What is of national interest in Sweden?
”Geographical areas that are of national significance for a variety of societal interests can be identified as areas of national interest. These may be significant for different reasons – it is a matter of both conservation and exploitation interests. They are land and water areas that have various needs of protection, e.g. because they are sensitive from an ecological point of view, contain valuable substances/materials or are particularly suitable for industrial plants. Within these identified areas, no measures may be taken that may be prejudicial to the specified values or the intended exploitation of the land.”
”The purpose of the provisions is to report the interests that are of particular significance and that should therefore be given precedence over others when deciding on issues of land use. The provisions thus provide support for decisions when different interests conflict.” I.e when national interests for outdoor life, reindeer husbandry, culture and minerals overlap each other.
”The county administrative boards are the recipients of decisions on national interests. These decisions form a basis that county administrative boards and municipalities must take into account in their long-term planning. National interests must also be included in the municipal comprehensive plan.”
Has Talga made any public reporting of impurities that may impact on mineral extraction and processing under, JORC Code?
Do not forget that Talga only has a test mining, three-year environmental, permit!
A current example of what can happen in the mining industry's permit processes in Sweden:
Swedish supreme court rejects application by Cementa to renew mining permit for Slite cement plant
https://www.globalcement.com/news/item/12665-swedish-supreme-court-rejects-application-by-cementa-to-renew-mining-permit-for-slite-cement-plant
Sweden faces "very serious" economic impacts as environmental ruling threatens cement plant
"The closure of Sweden's biggest cement factory on environmental grounds could cause up to 400,000 job losses and wipe out the country's GDP growth, according to an alliance of construction bodies.”
https://www.dezeen.com/2021/07/15/carbon-sweden-economic-impacts-environmental-ruling-cement-plant/
Storm over Slite
https://www.globalcement.com/news/item/12969-storm-over-slite
Cementa preparing to ration supplies in December 2021
https://www.globalcement.com/news/item/13183-cementa-preparing-to-ration-supplies-in-december-2021
What can the Swedish government do if the government's temporary permit extension of Cement's activities is appealed, which it will do? Nothing more than wait for the judicial system's decisive verdict!
Recently, several environmental permit processes have received a great deal of attention. On Gotland it is a question of the production or absence of cement production and in Kiruna it is about expanded LKAB mining operations. Common to both of these cases is that government decisions that are mainly based on local environmental interests risk having major economic consequences for Sweden.Both the present Cementa, LKAB Kiruna and hydropower conflicts are based on one and the same problem. Namely that the Swedish Environmental Code does not take into account i.e. climate aspects but unilaterally focuses on local environmental challenges. With today's environmental code as a guiding light, Swedish authorities will constantly make decisions that unilaterally promote local environmental benefits at the expense of increased global climate emissions. The solution is, of course, to include the climate aspect in the Environmental Code, which would make it possible to make reasonable trade-offs with other societal interests, such as biodiversity. This is exactly what is now being proposed by the Climate Law Inquiry in an interim report. In the face of the growing climate crisis, such a change is urgent!
Why are Sami villiges concerned, Talma, **na and Saarivuoma strongly against Talga's mining operations plans?It is, as I understand it, because a significant part of their winter pasture is cut off.
Apart from the environmental concerns for Torne River in one end of the property and Vittangi River in the other end is the most important issue for the concerned Sami villages that a significant part of their winter pasture is cut off.
"A few football fields of pasture cut off "/ Labrecque52The Nunasvaara deposit includes the deposits Nunasvaara south, Nunasvaara north, Niska north and Niska south with an area of about 750 ha (7500000 m²). 1 Soccer Fields area is 7140 m².
Note that Talga holds, to-day, no Exploitation Concession Permits in the Vittangi area.
Exploitation concession means that the concession holder receives a right vis-à-vis the landowner or the person who otherwise has rights to the land.
”When a deposit has been located, several extensive application procedures will be required in order to start a mine. The most important are:”
”Exploitation concession under the Minerals Act – decided by the Chief Mining Inspector”
”The applicant must demonstrate a deposit whose extraction is likely to be economically feasible. Extraction must not be inappropriate in relation to other public interests, such as nature protection areas, transport arteries or reindeer husbandry.
The application includes an environmental impact assessment. It is scrutinised by the relevant county administrative board and municipality. If the Chief Mining Inspector and the county administrative board disagree on the use of the land, the government will decide the matter.”
”Permit subject to conditions under the Environmental Code – decided by the land and environment court”
”Mines must meet the same environmental requirements as other industrial operations. The same provisions of the Environmental Code apply to mines as to other operations impacting the environment. This application process also involves an environmental impact assessment.
The land and environment court sets the conditions for the operations as regards noise, dust, siting of spoil heaps, etc. Operations are usually regulated by the county administrative board, but in some cases by the municipal environment and public health committee.”
”Land allocation gives access to land – decided in a separate procedure by the Chief Mining Inspector”
”Land allocation links the land needed for extraction to the exploitation concession. The decision is based on agreements between the permit holder and the landowner. Land can be allocated against the wishes of the landowner or right holder, but this is uncommon. The landowner is always the party who decides whether the land will have to be purchased, or whether compensation will merely be paid for the damage and intrusion resulting from the land use. The Compulsory Purchase of Land Act governs the way that compensation is determined. If necessary, two representatives from the local area participate in the land allocation procedure.”
Will Talga AB get exploitation concession permits for the graphite coal deposits in Vittangi?
Will Talga AB be granted exploitation concession permits for the company's graphite prospects in the Vittangi area for exploitation of the high carbon Vittangi graphite, whose carbon content can be compared with lignite coal that contain 25–35% carbon?
Even if the approving authorities and/or the government were to grant Talga AB explotation concession permits, I believe that the permit cases will be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court for final decision. Anyway, I assume a lengthy permit process.
Legislative amendments
Prohibition on exploration and new exploitation of coal, oil and fossil gas / Förbud mot prospektering och nyexploatering av kol, olja och fossilgas
Ds 2021:20
Ikraftträdande / Entry into force : Lagändringarna ska träda i kraft den 1 juli 2022.
Övergångsbestämmelser / Transitional provisions: Se sidan 47 (See page 47)
https://data.riksdagen.se/fil/895DD5E8-CCD1-432B-9AA9-3CD972815040
Below the swedish Supreme Administrative Courts judgment to annul the Government's decision to reject a number of appeals against the Chief Mining Inspector´s decision to grant Tasman Metals AB (formerly Tasmet AB) a processing concession for the area Norra Kärr K no. 1 in Jönköping municipality.
HÖGSTA FÖRVALTNINGSDOMSTOLENS DOM
(JUDGMENT OF THE SUPREME ADMINISTRATIVE COURT)
Mål nr 2047-14 meddelad i Stockholm den 22 februari 2016
(Case no. 2047-14 announced in Stockholm on 22 February 2016)
Utdrag:
”Högsta förvaltningsdomstolen upphäver regeringens beslut om tillstånd till bearbetningskoncession för Tasman Metals AB (tidigare Tasmet AB) om s.k. bearbetnings-koncession enligt minerallagen (1991:45) för Norra Kärr i Jönköpings kommun.”
(The Supreme Administrative Court annuls the Government's decision on a permit for a exploitation concession for Tasman Metals AB (formerly Tasmet AB) on the so-called processing concession according to the Minerals Act (1991: 45) for Norra Kärr in Jönköping municipality.)
https://docplayer.se/23989312-Hogsta-forvaltningsdomstolens-dom.html
https://www.domstol.se/globalassets/filer/domstol/hogstaforvaltningsdomstolen/avgoranden-2008-2018/2016/hfd-2016-ref.-21.pdf
https://arcticanthropology.org/2016/05/02/historical-decision-as-to-mining-in-sweden/
It can be said that an anti-colonial environmental struggle is taking place, among other things. in Norrbotten Sweden. In recent months, the struggle for the right to land, forest and water has continued with a blocked in Muonio Sami village Finland and in Gállok / Kallak Sweden, a protest camp has sharpened tactics against the remaining threat of a new mine. At the same time as Kaunis Iron's continued mining in Kaunisvaara / Pajala can be stopped in courtIssues that have been discussed have included reindeer husbandry difficulties for continued existence, the issue of encroachment on mining projects and wind power plants on nature and reindeer husbandry and the struggle for land, the environment and the climate. Greenpeace has also had a tent camp campaign.One could probably say that there is now an anti-mining atmosphere among the public, not only in Norrbotten but in the whole of Sweden.
Diarium page 56; 2020-04-08. Diarium no: 000439/2020
Excerpt:
”Withdrawal of the entire exploration permits Airivaara no 100 and Vittangi no 3 Kiruna municipality and Lautakoski no 2 Pajala municipality”
https://www.sgu.se/bergsstaten/om-bergsstaten/aktuellt-diarium/
(20min delay)