{"id":13207,"date":"2019-07-08T19:20:19","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T17:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/?p=13207"},"modified":"2019-07-08T19:22:01","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T17:22:01","slug":"we-are-at-risk-of-a-polish-czech-conflict-over-the-expansion-of-the-turow-mine-what-is-more-important-water-or-lignite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/we-are-at-risk-of-a-polish-czech-conflict-over-the-expansion-of-the-turow-mine-what-is-more-important-water-or-lignite\/","title":{"rendered":"We are at risk of a Polish-Czech conflict over the expansion of the Tur\u00f3w Mine What is more important: water or lignite?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Citizens and\nenvironmental organizations have emphasized the negative impact of\nthe Tur\u00f3w Mine on the environment, including poor air quality, i.e.\nthe presence of toxic suspended particulate matter and drying of\ndrinking water intakes in the Czech Republic. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Hanna Schudy<\/strong>,\nan activist of EKO-UNIA says – We also\npoint out that in the age of climate disaster counting on the fact\nthat, producing electricity, we will burn lignite and emit CO2 from\nTur\u00f3w until the middle of the 21st century is irresponsible.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Czech\nauthorities have enough! <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a common\nfront established by the Starosts of the cities of Frydland and\nChrastava, the self-government of the Liberec Region, the Czech\nMinistry of the Environment and lawyers who demanded from the Lower\nSilesian Voivode to repeal the change in the spatial development plan\nof the Bogatynia Commune allowing the expansion of the Tur\u00f3w\nopencast mine. The Czech senator and starost, Michael Canov, points\nout that “(…) the Czech side is\nfighting for the Polish side to comply with the law on its own\nterritory<\/em>\u201d (Official press release of\nthe self-government of the Liberec Region, 1 July, 2019).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are words of\nopposition against expanding the opencast mining and depriving Czech\npeople of drinking water. The Czech Republic is valuing over PLN 10\nmillion in investment costs necessary to bring water from the Jizera\nMountains, which will be taken away by the opencast mining. According\nto the “polluter pays” principle, these costs should be\nborne by the Tur\u00f3w Mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drought also in\nBogatynia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until last week it\nseemed that only Czechs had problems with drinking water around\nTur\u00f3w. However, the depression cone and drought in Poland are the\nresult of many years of exploitation of the deposit in Turosz\u00f3w.\nThis is confirmed by the data of hydrogeologists. In the second half\nof June, drought and hot weather as well as increased water intake by\nthe commune residents, the mine and the Tur\u00f3w power plant caused the\ndrainage of two own intakes of Bogatynia drinking water. As a result,\nwater supply interruptions and a radical deterioration of its quality\noccurred. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water not for\ndrinking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to\ninformation from the session of the Bogatynia Commune Council, the\nnorms of drinking water contamination with iron were exceeded\nperiodically by 250% and with manganese by 100%. The information\nchaos that exposes the residents of the city to the use of water\nunfit for human consumption caused the amazement of councillors, as\nwell as ours. We are also surprised by the terrible condition of the\nwater supply infrastructure, regular failures and water leaks (70% of\ntransmission pipes are about 50 years old) in one of the richest\nPolish communes, namely the commune of Bogatynia. It was documented\nreliably in its materials and broadcasts from the commune council\nmeeting by the local but independent TV Bogatynia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pawe\u0142 Pomian,\nmember of the EKO-UNIA board, also of the Zieloni political party: “I\nam surprised that during 4,5-hour extraordinary session of the\ncommune council, we do not speak openly about problems with water in\nthe context of drought, to which the Tur\u00f3w open-cast mine\ncontributes not only to neighbours but also to Poland<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish environmental\norganizations repeat to the authorities of the communes and the\nprovinces as well as to PGE: it is time to get out of the mine to the\nsun. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Large\nEU funds in the Coal Platform are waiting to support a fair\ntransformation of regions that are leaving coal. The upcoming meeting\nis in Brussels on 13-14 July. Today is a place for politics for the\nMayor of Bogatynia\u201d <\/em>– says Rados\u0142aw\nGawlik, vice president of the Coalition “Development YES.\nOpen-pit mining NO\u201d, involved in the Movement for Energy Transition\nacross Divides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nContact:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hanna\nSchudy<\/strong>,\ntel. +48 733 616 509, hanaschudy@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pawe\u0142\nPomian<\/strong>, tel.\n+48 668 268 730, ppomian@eko.org.pl<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rados\u0142aw\nGawlik<\/strong>, tel. 605 037\n417, rgawlik@eko.org.pl<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appendix:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translation of the\nofficial press release of the self-government of the Liberec Region\n(1.07.19)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The local\nself-government of the Liberec Region and the Czech Ministry of the\nEnvironment demand the cancellation of the new spatial development\nplan of Bogatynia, which allows the extension of the Tur\u00f3w mine.\nApproving the plan was against the law.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

01\/July\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representatives of\nthe local self-government authorities of the Liberec Region, the\nCzech Ministry of the Environment and the Frank Bold organization as\nwell as Starosts of Fr\u00fddlant and Chrastava discussed further joint\nactions regarding the planned extension of the lignite opencast mine\nin Tur\u00f3w.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week we were\nsurprised by the information that Bogatynia approved the change of\nthe spatial development plan without taking into account comments\nfrom the authorities of the Liberec Region<\/em>\n– said Ji\u0159\u00ed L\u00f6ffelmann, representative for the environment,\nagriculture and regional development from the region’s\nself-government. The activities of the\nPolish city authorities are illegal. We have determined that the\nministry will use all available means to undermine the decision of\nthe councillors of Bogatynia <\/em>–\nemphasizes the hetman, Martin P\u016fta (equivalent of the Polish Marshal\nof the Provincial Parliament). We do not\neven exclude an international complaint<\/em>\n– he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are working\ntogether to ensure that the inhabitants of the Fr\u00fddlant region are\nnot deprived of access to drinking water. We consider the activities\nof the Polish General Directorate for Environmental Protection (GDO\u015a)\nas at least non-standard. GDO\u015a received from us a clear message\nabout interstate consultations that have not been completed yet.\nTherefore, last week, we asked GDO\u015a to revoke the approved change \nof the spatial development plan. We also asked for a meeting in July\nwith the Polish side<\/em> – explains the\nplans of the Ministry Ev\u017een Dole\u017eal, Director of the Department of\nEnvironmental Impact Assessment and Integrated Permits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s\nsad that the Czech side is fighting for the Polish side to comply\nwith the law on its own territory<\/em> –\nsaid the senator and starost of Chrastava, Michael Canov, who was\njoined by the starost of the city of Fr\u00fddlant, Dan Ramzer: We\nare deeply opposed to the project of extending the open-cast mine and\nwe will do everything to minimize its impact on the life of the\ninhabitants of the region. Our Water supply company is preparing to\nprovide them access to water. <\/em>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am also seeking\na meeting with the Polish ambassador in Prague, Ms. Barbara \u0106wioro.\nI would not like the extension of the opencast mine to translate into\na deterioration of the currently good Czech-Polish relations, which\nis why I will ask the ambassador to let the Polish side do everything\npossible to prevent such a situation – <\/em>said\nhetman P\u016fta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\nthe request of the authorities of the Liberec Region, the Czech\nMinistry of the Environment asked for an extension of the deadline\nfor submitting comments on the project to expand the Tur\u00f3w open-cast\nmine until July 14, 2019. According to the comments, the local\ngovernment will also demand a public hearing – in the Czech Republic\nand in the Czech language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrea Fulkov\u00e1 \/\nandrea.fulkova@kraj-lbc.cz<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source:\nhttps:\/\/www.kraj-lbc.cz\/kraj-a-ministerstvo-zadaji-zruseni-noveho-uzemniho-planu-mesta-bogatynia-ktery-povoluje-rozsireni-tezby-v-nbsp-dolu-turow-schvaleni-planu-bylo-nezakonne-n910436.htm<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Citizens and environmental organizations have emphasized the negative impact of the Tur\u00f3w Mine on the environment, including poor air quality, i.e. the presence of toxic suspended particulate matter and drying of drinking water intakes in the Czech Republic. Dr Hanna Schudy, an activist of EKO-UNIA says – We also point out that in the age …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[94,93],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13207"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13207"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13211,"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13207\/revisions\/13211"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eko-unia.org.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}