Ban on mining in alum shale

The plan demands ambitious environmental goals followed up with sharp legislation and that mining be driven with a long-term holistic perspective that weighs local natural values. Mining in alum shale means, according to the counter-proposal, large waste quantities, heavy metals, and risk of leakage, and takes arable farmland, which clashes with the state's responsibility for food self-sufficiency. That uranium would primarily go to nuclear power, which the plan rejects, strengthens the conclusion.

• ambitious environmental goalsdecisive»Vi vill se ambitiösa miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see ambitious environmental goals followed up with sharp legislation and practical work.”
• holistic view of mining»Den behöver drivas med ett långsiktigt helhetsperspektiv som ser till såväl de globala behoven som lokala naturvärden och den ekonomiska utvecklingen i närområdet.« (party programme ↗)“It needs to be driven with a long-term holistic perspective that considers both global needs and local natural values and the economic development in the surrounding area.”
• protection of farmland»Staten har ett särskilt ansvar att se till att landet är tillräckligt självförsörjande med livsmedel.« (party programme ↗)“The state has a special responsibility to ensure that the country is sufficiently self-sufficient in food.”
• no to nuclear power expansion»Vänsterpartiet avvisar planerna på att bygga ut kärnkraften som en väg ut ur fossilberoendet.« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party rejects plans to expand nuclear power as a way out of fossil dependence.”

The plan requires a poison-free environment with clean air and clean water throughout Sweden, protection of biological diversity and that the extraction of natural resources should be sustainable, and a viable food production. Large-scale open-pit mining in alum shale with heavy metals and radioactive waste products on fertile agricultural land stands in conflict with these commitments. However, a general ban is a far-reaching measure the plan does not express, which is why the uncertainty is great.

• poison-free environmentdecisive»Giftfri miljö med ren luft och rent vatten i hela Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“Poison-free environment with clean air and clean water throughout Sweden.”
• protection of natural values»Värn av biologisk mångfald och Sveriges värdefulla natur och vattenmiljöer.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of biological diversity and Sweden's valuable nature and water environments.”
• protection of agricultural land»Livskraftig svensk livsmedelsproduktion som stärker landets självförsörjningsförmåga.« (party programme ↗)“Viable Swedish food production that strengthens the country's self-sufficiency capacity.”
• sustainable natural resource 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 describes uranium extraction as environmentally destructive with dangerous waste without sustainable solution. It also requires that the precautionary principle be applied to greater extent and that legislation against spread of pollution is sharpened. A national ban against mining in oil shale, where most uranium deposits are found, follows from these commitments even though oil shale is not specifically mentioned.

• förbjuden uranbrytningdecisive»inga nya tillstånd för torvbrytning ska ges och uranbrytning ska vara« (party programme ↗)“no new permits for peat mining should be given and uranium mining shall be”
• försiktighetsprincipen»försiktighetsprincipen tillämpas i högre utsträckning« (party programme ↗)“the precautionary principle be applied to greater extent”
• uranbrytning skapar farligt avfall»miljöförstörande brytning av uran, som är en ändlig resurs som skapar farligt avfall utan« (party programme ↗)“environmentally destructive mining of uranium, which is a finite resource that creates dangerous waste without”
• skärpt föroreningslagstiftning»Lagstiftningen mot spridning av föroreningar i miljön måste skärpas.« (party programme ↗)“Legislation against spread of pollution in the environment must be sharpened.”

The plan states that Sweden would rather itself extract the minerals and metals the green transition requires than import them from countries with greater carbon footprint. A general national ban on mining in alum shale would shut out several innovation-critical metals, and the plan's environmental protection is based on assessment and that it should be unprofitable to act in an environmentally destructive way rather than on general mining bans. The risks to a poison-free environment and agricultural land work against, which is why certainty is low.

• domestic mineral extractiondecisive»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 ↗)“It is better that Sweden takes responsibility and extracts more minerals and metals instead of continuing to import them from countries with greater carbon footprint and worse working conditions.”
• economic incentives over bans»Det ska alltid vara lönsamt att vara miljövårdande och olönsamt att agera miljöförstörande.« (party programme ↗)“It shall always be profitable to be environmentally responsible and unprofitable to act in an environmentally destructive way.”
• poison-free environment as right»Tillgång till rent vatten, ren luft och giftfri miljö är en fundamental rätt för alla människor« (party programme ↗)“Access to clean water, clean air and a poison-free environment is a fundamental right for all people”
• protection of agricultural land»Åkermarken är en begränsad tillgång som måste skyddas bättre.« (party programme ↗)“Agricultural land is a limited resource that must be protected better.”

The plan meets environmental risks in extraction with clear environmental and safety requirements and state neutrality between energy types that meet these requirements, not with general mining bans. It also wants to expand nuclear power and take advantage of mineral resources. The counter-proposal's demand for a national ban on mining in alum shale thus goes against the plan, although the plan's protection of arable farmland pulls in the opposite direction.

• clear environmental and safety requirementsdecisive»För alla energislag ska finnas tydliga miljö- och säkerhetskrav.« (party programme ↗)“For all energy types there shall be clear environmental and safety requirements.”
• technology neutrality between energy types»vara neutral mellan energislag som uppfyller miljö- och säkerhetskraven.« (party programme ↗)“be neutral between energy types that meet environmental and safety requirements.”
• expanded nuclear power»I stället vill vi möjliggöra fler nya reaktorer på fler ställen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Instead we want to enable more new reactors in more places”
• protection of farmland»Bevarandet av bördig jordbruksmark är viktig för matförsörjningen av den växande« (party programme ↗)“Preservation of arable farmland is important for the food supply of the growing”

The party programme requires extra caution when there is suspicion of threat or irreversible damage to the environment and explicitly names legislation with prohibitions as a strategic instrument. Large-scale open-pit mining of alum shale on agricultural land, with risk of leakage of heavy metals and radioactive substances to groundwater, is such a situation. The plan also values agricultural land for food production. That the Christian Democrats at the same time want to use natural resources makes the conclusion uncertain.

• caution at irreversible damagedecisive»Med detta menas att om misstanke finns om hot eller oåterkallelig skada på miljön, måste extra försiktighet tillämpas.« (party programme ↗)“This means that if suspicion exists of threat or irreversible damage to the environment, extra caution must be applied.”
• agricultural land shall be protected»det långsiktigt nödvändigt att åkermarken i Sverige och övriga Europa kan nyttjas för livsmedelsproduk- tion« (party programme ↗)“it is long-term necessary for agricultural land in Sweden and the rest of Europe to be used for food production”
• prohibition as environmental instrument»Lagstiftning med förbud och gränsvärden, en ekologiskt färgad skattepolitik, miljöledningssystem och miljövänlig upphandling är exempel på strategiska instrument som ska användas.« (party programme ↗)“Legislation with prohibitions and limits, an ecologically coloured tax policy, environmental management systems and environmentally sound procurement are examples of strategic instruments that shall be used.”
• clean water as a threatened resource»tillgång till betes- och jordbruksmark, till rent vatten och ren luft samt fiskemöjligheter som är hotad.« (party programme ↗)“access to grazing and agricultural land, to clean water and clean air and fishing opportunities which is threatened.”

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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 states that Sweden's rich mineral resources should be able to be extracted responsibly and sustainably in the long term and that environmental considerations should be combined with technological development and growth rather than general bans. A national ban on mining in alum shale would close most of the country's deposits of innovation-critical metals. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.

• responsible mineral extractiondecisive»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska kunna utvinnas ansvarsfullt och långsiktigt hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our rich mineral resources should be able to be extracted responsibly and sustainably in the long term.”
• technology before bans(2022 manifesto)
• natural resources as source of prosperity»Sveriges välstånd har i hög grad byggt på våra rika naturtillgångar« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's prosperity has been built to a large extent on our rich natural resources”
• faster environmental review»Minska antalet regler för jordbruket och korta handläggningstider för miljötillstånd« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce the number of regulations for agriculture and shorten processing times for environmental permits”

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The plan opposes mines not being allowed to start and demands that it become easier and faster to open mines and that mineral values in the ground be utilized. A national ban on mining alum shale is such a general obstacle that the plan wants to avoid, and the assessment should instead take place in the permit process. The precautionary principle in the party programme remains as a balance but does not justify a total ban.

• enklare gruvdriftdecisive»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.”
• ta tillvara mineralvärden»Värdet på mineraler i marken, på skogar och potentialen för rekreation och turism är enorm på landsbygden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The value of minerals in the ground, in forests and the potential for recreation and tourism is enormous in the countryside.”
• effektiva tillståndsprocesser»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Streamline and increase predictability in permit processes for mining, power grid expansion and industry”
• försiktighetsprincipen»Försiktighetsprincipen är således central inom Sverigedemokraternas miljöpolitik« (party programme ↗)“The precautionary principle is thus central to Sweden Democrats' environmental policy”