Local committees celebrate the decision as “A historic result”. Marcato: “The ruling is a clear signal: the protection of public health is a priority and the future of Marghera is the transition to sustainability”
The Regional Commission for Environmental Impact Assessments has issued a negative opinion on the project presented by ENI Rewind for the construction of a sludge treatment plant in Porto Marghera. Following this decision, the Veneto Region has announced that the ongoing authorization process has now stopped, as the environmental compatibility ruling is, in fact, a necessary prerequisite for the continuation of the procedure.
In essence, the Commission – which is an independent and technical body – ruled that the guarantees that the environmental and health impact of the initiative proposed by Eni are not relevant have not all been fully clarified, in particular regarding the serious issues previously highlighted by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and the health authorities. The delicate context of Porto Marghera, which over time has already been burdened with significant environmental pressures, was taken into consideration, in line with the principle of so-called “environmental justice”. Among the main aspects that were considered inadequately clarified was the combustion of PFAS at temperatures considered insufficient for fully breaking down the polluting molecules.
ENI Rewind commented on the news with a short note, acknowledging the decision but noting that “these plants are included in the waste plan of the Veneto Region” and that the company “believes it has presented all the technical documentation relating to any impacts on the environment, safety and health”. ENI announced that it “will begin rethinking possibilities regarding the revitalization of the industrial area of Porto Marghera, of which this plant was a significant part”.
Local Groups Celebrate
The ruling is a victory for local committees, which gathered in Venice today to celebrate the announcement. “This is a historic result”, commented Sebastiano Bergamaschi, a representative of Pandora and the No Incinerators Coordination. “A large multinational company has been held in check by three years of work, including mobilizations, flash mobs, study of documents and awareness-building campaigns. We have also seen the U-turn of the Municipality of Venice, which is instrumental, but the real credit goes to the citizens who called attention to the enormous risk of PFAS and the need to apply the principle of precaution. The opinion of the Environmental Assessment Commission testifies to the correctness of these concerns. The history of Porto Marghera is that of a territory that has suffered decades of pollution. The real fight is to reverse this dynamic.”
“Health is a priority”
The statement by regional Councilor for the Environment, Gianpaolo Bottacin, highlighted “the attention that the Region has for every aspect connected to environmental issues, and those related to the safety and health of the citizens”. The Councilor for Economic Development, Roberto Marcato, added that the decision “represents a clear signal: the protection of public health is a priority, especially in territories already burdened by decades of pollution. In an area like Marghera, which has paid a very high price along these lines, we can no longer establish projects that do not offer absolute guarantees. The future of Marghera is a sustainable industrial transition: the ZLS Porto di Venezia Rodigino helps us in this, making it possible for the first installations of Italian and foreign companies to truly represent a rebirth for the area”.
The M5S group leader in the regional council, Erika Baldin, pointed out that “the negative opinion, and therefore the rejection of the project by the conference, justify the battle fought by the populations involved, the environmental committees and the local municipal councils, which have always been against the project”. Monica Sambo and Adriano Gobbin, respectively of the Democratic Party of Venice and Marghera, called it “a fair decision, which rewards a battle that we have strongly supported. It is a victory for the citizens and for those who have long fought for a sustainable future for our area”. Great satisfaction was also expressed by Gianfranco Bettin, councilor of the Lista Verde Progressista: “Obviously, we celebrated. It is the first great victory for the environmental cause since the closure in 2014 of the waste incineration plant that the Region promoted in the 1990s, which had poisoned the city for over twenty years. Unfortunately – adds Bettin – a few years later the municipal and regional councils opened another one with Veritas, and now they intend to expand it. But this decision by the Via Committee shows that a different path must be taken.”
It should be noted that the Environmental Impact Assessment Commission is composed of the top technical managers responsible for the regional structures responsible for matters of environment, health, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, mobility, territorial planning, and landscape, as well as by ARPAV, and the directors of the national bodies with competency on the various aspects involved (the District Basin Authority, Superintendency, and the Fire Department) and regional bodies (Veneto Strade, Veneto Sviluppo, Veneto Innovazione, Veneto Agricoltura, Veneto Acque).
Source: Venezia Today
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