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צילום: shutterstock
Green groups get NPC reps
Knesset's Economics Committee grants environmental groups' motion to expand National Petroleum Council from nine members to 15
Israel's environmental groups noted a small victory in their fight to curb the harmful impact on oil drilling on the environment as the Knesset's Economics Committee granted their motion to expand the National Petroleum Council.
The NPC, which currently has nine members, will increase its ranks to 15, and at least two of the new members will be chosen by the Environmental Protection Ministry.
"This is the lesser evil," Attorney Tal Sacks, of the ministry's legal office said.
In 2010m, the government agreed to increase the number of NPC members to 13, and include officials from the Treasury and the Energy and Water Ministry.
Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau then opposed adding independent environmentalists to the council, saying his ministry could duly represent them.
The Society for Protection of Nature in Israel however, demanded true representation, given what it called "the National Petroleum Council affect on core environmental issues."
The motion, which was followed by a lengthy negotiation, was eventually granted, and the extended council was extended once more, this time to include a delegate from the Society for Protection of Nature, as well as one representing the various green groups in Israel.
The final push in favor of the motion eventually came from the Treasury, as Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz sided with fellow Likud member Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, over Yisrael Beiteinu MK Landau.
"This is the only way to truly balance out the National Petroleum Council's work and interests," a Society for Protection of Nature source said.
