We ll fight it : Uproar over nuclear dump plan in scenic Tuscany
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By Nick Squires
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Rome: Italian regional leaders are fighting against plans to dump nuclear waste in some of the most picturesque areas of the country.
Some of the 67 potential sites earmarked to become a national contaminated waste facility include the rolling valleys of Tuscany and the countryside around the southern ancient town of Matera, famed for its cavernous homes.
The governors of the seven affected regions, including Piedmont, Puglia, Basilicata, Sardinia and Sicily, have accused the national government and SOGIN, Italy s nuclear decommissioning agency, of failing to consult them. Italy closed down its nuclear power plants after a referendum in 1987 - held in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Manolo Garosi, the mayor of Pienza, a Tuscan hill town, said he was incredulous about the prospect of a nuclear dump being located in his region. How can they be considering a region like ours, which has World Heritage recognition? It is totally unacceptable. This is an area of natural beauty, he told
Corriere della Sera newspaper. I can t imagine what tourists would say when they come here looking for beauty and discover instead radioactive waste dumps. Domenico Bennardi, the mayor of Matera, said locating the dump near the town would be a slap in the face, particularly as it was a European City of Culture in 2019. It was also used as a location for the forthcoming Bond film
Italian tourist destinations in revolt over plan to build national nuclear waste facility
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7 January 2021 • 4:39pm
Pienza in Tuscany is one of the towns that could be affected by the new nuclear facility
Credit: Getty
Some of Italy’s most picturesque regions, including Tuscany and Sardinia, are in revolt against the government after it released plans to build a national dump for burying nuclear waste.
The publication of a map of 67 potential nuclear dump sites – the culmination of a six-year study - prompted outrage and consternation from locals, mayors and regional leaders.