Background Nitrogen mood
From testing the little minister to building block storm
In the house of democracy, everything is supposed to be transparent, except when it comes to state secrets. Yet, last week, the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LVVN) allowed itself to be briefed once again in the deepest secrecy, high up in the building, by a senior official from the Ministry of LVVN regarding the state of affairs concerning nitrogen, critical deposition values, the calculated lower limit, and Aerius.
One might assume it was with the minister's approval, but when it leaked, the Chamber Clerk's Office and the department seemed to have been caught a bit.
Anthology of nitrogen fundamentalism
Probably agreed, yet it is almost certain that Van Essen did not read the presentation beforehand, otherwise he would have realized that there with a story like that (click on the link) nothing will come of the agreement in the coalition agreement to untangle the Gordian knot of nitrogen. The House of Representatives was treated to an anthology of nitrogen fundamentalism from recent years and little hope for the future.
If the coalition truly wants to untangle the knot, it can almost only be done not only by looking at things differently, but also by replacing those who caused the knot. Otherwise, you end up with post-Iron Curtain conditions: communism had fallen, but the system remained in people's minds and in society for at least another twenty years.
ABD generalists
The selection of policymakers should also change in practice. Instead of solely General Civil Service generalists with some legal knowledge, it is advisable to once again include substantive experts in the selection process.
On a more direct level, the presentation can also be seen as a game of testing the minister: will Jaimi take issue if the coalition agreements are already being tugged at a little here and there? Newly appointed cabinet members are often tested by their civil servants in this way: will he let it go or not?
Anticipatory reflection
The reflection Regarding the arithmetic lower bound that was sent to the House of Representatives last week, this also fits into this category of slowly taking steps backward. Last year, a majority in the House of Representatives voted for a higher arithmetic lower bound of no less than 1 mol. Model and climate expert Arthur Petersen wrote a clear and robust report on the subject, but gradually 'the prevailing nitrogen narrative' (the existing bureaucratic-administrative nitrogen confederation) took hold of him.
In the reflection, this was done with the help of Utrecht environmental lawyer Chris Backes. In the Netherlands, he conforms to the narrative prevailing here up to now, but in Germany, he goes along with the more flexible situation there. The result is that Petersen's story in the reflection has become a watered-down version of the earlier narrative that anticipates potential objections more effectively.
Nitrogen Problem 2.0
As far as public consultations are concerned, the House has been primarily preoccupied with target steering in recent days – supported in recent years partly by the BBB and also enthusiastically embraced by LTO Nederland (Building Blocks Agreement) and other agricultural interest groups, without knowing what it will entail in practice. Or rather: without knowing what it will entail in practice, unless very drastic adjustments are made so that it does not become a nitrogen problem 2.0.
Not three decimal places again.
After an official information round and this week a conversation with subject matter experts Many MPs slowly began to open their eyes. The explanation by Gerard Ros from Wageningen, in particular, was sobering. "Nobody wants (yet another) situation with three decimal places," sighed CDA MP Jan Arie Korevaer. Goal-oriented steering is often presented as a panacea, but unless decisive action is taken, it will first become a concept with a thousand tripping hazards. According to Ros, it might also take another fifteen years before it is practical and truly secured. Johan Vollenbroek has already indicated that he is not fundamentally opposed to goal-oriented steering, but that may also be because he sees enough ammunition here for even more lawsuits.
New straitjacket or PlanetProof model
Given the current bureaucratic-legal mindset, the risk that target steering will once again degenerate into a new legal straitjacket lacking any flexibility for emission fluctuations dependent on weather, temperature, wind, or year is more than life-threatening. To get an idea of the challenges, as well as the necessary flexibility and hardship or softness clauses, it is advisable to take a look at how target steering works at the PlanetProof system in dairy farming.
This system, which has been in existence for years, also features a form of goal-oriented steering, but requires extensive adjustments each year as well, otherwise it would not be able to function.
Gelderland plans and fear of tricks
As the political game resumes, unrest has once again broken out in the province regarding area plans. The situation in Utrecht has been written about frequently before, but unrest has also arisen in Gelderland, both around Winterswijk and in the Gelderse Vallei. On a smaller scale than in Utrecht, the Provincial Executive here also intends to claim hundreds of hectares more land for nature, according to parties in the area largely without necessity or consultation. There does not seem to be much trust in the province either; rather, there is deep distrust, as evidenced by a letter of protest. The following is a quote: "The parties represented in the Area Team hereby expressly declare that they were not involved in the creation of Area Plan 1.0 presented to them and cannot bear any responsibility for it. Responses given to the Area Plan to date should therefore not be regarded as participation in its creation."
The latter, in particular, touches upon a parallel with what was described earlier: a deep and often experience-based distrust of political and administrative tricks that ensure progress but do not solve real problems.
Klaas van der Horst
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