Rotvoll controversy

The Rotvoll controversy refers to a political controversy in Norway in 1991 concerning the construction of a research and development (R&D) facility for Statoil at Rotvoll outside Trondheim.

The background for the controversy was that Statoil wanted to establish a new research and development centre in Trondheim, and had acquired land at the recreational area Rotvoll to the east of Trondheim. This area was an agriculture boundary right outside Trondheim, and was connected to Leangenbukta (English: Leangen Bay), an important bird life area. There were some old farms at Rotvoll as well, considered to be worth protecting.

There was a lot of secrecy around the formal approval of the construction at Rotvoll, and the approval process did not, like the law required, undertake a study of the consequences for the environment. Both the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management, the County Governor and city antiquarian opposed the construction. Nonetheless, the city council gave Statoil permission to proceed.

The controversy became national on 30 June when the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation made a large story on the national news, followed up by a number of national newspapers. The strategy had been chosen to remind Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland of the Alta controversy that had been a large political burden on the government in which she was Minister of the Environment in the early 1980s. The main content of the news was the tent camp that had been established at Rotvoll, to prohibit the construction. The tent camp consisted among others of members of Natur og Ungdom and the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature. In the first week of the tent camp there was sunshine, but since then it was continuously rainy. Each weekend there was a family day at Rotvoll, including appearances of singer Hans Rotmo. Statoil refused to accept any of the alternative locations provided by the environmentalists, despite meetings between the CEO Harald Norvik and environmentalists. Statoil also had multiple full-page advertisements in the Trondheim newspapers Arbeider-Avisa and Adresseavisen.

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