimed reporters. Assistance regional reporters and the next generation of reporters. Daily puzzles consisting of the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER FOR UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to check out the current news in your city and throughout Canada. Endless online access to short articles from throughout Canada with one account. Get unique access to the National Post ePaper, an electronic reproduction of the print edition that you can share, download and discuss. Take pleasure in insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our acclaimed reporters. Assistance regional reporters and the next generation of reporters. Daily puzzles consisting of the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or check in to continue with your reading experience. Gain access to posts from throughout Canada with one account. Share your ideas and sign up with the discussion in the remarks. Take pleasure in extra posts each month. Get e-mail updates from your preferred authors. Financial Post Top Stories Sign up to get the day-to-day top stories from the Financial Post, a department of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the register button you grant get the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You might unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our e-mails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc.|365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4|416-383-2300 “We stand here, cap in hand,” Rutte informed locals in the northern town of Garmerwolde. “We can’t remove all the struggling with the past. We can’t reverse what has actually failed because gas extraction began. We are identified to do things in a different way, working carefully with the individuals here. Which suggests a dedication of years, a method for a whole generation.” The federal government promised to end all gas extraction– which has actually currently been downsized to practically absolutely nothing– by October, or by 2024 at the current. It likewise stated it will invest a minimum of 22 billion euros ($24.25 billion) on spending for repair work to houses and facilities and to “buy the long-lasting financial point of view” of the area. Groningen has actually for years been a hotbed of discontent sustained by the earthquakes and failing federal government efforts to compensate homeowners. It stays to be seen if the brand-new plan of procedures and financial investments will please the deeply hesitant population of the area. A company representing locals did not right away comment. A consortium consisting of energy giants Shell and ExxonMobil drawn out gas from the substantial Groningen underground reserves for years prior to the federal government took a choice in 2018 to slowly stop pumping gas out of the Groningen field– among the world’s biggest at 2,800 billion cubic meters. The parliamentary query stated the substantial earnings– for many years the Dutch state made 363 billion euros from Groningen gas– blinded succeeding federal governments to the predicament of individuals in the area. “The interests of individuals of Groningen have actually been structurally disregarded in gas extraction in Groningen, with devastating repercussions for individuals of Groningen,” the commission accountable for the report stated in a declaration in February.
Dutch leader promises to pay back financial obligation to quake-hit area
