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DAM-L LS: ENVIRONMENTALISTS FORM ALLIANCE AGAINST ALUMYSA. (fwd)

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Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2001 12:21:09 -0700
To: irn-biobio@netvista.net
From: Monti Aguirre <monti@irn.org>
Subject: LS: ENVIRONMENTALISTS FORM ALLIANCE AGAINST ALUMYSA.
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CHIP NEWS
October 23, 2001

--  ENVIRONMENTALISTS FORM ALLIANCE AGAINST ALUMYSA.
Environmentalist groups formed an alliance against the
Alumysa aluminum reduction plant and its related
hydroelectric facilities in southern Region XI, which the
Canadian company Noranda is hoping to open.
         The "Aysen Life Reserve" alliance includes the Terram
Foundation, the Political Ecology Institute (IEP), and the
Ecological Action National Network (Renace).  The groups
claim that Alumysa will bring a series of noxious effects to
the region, among them floods, dust and gas emissions, an
eventual greenhouse effect in the area and a drastic
alteration of the landscape.
         The Alumysa plant will have a capacity of approximately
440,000 tons of aluminum per year and demand an investment of
nearly US$2.7 billion.  The project includes the construction
of three hydroelectric plants.
         Noranda filed in August an Environmental Impact Study
(EIA) for the project before the National Environmental
Commission (Conama.)  The environmentalists claim that the
EIA omitted facts such as the necessary transit of industrial
ships through the Aysen channels and the negative impact the
industry would have for the city.
         The Aysen alliance is preparing a report to send to the
Conama.
         Jenia Jofre, spokeswoman for the group, said that
although Aysen needs to develop, it can do so by promoting
tourism rather than an industrial complex.
         "Alumysa can be built in any other place.  They chose
Aysen only because the water resources are cheaper," Jofre
said.
         Robert Biehl, general manager of Alumysa Chile, said he
wasn't surprised by the activist's reaction  and dismissed
their concerns.
         "On a scale from 1 to 7, Alumysa's impact is of 3.5 and
even less if we consider its positive socio-economic and
labor impact in the region," Biehl said. "Every project
implies earth movements and the cutting of trees. We have
asked around in the community and they are more concerned
about the labor aspects of the project rather than the
landscape."
         Even if the project's EIA is approved by the Conama,
Alumysa still has a long way to go before its completion.
Noranda still has to secure the participation of one or more
investment partners and, finally, the company's board of
directors will need to approve a revised feasibility study
that incorporates the latest economic and operational data.


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