In the Seimas, there is a proposal to ban the burning of coal and peat only in resorts and big cities

With this initiative, those in power withdraw from the proposal to completely ban the burning of solid fossil fuels in Lithuania in a couple of years.

Such a softened proposal regarding fossil fuels was registered by the Minister of the Environment, liberal Simonas Gentvilas, and conservative Antanas Čepononis.

This is to avoid increasing the costs that poor or lower-income residents living in smaller cities, towns or villages may incur in adjusting to changes in fuel use.

If the Seimas approves this proposal, it would not be possible to burn solid fossil fuels only in Druskininkai, Neringa, Palanga, Birštona and Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Alytus, where more than 50 thousand people live now. population.

According to the reasons for the change given by the parliamentarians, the cities of the country with more than 50 thousand inhabitants, is characterized by a significantly higher population density than other Lithuanian cities, towns and villages.

According to the 2022 data of the State Data Agency, the population density of the city of Kaunas was 1,898 inhabitants per square kilometer, Panevėžys – 1,752, Klaipėda – 1,554, Vilnius – 1,404, Alytus – 1,295, and Šiauliai – 1,256. The seventh most densely populated municipality was Visaginas with only 335 inhabitants per square kilometer. in a kilometer.

The version of amendments to the Environmental Air Protection Law currently being considered by the Seimas provides that after a couple of years burning of solid fossil fuel will be prohibited throughout Lithuania, except for cases where it is burned as technological fuel in industrial furnaces.