Politico reports about the threat of the Turów mine expansion
The threatened loss of drinking water for tens of thousands of people in the Czech Republic’s Liberec region has earned the notice of Politico, a Brussels-based news site.
The state-owned energy company PGE intends to open a new lignite mine accompanied by a 1600 - 2400 MW new power plant near the villages of Gubin and Brody in western Poland. If the plan is realized, approximately 10 villages would have to be destroyed, the local environment of the region would be irreversibly damaged and the region would be locked in dependency on centralised and lignite generated electricity for decades.
The vast majority of people in the region voted against the plan in two referendums. Local mayors also oppose the plan. However, the high-ranking decision makers have not taken these opinions into consideration and the project continues to be pushed through with strong political support from the regional and national governments.
- For over two years we have been providing extensive legal and campaign support to the local municipalities, as well as to the local inhabitants, in order to help them to stop the plan and defend their livelihood.
- We organized the public participation of a number municipalities, NGOs, and concerned individuals and provided them with legal support. Together we have challenged the decision of the Polish Government on the National Spatial Conception policy that would pave the way for the mine to be opened.
- In cooperation with the Gubin municipality and the new mayor we managed to cancel the process of incorporating the mine into the local spatial plan and to defend this decision in front of the administrative court after it was challenged.
- In cooperation with the German anti-coal initiatives we contributed to an extensive Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment of the plan.
