
Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources Svandís Svavarsdóttir’s bill on the protection and exploitation of areas for energy harnessing, the so-called rammaáætlun (‘framework program’) was passed at parliament yesterday.

The bill was passed by a vote of 36-21. A rebuttal proposal was rejected, as well as all amendment proposals, ruv.is reports.
Coalition party MPs celebrated the outcome.
Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir declared the voting a turning point after which professional work methods will be guaranteed and random decisions on power plants are history.
Minister of Industries and Innovation Steingrímur J. Sigfússon stated that finally nature will be given more weight and some areas will forever be protected.
However, MPs of the opposition’s Independence and Progressive Parties claimed that the matter had been taken out of a professional process and instead been a source of struggle.
Click here to read more about debates concerning the framework program.
ESA
Thirty bands have now announced that they will perform at the Iceland Airwaves music festival, held in Reykjavík from October 30 to November 3 this year
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