The Public Ministry (MP) considers that the Declaration of Environmental Impact (DIA) of the Barroso lithium mine “suffers from violation of the law” and “should be annulled”, according to a document published this Thursday by Câmara de Boticas.
The MP was notified of the comments following a lawsuit filed by the parish council of Covas do Barroso in Boticas to annul the DIA of the Barroso mine, sending a request to the Administrative Fiscal Court (TAF) of Mirandela, where the process takes place. .
In the document, which the Lusa agency reviewed, the deputy concludes “that the DIA violates the law and should be cancelled.”
Chamber Boticas President Fernando Queiroga reacted with satisfaction and said the MP’s findings “give even more strength to the fight against lithium exploration” and “demonstrate that the public’s arguments against the mine are completely legitimate.”
“Point by point, it refutes the opinion of the Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency (APA),” the mayor emphasized, noting that the deputy pointed out “the illegality of the mine project and formulated a clear position in this process, supported by thousands of documents.”
The APA made lithium exploration environmentally viable at the Barroso mine in the Vila Real region by issuing a favorable DIA in May, but which included a wide range of conditions.
The mine that Savannah wants to explore has an expected life of 17 years and a planned concession area of 593 hectares.
The aspect highlighted by the deputy is the risk that the expansion of mining activities poses to the Barroso World Agricultural Heritage System (SIPAM), leading to its degradation and therefore potentially leading to its declassification, which violates the international obligations that the Portuguese State has agreed with the Food and Agriculture Organization United Nations Agricultural Organization (FAO) to protect, support and improve the quality of life in the region.
“By predicting and accepting the hypothesis of the collapse of SIPAM, the administrative act embodied in the DIA is clearly mistaken in this aspect of the violation of the international obligations of the state, in assessing the facts and the law, verifying the violation of the law, which implies annulment,” can be read in the deputy’s conclusion.
It also states that the DIA violates existing legislation that does not allow the discovery and development of mineral resources in the territory of SIPAM, as well as the Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) of the European Union and the PAC Strategic Plan 2023-2027 (PEPAC) for Portugal, which is contrary community funding goals under the SIPAM program and investments in financial support from the Barroso wastelands.
The Barroso mine project was presented as an expansion, but the MP understands that it is “a set of new sub-projects that have not been analyzed by the DIA and whose impact, intensity and complexity go far beyond the scope of the expansion.”
The Ministry understands that the Environmental Impact Assessment (AIA) of the expansion represents a benchmark situation for existing mining activities based on a previous contract (2016) which was not subject to environmental assessment, therefore the recent Environmental Impact Assessment should reflect the activities made possible . with the only previous DIA (2005), which we now intend to conduct.
It is also noted that the DIA does not correctly assess the management of mining waste, does not identify the risk of vulnerability to accidents and disasters of the six planned dams, as well as pollution of the aquatic environment (Cowas River and groundwater).
And, according to the deputy, it does not take into account the real impact of this project in conjunction with the effect of the Romano mine planned in Montalegre, due to the proximity and size of the two projects.
Regarding the Iberian wolf, the deputy notes that the planned minimization measures are “not effective enough.”
Another aspect mentioned in the document is that the promoter acknowledges that the destination of the ore may be China, which will not solve the problem of external dependence on lithium supplies from the European Union.
“There are many inconsistencies and many violations in this process,” concluded Fernando Queiroga, arguing that the project should be canceled.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.