save lena from the oil bomb!
My friend, the Yakutsk poet and scholar Ekaterina Evseyeva, is part of a project to save the Siberian river Lena. She recently sent me a link to her website, Уважаемые гости сайта!/ Save Lena!, and I am passing this onto you to support the effort to stop big oil companies from despoiling this gorgeous waterway.
Here is a summary from their website:
The project “The extension of “the East Siberia – Pacific Ocean” pipeline on the territory of the Sakha (Yakutia) republic” of the Lena river has been changed without open public discussion by the oil company involved: neither the government nor the people of the republic were informed of the Transneft’s decision to change from the micro-tunnel to the trench method.
Now, the chosen place for the pipeline to cross the river adds risks for the possible oil spills in future as there are the following dangerous factors – high possibility of earthquakes in the area of crossing; ice jams at the spring break-up period; and also the washing of soil and salt under the buried pipes, which may cause their deformation, and thus, oil spills.
The construction of the pipeline is being done with abundant violations of technical and juridical regulations. Thus, the controlling work by the Ministry for nature protection and Technical Survey Department of the Sakha republic in the year of 2007-08 has shown 97 violations of regulatory technical inscriptions and 86 violations of the nature protection laws.
Currently leading scientists, ecologists from Yakutia and Far East are addressing the government of Russia in urge to switch the method of river crossing for the tunnel rather than the trench.
Brief description of the action:The “Save the river Lena” action will last till the August 31 (the date is subject to change). The action is set of informative, educational and agitation activities which are held with various frequency and with different people involved.
The major activity is collecting the voices of all people who wish to give their voice to support our petition for the government to change the method of the river crossing from trench to tunnel. We accept both paper and electronic voices via this web-site.
We, the civic coalition “Our homeland – Yakutia” and the organizing committee of the action, are encouraging you to support this initiative to protect the Lena river and become the participant of the action!
This summer – the Lena river needs your voices! Use this chance to protect the mighty river from the “oil bomb”!
I urge everyone (especially those who don't live in Yakutia, international voices are strong) to take time and sign their petition. Thank you.
