Brandenburg’s new energy minister sticks with pro-coal stance

The designated new economy and energy minister of the German federal state of Brandenburg, Jörg Steinbach, is likely to keep the pro-coal stance of his predecessor, Albrecht Gerber, who announced his resignation on 21 August citing private reasons, Igor Göldner writes in the Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung. The new minister of the state that plays an important role for Germany’s coal exit, said he considered debates about an end date for coal-fired power production “short sighted.” Steinbach, who until recently headed the University of Cottbus and is not a member of any political party, said that renaturation measures in former coal mining regions had to be financed somehow, and warned against reducing the coal debate to monetary or technical questions. “There’s a human component here that no one should underestimate,” and people in the affected regions needed a clear economic perspective, he said.

Read the article in German here.

See the CLEW factsheet on Germany’s coal exit commission for more information.