The meeting of the Services Conference on the project variant document for the POB Phase 2 (second part of the POB) was held at the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Safety, relating to the reclamation of the former industrial areas, with particular reference to the central-south Pertusola area. The mayor Vincenzo Voce and the president of the Province, Fabio Manica, took part in the meeting.
Mayor Voce’s firm opposition: “A step backwards”
During the meeting, Mayor Voce declared: “Eni, with this variant proposal, takes a step backwards. The areas identified are smaller than those already defined previously. More than three years later, we find ourselves discussing a project that excludes portions of territory previously included. It is an incomprehensible choice: the city does not deserve to take a step back. The areas on which to intervene had already been established and today it intends to exclude precisely the most critical parts. Eni must proceed with soil mixing as planned, without resort to alternative solutions. We believe that the company wants to avoid the reclamation of the Pertusola soil to create a purpose-built landfill: a prospect that we cannot accept”.
The Province’s warning on the risk of new delays
The President of the Province, Fabio Manica, is of the same opinion: “our fear is that of a further and serious waste of time. Postponing the start of soil mixing would mean compromising the work carried out in these two years, during which times, operating methods and administrative procedures were precisely defined. Returning today to question what has already been shared risks generating uncertainty, bureaucratic slowdowns and an inevitable postponement of the entire timetable”.
The unanimous position of the entities and the deadline for Eni
Basically, the two bodies reiterated that the territory needs certainties and concrete actions, not continuous revisions that risk paralyzing the path started. Every postponement causes environmental and social damage. For this reason, according to the bodies, it is essential that the project continues in the wake of what has already been established, in compliance with the commitments undertaken and the decisions shared at the Services Conference.
The Region also confirmed the line expressed by the Municipality and Province. At the end of the meeting, having acknowledged the position of the entities, Eni will present a proposal within 45 days that includes all the areas previously envisaged.