OREANDA-NEWS. On 25 June 2008 was announced, that a strike picket has been organized beyond the windows of the community liaison office in Blagoveshensk arranged for the first airing on ESPO-2 ecological impact assessment (EIA). People calling themselves nature protectors have not enter the office which is purely symbolical. According to the expert web portal “Eastern Oil Pipeline” they preferred a real possibility of expression of their proposals and comments on the project technical and economic assessment to a demonstration of a protest against the construction of the oil trunk pipeline.

The picket of June, 17 gathered about 10 representatives of Amur’s social organizations: “Yabloko”, “Ob’edinenny Grazhdansky Front”, “Socialisticheskoe soprotivlenie” parties and other. The protestants are of opinion that social and ecological rights of Amur region residents have been violated during the construction of the ESPO first phase and they contest against execution of the project. According to Natalia Kalinina, one of action initiators, a President of the Amur ecological club “Ulukitan”, in case of emergency at construction of the underwater lines, Blagoveshensk’s resident will get oil instead of water. Ms. Kalinina is sure that the state and business establishments performing the ecological monitoring over the ESPO construction are acting purely in their own selector and do not influence on project execution. Moreover the Amur picketers are not satisfied with the fact of attraction of the specialist from other regions to construction site. It’s notable that protestants do not keep back that their main objective is to capture public’s attention.

 Besides since May 16 Amur region has more than 10 community liaison offices opened providing information on technical conditions and preliminary materials on ESPO-2 ecological impact assessment where one can comment or express ones opinion on the project.

 One of the community liaison offices is located in Blagoveshensk. Public hearings took place on June 17 in Belogorsk and Seryshevsk regions. In course of the public consultations “Transneft’s” specialists demonstrated a nonfiction film with a detailed explanation of the oil pipeline, technologies and materials to be used during the construction of ESPO-2.

Sergey Semin, Head of the accounts department of the JSC “Giprotruboprovod” clarifies that no harm will be brought to environment by construction and operation of the pipeline. Excavation, preservation and further usage of the fertile top soil are provided along the pipeline route. After construction all land plots including the lands of agricultural designation will be cultivated and brought to initial state. In course of the meetings the community got answers on question related to the project and a protocol was adopted including participants’ proposal for provision of safety environmental condition in regions of ESPO pipeline route.

Blagoveshensk will see the public hearings related with ESPO-2 project on June 26. Today the citizens left their notes in a register of the community liaison office and wait that the construction of the oil pipeline will attract additional investments in region and reduce local population outflow from the region. But several noncommercial associations putting the construction of the pipe under boycott are holding position. Moreover the unwillingness of the supposed ecologists to express their own opinion shown on public arouses bewilderment. Alexander Ganzhurov, head for Blagoveshensk’s headquarters of JSC “Giprotruboprovod” which is the designer of the project documentation for ESPO-2 project, is surprised that the protestants have ignored a possibility to take part in route design preparation. He explains that the community liaison offices are open for everyone who can not agree with something and has any questions on ESPO-2.

It should be reminded that the public consultations on technical and economic assessment of the ESPO-2 project are being held in accordance with the Federal law “About the ecological expertise”. “TSUP VSPO”, project originator will provide jointly with the local authorities discussion of the ESPO-2 project environmental impact assessment materials. Comments and proposals in writing are welcome from the citizens by the end of July and will be considered in final environmental impact assessment materials.