Lonato Waste Incinerator Halt: Court Rejection and Regional Mobilization
Satisfaction in Lonato following the Tar’s rejection of the request for a suspension of the safeguard resolutions issued by Eurosea, the Bologna-based company that submitted the project for the construction of a waste incinerator in Campagna. This first rejection by the administrative judges – as recalled yesterday – relieved many citizens, as the project is now effectively halted after this new stop.
Meanwhile, former Public Works Councilor Oscar Papa, proposes a referendum on the waste-to-energy plant to be held before the new administration takes office (the elections are on April 16). The Tar did not accept the request for a suspension of the two resolutions approved on November 8, thanks to a makeshift majority united only by a desire for cross-party revenge rather than by a political project.
Position of the institutions and possible tools for participation
Opposing Eurosea’s request, Papa continues, was the Junta during the period awaiting the appointment of the commissioner. Now, there will be time to objectively understand the will of the residents of Lonato regarding the proposed facilities, and for this, the law will allow the use of a clear instrument instead of the ambiguous street demonstrations involving the usual troublemakers: this instrument is called a referendum.
“Had the sentence been in favor of Eurosea, it would have allowed the company to quickly open the construction site without the necessary technical debate on controls and the materials to be burned, and without the validation of the framework agreement and its associated benefits.”
Oscar Papa also reminds us that the Tar did not support the claim that Eurosea’s appeal appears illegitimate (note that this is not a final or merit ruling) and that, consequently, “the safeguard measures adopted by the council are legitimate; the Tar merely denied that these measures cause irreparable damages to the company”.
Political impact and ongoing mobilizations
The issue of the waste incinerator is certainly at the center of the electoral campaign for the renewal of the Comune di Lonato. Although not officially launched yet, it is already a hot topic, with parties and civic groups watching from a distance.
Again, it appears that, alongside center-left and Pole alliances, the hypothesis of a list grouping some members of the outgoing Administration seems to be gaining ground (as anticipated in yesterday’s edition), but the timing and methods are still to be defined.
Regarding electoral rumors, we have to rely on unofficial sources and street talk. What’s certain is the gathering on Tuesday, February 1, early in the morning, at the Desenzano train station, of environmentalists, activists from the Comitato di Tutela Ambientale e Salute Pubblica di Lonato, along with their “friends” from Calcinato, Bedizzole, Castiglione, and Montichiari.
Their goal is to reach Milan and the headquarters of the Consiglio regionale, the Pirelli skyscraper, for a sit-in against “the rush of landfills and incinerators, because Lombardia Region should not become a dump.”
The invitation is of course open to all associations and local committees working to defend the territory across Lombardy. The meeting point (organized by a wide coalition including Wwf, Legambiente, Medicina Democratica, Verdi Ambiente Società Lombardia, and Cittadini per il Riciclaggio di Broscia) is at 10:30 a.m. inside the Lombardy Regional Council chambers.
The supporters of the sit-in will urge regional councilors and political forces to commit to rejecting “the emergency of super-licenses for opening yet more waste disposal plants, advanced by the elitist club of ecobusinesses.”
Several hot issues are highlighted: the waste-to-energy project in Lonato and the expansion of the Cavenago landfill (Bergamo), proposed for 1.5 million cubic meters, both outside any prior plans.
Additionally, new waste flows from Milan to the pre-treatment center in Montello (Bergamo), following the closure of two landfills north of Milan; the biomass incinerator in Cortenova (Bergamo); and the Rovato thermogenerator.
“Only policies that favor reducing waste at the source, improving separate collection, and recycling materials,” the ecologists assert, “can prevent Lombardia from becoming a mere dumping ground.”
