Both the governor of Durango, Esteban Villegas Villareal, and the mayor of Lerdo, Susy Torrecillas Salazar, expressed their respect for demonstrations like the one held Sunday afternoon, in which groups, environmentalists, and citizens marched against the installation of the Fermachem fertilizer plant, starting in Gómez Palacio and ending in Lerdo. Both officials stated they were open to dialogue.
Despite these mobilizations, which the governor considered to have political undertones, he assured that the investment is not at risk.
“I don’t believe Fermachem is at risk in the slightest. I think it’s simply a lack of information. We need to talk with the environmentalists, have the company explain the entire process to them, and let them know firsthand that there is no risk of contamination.”
In that regard, he recalled the failed arrival of Chemours, which he said was a golden opportunity that was missed for the Laguna region.
“Let’s not be swayed by some people, because I also saw that the issue is more political. And Chemours was a political issue, we can’t forget that, and a golden opportunity was lost because it also brought cutting-edge technology. But besides, those who interfered at the end (of the march) and ruined it were them. Everything was going well, why did they interfere? They’re bandits, I have them in jail, because they stole and extorted. We’re not going to take those people into account,” he clarified.
In that sense, he said that only true environmentalists, whom he saw participating in the most recent mobilization, would be taken into account. “They have the right to know, as does any citizen, to have us explain things to them so they have no doubts and can go along with the project. But I think there’s a lot of missing information. There are those who suddenly release information and don’t have the slightest idea what they’re even going to do, like a certain congresswoman from Lerdo. She says things and doesn’t know what she’s talking about. I say this with all due respect, and I don’t want to hear from her.” “I’m going to invite her to have it explained to her in Durango.”
However, Villegas assured that there is no risk of contamination, neither of the air nor the groundwater.
“But right now I’m telling you, there’s no way there could be contamination in any of these areas, neither of the land nor, much less, of the water. There’s no way it could be contaminated, and even less so the Cañón de Fernández, which has absolutely nothing to do with where the plant will be located.”
For her part, the mayor warned the company that there would be no permit for its construction if they did not comply with four requirements: 1. That their water be 100 percent treated; 2. That they would not receive construction permits for the concession of another well—those are issued by Conagua, but the construction permits are issued by us; 3. That the final product not be ammonia, but only for the urea process; and 4. That they have their own on-site treatment plant.
“Until these four things are met, there will be no permits. I’ve said it time and again. Of course, I’ve facilitated many things. It’s a responsible investment, but also, the citizens, the people of Lerdo, have the right, when there are large investments, to know what the investment entails, what impacts it will have, and above all, the process—how it will be carried out. We all have the right to know. So, this is 100 percent the responsibility of the company. I do my part responsibly because, ultimately, I’m in charge of all the people of Lerdo,” said Torrecillas.
The mayor stated that, at the moment, none of the environmentalists or groups that participated have requested a meeting, although she didn’t rule out taking the first step herself.
“They’ve never approached me, but in my search, they submitted a list of various groups and environmentalists. Someone has to take the first step, and it’s going to be me. And if there are any doubts or anything else, I’ll put the company right there. I’m in a chat with them, where I’m letting them know what’s happening. I’m asking them to have a communication channel for all the people who have the right to know what’s going to happen,” the mayor commented.
Source: elsiglodetorreon
