Follow the news of your cityComment on the articles of La Voce ApuanaFriday, August 19, 2022 - Updated at 7:35 pmIl Grig: "In the special protection area, in principle, no new mining sites can be opened or abandoned ones reopened"MASSA - "It is not possible to open new quarries in the special protection area of ​​the Apuan Alps, even in the tunnel, not even at the Breccia Capraia".This was stated in a note by the GRIG, the Legal Intervention Group."For years - writes the ecological association - the GRIG has been trying to have the prohibition on" opening new quarries and enlargement of existing ones applied transparently and effectively, with the exception of those provided for in the general planning tools and sector in force on the date of issue of this deed or which will be approved within the transition period of 18 months.The safeguard rule was established for the special protection areas (SPAs) identified pursuant to Directive 09/147 / EC on the protection of wild birds to be part of the Natura 2000 network. And a large part of the Apuan Alps falls within, as well as in the regional natural park of the Apuan Alps, right in the special protection area called "Primary and secondary Apuan prairies" where, therefore, new quarries cannot be opened or disused ones reopened »."In this regard - continues Grig - it must be remembered that the Regional Natural Park Authority of the Apuan Alps, following previous requests from the Grig, communicated which quarries fall within the hypothesis of exclusion of the application of the ban, with volumes extracted and authorized as of March 31, 2019. The answer was clear: “The list of quarries falling under the hypothesis of exclusion of the application of the prohibition pursuant to art.5, paragraph 1, letter n) of the Environment Ministerial Decree of 17 October 2007 is as follows, following the information received from the competent office:It should be noted - the association continues - that the value of the volumes actually extracted is not a data available to the Park Authority ”.Therefore, only two quarries are excluded from the application of the prohibition to open a new quarry or reopen those disused within the special protection area that affects the protected natural area.The Cava Piatamarina was the subject of the order of suspension of works and reduction to pristine due to failure to comply with the "prescription relating to the protection and safeguarding of the karst cavity intercepted in the square at an altitude of 1591 m asl", as well as being the subject of the Pres. Park ordinance of suspension of works and reduction to pristine n.6 of 5 August 2016 for having carried out "processing that is not permitted" and "incorrect management of processing water with the production of powders" and marmettola »."The Cava Borra Larga was the subject of the order of 20 June 2017 for the suspension of works and reduction to pristine for the" construction of tunnels different from what is authorized by the Park, for a total of 12,930 cubic meters, located in different portions of the underground mining site " .It must be remembered, in fact, that the plans for the implementation of the extraction basins (Pabe) are the tools for planning the extractive activities in implementation of the Territorial Guidance Plan (Pit) with the value of a landscape plan and of the Tuscan regional law n.65/2014 on the government of the territory and in all the Pabe, therefore, the exclusion of any extractive activity in the SPA must be provided, as also recalled by the Tuscany Region - Urban Planning and Housing Policies - Protection, redevelopment and enhancement of the landscape sector (note prot. n.207287 of June 15, 2020).However, the interpretative approach has been rather vague.In fact, the Apuan Alps Regional Natural Park Authority requested - with the Governing Council resolution no.2 of 1 March 2019 - to obtain from the Tuscany Region a broad-ranging interpretation for the mining activity in the tunnel in the SPA.The Tuscany Region, on the strength of a highly questionable opinion (30 July 2019) provided by the University of Florence - Department of Legal Sciences at the regional natural park of the Apuan Alps, has long requested specific notice regarding the correct interpretation of the ban in force at the ministry. of the Environment, of the Protection of the Territory and of the Sea, today the Ministry of Ecological Transition, having no evidence of this ».«Yet it is quite evident that even the extractions in tunnels, being able to affect water strata, being able to carry out uncontrolled discharges and landfills, causing morphological changes, can cause injuries and degradation to the protected environment.But some measures taken by the Regional Natural Park of the Apuan Alps really leave us disconcerted.This is the case, for example, of the Cava Breccia Capraia, in the Municipality of Massa, of which the GRIG requested the block already in 2017 due to the heavy environmental impact.In fact, with a ruling of environmental compatibility, evaluation of incidence and authorization, the Regional Natural Park of the Apuan Alps has ascertained that "the site object of the cultivation project in question falls within the contiguous quarry area of ​​the Regional Park of the Apuan Alps as perimeter of the Regional Law n.65/1997 and subsequently modified with LR n.73/2009 ".He also recalled that “his communications to the proponent and to the administrations concerned of 25.10.2021 n.4043, of 17.11.2021 n.4440 and of 15.12.2021 n.4914, in which there are discrepancies between the technical documentation attached to the 2016 application and the constraints present in the area, as specified below:However, after acquiring new documentation from the mining company, the Park Authority merely proceeded to “adopt the following corrective measure of the environmental compatibility ruling no.15 of 30.12.2016, extended with environmental compatibility ruling no.2 of 23.01.2019 and with environmental compatibility ruling n.3 of 31.03.2021 ", finally inhibiting the quarrying activity" in the tunnels falling within the Special Protection Area of ​​primary and secondary Apuan meadows "".«Five years of extractive activity in violation of the law, but there is no news of the adoption of any sanctioning and restorative measures.The GRIG therefore submitted a specific request for civic access, environmental information and the adoption of appropriate measures, involving the ministries of Ecological Transition and Culture, the Tuscany Region, the Superintendence for Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Lucca, the Regional Natural Park Authority of the Apuan Alps, the Carabinieri Forestale, the Carabinieri of the Nucleo protecting cultural heritage, the Municipality of Massa and informing the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Massa for the aspects of competence.One really wonders what the role of the competent public administrations is, whether it is to protect the environment of the Apuan Alps, already too massacred by the marble quarries, or to encourage mining without ifs and buts.Above all, the Regional Natural Park Authority of the Apuan Alps and the Tuscany Region are called to finally give concreteness and effectiveness to the declarations concerning the will to reduce the extraction areas by 30% or even 50% carried out several times.For example, it will now be seen whether the integrated park plan, recently approved by the Governing Council and sent to the Tuscany Region for the continuation of the approval procedure, really provides for the reduction of mining and to what extent.The Apuan Alps can and must be safeguarded for the defense of the environment and the very identity of local communities ».Copyright © 2014 - 2022 - Associated Newspaper Anso redazione@voceapuana.com Registered at the Court of Massa n ° 4/2017 Responsible director: Matteo Bernabè VAT number: 01383400114