Through a decree signed by Élisabeth Borne a few days before her resignation from her post as Prime Minister, but also by the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire and by Agnès Pannier-Runacher, then Minister of Transition, and by a decree from the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne, a small oil company obtained authorization for the extension of a drilling site located in the south of the department, according to an investigation by Release. Thus, the company Bridge Energies should be able to dig two new wells a few hundred meters from the town of Nonville (Seine-et-Marne). If these authorizations are contrary to France’s stated ambitions to gradually move away from fossil fuels, they directly threaten the health of 180,000 Ile-de-France residents and the region’s ecosystems: the new drilling will cross a significant water table.
“This hydrocarbon project is a potential ecological disaster”
Eau de Paris, the public establishment responsible for collecting, treating and transporting drinking water to the capital, sees this potential extension as a direct threat to its distribution network. The water table concerned supplies the taps of the 789 inhabitants of the town of Villemer, and more than a hundred thousand Parisians, in particular from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 15th and 16th arrondissements.
“This hydrocarbon project is a potential ecological disaster, believes Dan Lert, president of Eau de Paris Release. This involves extracting and handling additional barrels of oil in an area that was classified three years ago “ remote protection perimeter » with regard to the risks of pollution on the water! How can the government justify and take responsibility for this dangerous and aberrant choice in the face of the climate emergency? »
The mayors of Nonville, Villemer, and La Genevraye criticize this authorization and fear for the health of their residents. “We can live without oil, but we cannot live without water, exposed to Release Franck Beaufreton, mayor of Villemer. At some point, it would be time to review the order of priorities. » Eau de Paris experts also warn of the dangers that await the Lunain river, once the oil has emerged from the underground. “The main danger is accidents during the transportation of hydrocarbons, completes a management specialist. When leaving the site, the trucks [qui vont jusqu’à la raffinerie du Havre] start by following the Lunain. And the Lunain crosses the dowsing perimeter of Villeron. If this watercourse is contaminated, the entire drinking water Source could be contaminated. » Bridge Energies has already experienced two incidents since its arrival on the concession. In 2022, water at 68°C filled with hydrocarbons spilled onto the platform. In 2013, a truck accidentally spilled part of its tank onto the small roads crossing Nonville, according to information from Release.
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