The oil drilling project of the company Bridge Energies, near Nemours, in Seine-et-Marne “respect the law”, judged, Tuesday, May 7, the Minister of Industry, Roland Lescure. He was responding to criticism from the (socialist) mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who initiated summary proceedings against this project which, according to her, threatens drinking water catchments supplying Seine-et-Marne and Paris.
During questions to the government in the National Assembly on Tuesday, the deputy (ecologist) for Paris Sandrine Rousseau, for her part, asked the government to“stop immediately” this project, denouncing an authorization from the executive “irresponsible”.
“We respect the law that was passed here”replied Roland Lescure, referring to the 2017 legislation providing for the end of hydrocarbon production in France by 2040. “This law provides that concessions (…) can be exploited until 2040. The one you are talking about is 2034”, he said. He further listed “extreme conditions” provided for by the prefectural decree, including monitoring by a geologist of the drilling work, “specific criteria imposed on the fluids used for drilling, the control of all the chemicals used on the site, the control of the cementing of the wells and, obviously, the measurement of turbidity, that is to say water quality ».
The Paris town hall denounced, on Monday, “a potential environmental catastrophe, at a time when water resources are increasingly threatened”, fearing consequences for the catchments of its water authority. Its operator, Eau de Paris, filed a summary judgment with the Melun administrative court to suspend the prefectural decree of January 30 authorizing the opening of work on the Nonville hydrocarbon concession, near Nemours, 80 km south- is from Paris. According to the town hall and the oil producing company Bridge Energies, the decision is expected soon.
For Dan Lert, deputy for ecological transition and president of Eau de Paris, the government “play with fire” because 180,000 Parisians and Seine-et-Marnais receive their drinking water from the two catchments located near the oil site, in Villeron and Villemer.
U-turn from the Minister of Health
This file also raises “reserves” at Frédéric Valletoux, former mayor of Fontainebleau and deputy (Horizons) for Seine-et-Marne who became, in February, Minister of Health. “As mayor of Fontainebleau and then deputy, I have repeatedly expressed my reservations and concerns about the extension of the platform in question with regard to the environmental and health impact on the territory, in unison with the mayors of the municipality concerned and nearby municipalities »he declared on Tuesday to TF1. “It’s a conviction that I had as an MP and that I still have as a minister”he added.
However, he qualified these comments in a statement to Agence France-Presse: “Since then, administrative justice has ruled on this project and validated it and the prefect takes all measures on a daily basis to supervise this work and guarantee the interests of environmental protection”according to a message sent by his ministry. “I made sure that (…) the ARS [agence régionale de santé] had been consulted »he added.
“As a member of the government, I am particularly concerned about full compliance with the law, which is the case with this project. Minister responsible for health, I will naturally follow the effective deployment of all environmental and health protection measures in this project as in others”he concluded.
The company Bridge Energies holds a concession to exploit the current deposit until 2034 in Nonville, where only one of its three drillings still produces oil, for the equivalent of 75 barrels per day. She obtained from the State to open two others, with a depth of 1,500 meters, following a public inquiry.