Google apologises for logging and refuses to name officials

Google’s Finland country director Antti Järvinen apologised for the company’s logging in Muhos and Kajaani, but declined to identify the authorities he said had been aware of the plans, Yle reported.

Järvinen spoke to the media on Tuesday after Google had previously commented on the logging in statements. He said there had been a great deal to investigate and that he understood why people had been looking for him.

The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation accused Google of illegally clearing forest without an environmental impact assessment. The Permit and Supervision Agency urged the company to stop the logging last week.

Järvinen said Google had acted to the best of its understanding and had advanced the project in cooperation with authorities and experts. Asked which authorities knew about the plans, he said Google did not consider it useful to discuss the matter publicly and would not name them. He said the company accepted full responsibility for what had happened.

He also said the environmental impact assessment had been part of the project throughout and that decisions had been made according to the company’s best understanding of the law at the time. He denied that the logging resulted from a lack of expertise, inexperience, disregard or haste.

“I am very sorry that we are in this situation,” Järvinen said. “I want to apologise.”