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The Municipality of Batalha is considering taking a precautionary measure to cancel an opinion of the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), which says that it is not possible to conclude on the need to submit the project for the exploration and research of natural gas Aljubarrota to an Environmental Impact Study (EIA)
The municipality considers that the decision of the APA can be "an open door for an intervention without criteria and with consequences for the territories involved ", by what admits advance in the case case Environment does not revise the decision.
In a notice dated June 5, the APA considers that the elements that it contains on the draft Convention on the Exploration and Exploration of Hydrocarbons by Conventional Methods in the Concession Area of Batalha, refer to the "specific characteristics of the project". and the implementation site does not allow for an adequate assessment of the project's susceptibility to causing significant impacts on the environment. "The APA insists that" ignorance of the exact location of the hole prevents complete characterization of the project and site. "
In a statement, the municipality believes that the 39 opinion, although at this stage limited to the area of Alcobaça (Aljubarrota), may establish "a tacit approval of the search request" so that Australis Oil & Gas obstructs the investigation D & # 39; After what is described in the notice, the Australian company proposes to carry out, during the following year, a vertical pilot survey with posterior horizontal deviation, up to one year later. depth of about 3,200 meters., "in order to test occurrences of natural gas, in a certain part, in the Batalha concession area." The project aims to "evaluate the main features of this training and will be of temporary and exploratory nature, with a maximum duration of about 10 months of field work ". [1965] 9002] "For the municipality of Batalha, the concerns that we present in a public discussion on the project of exploration and exploitation of the hydrocarbons in the region must be considered and we will claim this right before the courts, if that justifies it, "admits the president of the chamber, Paulo Batista Santos, also demanding an" environmental monitoring very close to this project ".
The APA notes that "it was not possible to identify and evaluate specific impacts for the selected site" nor " risk analysis to assess the possible impacts resulting from an accidental situation "
In the same opinion, the APA states that during the public comment period, it received 81 private exhibitions, in addition to those of the House of Batalha, Aljubarrota Parish Assembly and environmental associations, and "almost all opinions are in favor of an evaluation procedure of. impact on the environment for the project under consideration, given its location, size and characteristics ".
The Administrative and Tax Court of Loulé (TAF) on Tuesday rejected the claims of the consortium ENI / GALP to start the oil Algozur province until the end of the year, after the Algarve oil platform Free (PALP) filed an injunction. On May 16, the APA authorized the consortium to conduct an oil exploration off Aljezur, without assessing environmental impact. "No significant negative impact has been identified," said at the time the chairman of the APA board of directors, Nuno Lacasta.
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