What's at stake: Alum shale contains uranium and other critical minerals, but mining risks releasing heavy metals, radioactive substances and large carbon dioxide emissions, with consequences for nearby watercourses, lakes and drinking-water sources, as well as for the municipalities and residents near planned mining areas, for example in Västergötland and Jämtland.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether a blanket ban on all alum shale mining should be introduced, or whether such extraction should continue to be allowed and instead regulated through environmental permitting and specific safety and radiation-protection requirements.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee rejects the motion for a ban on mining in alum shale. The full reasoning for this point is missing from the available material.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 8 (V, C, MP)
V, C and MP hold that all mining in alum shale carries major risks to nature, ecosystems and biodiversity, since the mining releases heavy metals and radioactive substances that can leak into nearby watercourses and lakes and harm human health. The parties point out that safe, proven techniques for large-scale mining able to guarantee that sulphuric acid, heavy metals and radioactive substances do not leak out are currently lacking, and that the mining also causes substantial carbon dioxide emissions, even though mining is already planned in both Västergötland and Jämtland. They therefore want a ban on all mining in alum shale to be introduced.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 8 by V, C, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
Vown reservation
–
No 0/21/0/0
S
–
Yes 105/0/0/1
MPown reservation
–
No 0/18/0/0
Cown reservation
–
No 0/24/0/0
L
–
Yes 16/0/0/0
KD
–
Yes 19/0/0/0
M
–
Yes 66/0/0/0
SD
–
Yes 70/0/0/0
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects motion
2025/26:3982 by Katarina Luhr et al. (MP) request 3.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motion
2025/26:3982 av Katarina Luhr m.fl. (MP) yrkande 3.
Riksdag decision: The Government wants extraction and processing of nuclear materials to be treated the same way as other metals and minerals within the framework of the consolidated permit process. The Riksdag approved the Government's proposal.
The purpose of the Government's proposal is for the assessment process for activities involving both extraction and processing of nuclear materials to increasingly resemble the assessment process for other mining operations. This means the process for initiating such activities becomes more transparent and efficient.
The changes are made to create appropriate regulation for extraction and processing of nuclear materials, where radiation protection and safety requirements are adapted to the risks of the activity. The proposals mean that extraction and processing of uranium at an overall level will be treated the same way as other metals and minerals within the framework of the consolidated permit process. This results in particular in the Government's permit assessment under the Environmental Code no longer covering facilities for extraction and processing of nuclear materials. This simultaneously means that municipal council approval will no longer be required for such activity to be permitted.
The Business Committee agrees with the Government's assessment that this adaptation of the regulatory framework makes it more logical and predictable. Overall, this creates better conditions for activities of strategic importance for the country's energy supply, as well as for Sweden to contribute to both a higher degree of self-sufficiency in critical metals and minerals within the EU and the green transition.
The legislative changes enter into force on 15 July 2026.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants municipal approval to remain a requirement for uranium extraction activities. (V, C, MP) — Reservation 8
Motion 2025/26:3959 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:168 Ändamålsenliga säkerhets- och strålskyddskrav för utvinning och bearbetning av kärnämnen av Birger Lahti m.fl. (V)
Motion 2025/26:3973 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:168 Ändamålsenliga säkerhets- och strålskyddskrav för utvinning och bearbetning av kärnämnen av Fredrik Olovsson m.fl. (S)
Motion 2025/26:3982 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:168 Ändamålsenliga säkerhets- och strålskyddskrav för utvinning och bearbetning av kärnämnen av Katarina Luhr m.fl. (MP)
Proposition 2025/26:168 — Ändamålsenliga säkerhets- och strålskyddskrav för utvinning och bearbetning av kärnämnen