September news

The month started off with a bang on 1 September when we met the new Prefet in Vannes. The Lorient representatives from the DRIRE (regional department for industry, research and the environment), whom we had visited on the Friday before, also attended the meeting at the Préfet's request as they are in charge of assessing the file GDE submitted in preparation for the public enquiry. The Préfet listened attentively to NPCB's assessment of the project and why we don't want it. We came away from the meeting with the feeling that he was keen to assess all the issues at stake with an open mind and that he considers NPCB among the protagonists to be taken into account.

Our next appointment was in Rennes with Gérard Mével, the Vice President for the Environment at the Regional Council. He was accompanied by the council's Director for the Environment, and both paid close attention to what we had to say on the project and why it must not happen in Plouray or anywhere else.

Yet another appointment took us to Loudéac, where we met Marc Le Fur, a committed advocate of Central Brittany who also is the vice president of the Assemblée Nationale. He expressed deep concern and will monitor the issue in close collaboration with our local MP, Jacques Le Nay, whom we saw again later on in the month and briefed on the latest developments of the file.

It seemed for a moment that we were going to be joined in our fight against the mega landfill sight by another group, which was a cause for rejoicing. Unfortunately, our hopes were somewhat shaken on 6 September, when their spokesman was heard to declare on the local TV news : “... we are no opposed to the landfill site in principle so much as to its excessive dimensions. We know that there must be some landfill sites here and there, but here, it's the dimensions of it”. NPCB's position is quite clear: there must be no landfill site or industrial project on the upper reaches of the river and the land must be used for agricultural purposes.

On the home front, we had a lovely day on Sunday 13 September when we joined forces with the Breton Fly Fishers' association (Association Bretonne des Pêcheurs à la Mouche – ABPM) for an open day in Plouray with exhibitions, workshops, conferences at the salle polyvalente, demos on the lake and an endless supply of lovely pancakes produced by our valiant crêpière!!

Later on in the month, our campaign was boosted by the ruling against the GDE project issued by the Pays Centre Ouest Bretagne (COB) of which the Pays du Roi Morvan is a member and which caps 9 communities of communes lying to the north of us.

Looking further afield to London, the class action started by 30,000 victims of the dumping in 2006 of toxic waste in Abidjan by Trafigura (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/16/trafigura-oil-pollution-fortune-tragedy) came to an abrupt end when the company, which has always denied any responsibility in the affair, suddenly came up with an offer to pay them 30 million pounds to terminate the case. That's their price for human life, £1000 per head. Interestingly enough, the offer came on the day after the UN published its report on the affair, with fairly damming conclusions for the company (http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G09/152/77/PDF/G0915277.pdf?OpenElement).
Note in paragraph 5 of the Guardian article, the mention of the “head of the company”, Claude Dauphin, the very same person who owns GDE. Does he plan to be “creative” in Plouray too?
Greenpeace, which has filed an action against Trafigura for the same affair, has confirmed its intention to continue with the proceedings.

Forthcoming events:

NPCB is organising its next Fest-Noz at the Salle Communale of Guémené, on Sunday 10 October, from 20.00 onward. Don't miss it!!