Last June, the administrative court of Lyon had suspended the extension of this plant. This Monday, the Rhône prefecture announced the launch of a public consultation, from the 16th to the 30th, whose opinions will be taken into account in a new decree.
The Rhône prefecture, whose decree on an extension of the Daikin chemical plant near Lyon was invalidated in court, announced on Monday September 9 that it would open a public consultation before drafting a new one.
The new unit, located in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite, must produce and store additive polymers, some of the components of which are so-called eternal pollutants, PFAS.
The extension was suspended last June
In February, the prefecture issued a decree to regulate its operation, but local residents concerned about the potentially harmful effects on health took legal action.
On June 20, the administrative court of Lyon ruled in their favor by suspending the order, which led to the shutdown of the new unit.
Since then, the manufacturer has provided new studies, particularly on the dangers and health impacts of the structure, the prefecture explained in a press release.
Based on these documents, the Regional Directorate for the Environment and Regional Planning (Dreal) considered that the extension “did not have any significant impact on the environment” and that it therefore did not “require an authorisation procedure”.
However, it is proposing a decree with “strict” surveillance measures, according to this press release.
A consultation open from September 16 to 30
Before issuing a new order in this sense, the Rhône prefect has decided “for the sake of transparency” to open a written consultation over 15 days, from September 16 to 30. The opinions issued will be taken into account in the order, her services assure.
PFAS are chemical substances that are very common in everyday objects (kitchen utensils, cosmetics, textiles, etc.), some of which have a harmful effect on health. A bill aimed at better regulating them was frozen by the dissolution.
The authorities have been under pressure since the publication in 2022 of several journalistic investigations, which revealed the extent of this pollution south of Lyon. They have since published more data and taken stricter control measures, without completely reassuring the population.
The latter, as well as political actors, have therefore multiplied legal actions against Daikin and its neighbor, the chemical group Arkema, with initial victories recently.
