Since august 2009, following the request of several members, Surfrider alongside associations as ADELFA, intervened to preclude the implantation of a methane terminal in the natural area of Clipon.
Indeed, this project is particularly impacting on coastal Dunkrik (Northern France). This region already has several sites and companies classified SEVESO, that is to say as presenting credible threats to humans and the environment because of the nature of the operations (hazardous and toxic substances).
Since several years, the associations group called "Save the Clipon" denounces "the great sustainable destruction carnival", and is fighting to preserve the environment and the coastline. A petition is also online on “Dunkerque Pollution” website, to act against the LNG project.
Surfrider has participated actively in all phases of the case. We had the opportunity to be part of the National Commission of Public Debate (CNDP) as an actor, and to be able to put forward arguments against the project. Local chapters and members have also mobilized around a 'Beach Funeral”, a media action to raise awareness and gather public opinion and media around the environmental consequences of such a project.
Through these actions, Surfrider is pleased to note two major advances on the project:
Firstly, a public inquiry was opened on October 7th. Associations and citizens get one month to respond, which is a very short term compare to this length and complexity case. We have already started working on the case to give efficient and quick answer.
Then, one of the councils affected by the terminal has just said no to the project. In fact, during the City Council of Grande-Synthe, both the majority and the opposition unanimously voted against the proposed location of the planned LNG terminal on the Clipon natural area, at the west harbor of Dunkirk.
The mayor told the reasons for the refusal. He said "we must refocus our economic development to the tertiary and not rely solely on heavy industry. We refuse to add risk to the risk with the implantation of fourteenth Seveso sites on the coast.”
This refusal seems to point the beginning of an awareness of the need to preserve the area’s coastline, or at least to preserve what remains ... We hope this decision will be followed by other municipalities affected by the project.
Surfrider will keep taking actions during the public inquiry to try to achieve the abandonment of the project, as we had done in Verdon where the project has been recently declared inadmissible by the Gironde prefect.
