Alum shale

The plan rejects expanded nuclear power as a way out of fossil dependency and thus removes the main purpose of uranium mining. It requires that mining is conducted with a long-term holistic perspective that weighs local natural values and opposes overexploitation of natural resources that depletes biological diversity. A national ban on mining in alum shale follows from these principles.

• no to expanded nuclear powerdecisive»planerna på att bygga ut kärnkraften som en väg ut ur fossilberoendet.« (party programme ↗)“plans to expand nuclear power as a way out of fossil dependency.”
• holistic view of mining»Den behöver drivas med ett långsiktigt helhetsperspektiv som ser till såväl de globala behoven som lokala naturvärden och« (party programme ↗)“It needs to be conducted with a long-term holistic perspective that looks to both global needs and local natural values and”
• against overexploitation of nature»Ett ständigt överutnyttjande av naturens resurser leder till kraftig utarmning av den biologiska mångfalden och växthusgasutsläpp.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A constant overexploitation of nature's resources leads to serious depletion of biological diversity and greenhouse gas emissions.”
• sharp environmental legislation»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental goals that are followed up with sharp legislation and practical work.”

The plan demands a toxic-free environment with clean water throughout the country and protection of valuable nature, which argues for a ban on mining in alum shale with its risks of radioactive leakage. At the same time, the plan wants to see extraction of natural resources, but explicitly only sustainable extraction. Alum shale is not mentioned in the documents, so the position rests on environmental principles.

• toxic-free environmentdecisive»Giftfri miljö med ren luft och rent vatten i hela Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“Toxic-free environment with clean air and clean water throughout Sweden.”
• protection of nature and water»Värn av biologisk mångfald och Sveriges värdefulla natur och vattenmiljöer.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of biodiversity and Sweden's valuable nature and aquatic environments.”
• only sustainable extraction»Hållbar utvinning och användning av naturresurser, med ekonomisk kompensation till« (party programme ↗)“Sustainable extraction and use of natural resources, with economic compensation to”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that uranium mining shall be prohibited and that uranium shall not be extracted in Sweden, and describes uranium mining as environmentally destructive with dangerous waste without sustainable solution. A national prohibition on mining in alum shale, where the uranium is found, is the direct consequence. The plan also wants the precautionary principle to be applied to a greater extent and that new mines are only opened under strict environmental legislation.

• prohibited uranium miningdecisive»inga nya tillstånd för torvbrytning ska ges och uranbrytning ska vara« (party programme ↗)“no new permits for peat extraction shall be granted and uranium mining shall be”
• environmental risks of uranium mining»miljöförstörande brytning av uran, som är en ändlig resurs som skapar farligt avfall« (party programme ↗)“environmentally destructive mining of uranium, which is a finite resource that creates dangerous waste”
• the precautionary principle»försiktighetsprincipen tillämpas i högre utsträckning« (party programme ↗)“the precautionary principle is applied to a greater extent”
• strict environmental review of mines»När nya gruvor ändå måste öppnas ska det ske i enlighet med en strikt« (party programme ↗)“When new mines must nonetheless be opened, it shall be in accordance with a strict”

The plan says Sweden should take responsibility and extract more minerals and metals instead of importing them, and points to extraction as a source of new jobs in the green transition. A general national ban on mining alum shale closes the door to such extraction throughout the country and moreover moves the decision away from the affected municipalities. The environmental considerations in the plan do not weigh up such a broad ban.

• own extraction over importdecisive»För att klara den gröna omställningen måste vi ta vara på Sveriges naturresurser. Det är bättre att Sverige tar ansvar och utvinner mer mineral och metaller istället för att fortsätta importera dem från länder med större klimatavtryck och sämre arbetsvillkor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To manage the green transition we must make use of Sweden's natural resources. It is better that Sweden takes responsibility and extracts more minerals and metals instead of continuing to import them from countries with greater climate footprint and worse working conditions.”
• minerals for green transition»Med rätt reformer kommer nya jobb att skapas på landsbygden inom allt från produktion av biobränslen till utvinning av de mineral och metaller som krävs för den gröna omställningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With the right reforms, new jobs will be created in rural areas from everything from biofuel production to extraction of the minerals and metals required for the green transition.”
• local decision-making»Decentralisera mera. Människor ska få bestämma mer själva, och politiska beslut ska fattas nära dem som berörs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decentralise more. People shall get to decide more themselves, and political decisions shall be taken close to those affected.”
• toxin-free environment as a right»Tillgång till rent vatten, ren luft och giftfri miljö är en fundamental rätt för alla människor och en förutsättning för frihet i en vidare bemärkelse.« (party programme ↗)“Access to clean water, clean air and a toxin-free environment is a fundamental right for all people and a prerequisite for freedom in a wider sense.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan bases environmental policy on knowledge, market-economic thinking and clear environmental and security requirements, and explicitly distances itself from symbolic politics. It furthermore sees dependence on raw materials from undemocratic states as a security risk. A general national ban on mining in alum shale, instead of assessment against strict requirements, therefore falls outside the plan's line.

• knowledge-based environmental policydecisive»Liberal miljöpolitik handlar om ansvarstagande utifrån kunskap och« (party programme ↗)“Liberal environmental policy is about taking responsibility based on knowledge and”
• requirements instead of bans»För alla energislag ska finnas tydliga miljö- och säkerhetskrav.« (party programme ↗)“For all energy types there shall be clear environmental and security requirements.”
• distance from symbolic politics»Liberal miljöpolitik tar avstånd från symbolpolitik« (party programme ↗)“Liberal environmental policy distances itself from symbolic politics”
• reduced raw material dependence»Den utveckling där odemokratiska eller rentav totalitära stater förvärvar strategiska« (party programme ↗)“The development where undemocratic or even totalitarian states acquire strategic”

The plan rejects general prohibitions as method and instead favours protection being used where there is reason for it, which its position on coastal protection shows. Stewardship is described as developing and cultivating, not as passive preservation, and the plan explicitly distances itself from a view of nature where humans are not allowed to intervene in nature. A national general ban on mining alum shale therefore goes against the plan, even though the precautionary principle justifies strict requirements in individual cases.

• protection directed where there is reasondecisive»Ett strandskydd bör inte tillämpas generellt utan användas i områden där det finns skäl för det.« (party programme ↗)“Coastal protection should not be applied generally but be used in areas where there is reason for it.”
• active stewardship»Förvaltarskapet innebär inte ett passivt förhållningssätt utan är utvecklande och förädlande« (party programme ↗)“Stewardship means not a passive approach but is developing and cultivating”
• distancing from ecosophy»ekosofismen, där människan varken tillåts ingripa i naturen eller förvalta« (party programme ↗)“ecosophy, where humans are neither allowed to intervene in nature nor manage”
• precautionary principle»skada på miljön, måste extra försiktighet tillämpas.« (party programme ↗)“damage to the environment, extra caution must be applied.”

The plan states that Sweden's rich mineral resources shall be able to be extracted responsibly and long-term sustainably, which is incompatible with a national ban on mining in alum shale. The plan also wants to shorten processing times for permits, not add general bans. Environmental risks should according to the plan be managed with science and facts as the basis, not with a general mining freeze.

• responsible mineral extractiondecisive»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska kunna utvinnas ansvarsfullt och långsiktigt hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our rich mineral resources shall be able to be extracted responsibly and long-term sustainably.”
• continued extraction»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska även fortsättningsvis kunna utvinnas på ett« (party programme ↗)“Our rich mineral resources shall continue to be able to be extracted in a”
• science-based environmental reviewweak support»Vetenskap och fakta ska vara ledande i klimat- och miljöpolitiken.« (party programme ↗)“Science and facts shall be leading in climate and environmental policy.”
• shorter permit processes»Korta myndigheternas handläggningstider genom en bortre tidsgräns« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Shorten government authorities' processing times through a final time limit”

flags: citat_svagt

The counter-proposal demands a national ban on mining alum shale. The election manifesto's core commitment is the opposite: the licensing processes for mining should be streamlined, it should become easier and faster to open mines and the rural areas' mineral values should be utilized. The plan additionally demands that environmental policy is based on facts and research rather than on general bans.

• faster mining licensesdecisive»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Streamline and increase predictability in the licensing processes for mining, electricity network expansion and industry”
• facilitate mine opening»Det behöver också bli enklare och gå snabbare att öppna gruvor för de mineraler som behövs för exempelvis tillverkning av batterier.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It also needs to become easier and faster to open mines for the minerals needed for, for example, battery manufacturing.”
• fact-based environmental policy»Miljöpolitiken måste alltid stämmas av mot nya rön i forskningen och baseras på fakta framför känslor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Environmental policy must always be calibrated against new research findings and based on facts rather than feelings.”
• industry's raw material supply»Prioritera svensk industri och konkurrenskraft« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Prioritize Swedish industry and competitiveness”