Groningen still in danger, says fmr. mining supervisor

Groningen residents are still in danger of earthquakes caused by gas extraction, even after the extraction limit for this year was reduced to 30 billion cubic meters last week. This is according to Jan de Jong, former CEO of the Sate Supervision of Mines, in an interview with NOS on Tuesday. According to De Jong, the newest reports presented last week do not give any new information. The report states that the the acceleration of the severity of the earthquakes will be lower than previously expected after the reduction, but the houses in the regions also appear to be in worse shape than previously thought. "So the risk, which is a combination of the ground accelerations, the quality of the houses and the numbe of people exposed to it, in my opinion, has not changed to previous findings. De Jong stands by the advise he gave in 2013 - reduce gas extraction in Groningen as quickly and as much as possible. He thinks that the yearly limit should be set at a maximum of 21 billion cubic meters. "In a letter in which Minister Kamp answers parliamentary questions, the minister said himself that for years 21 billion was enough with normal winters. This would be a good starting point for a cut in production now."