Water – Frankfurt (Oder) – Tesla: associations apply for water permits against appeal – economy
Frankfurt/Oder (dpa/bb) – The dispute over the water supply for the Tesla plant in Grünheide near Berlin is continuing in court. The environmental associations Nabu and Green League want to appeal against the approval for drinking water promotion for the Eggersdorf waterworks. They have applied to the responsible administrative court in Frankfurt (Oder) for approval of the appeal, as the environmentalists announced on Wednesday. Among other things, they see a threat to the sustainable management of groundwater as a result of the tolerated increased water flow rate for the US electric car manufacturer.
The court had declared the approval for water withdrawal in the Eggersdorf waterworks to be illegal due to the lack of public participation in the application for an increase in the flow rate. A lawsuit by the two environmental organizations against the State Office for the Environment was thus partially upheld. However, the country continues to tolerate water pumping in full.
The environmental organizations criticize that in addition to the lack of public participation, technical errors were also made in the approval process, which give rise to fears of fatal consequences, especially for nature. The explanations of the expert of the nature conservation associations are not reflected in the reasoning for the judgement. That is a disregard for the right to be heard, criticized the state manager of the Green League Brandenburg, Michael Ganschow.
In contrast to the environmentalists, the judges see no danger in approving a higher volume of water in the region around the new Tesla factory. Despite a downward trend in groundwater stocks, “a sufficient area can be assumed to cover the withdrawal quantities,” says the written justification of a judgment of March 4 (VG 5 K 469/21) on the approval of water quantities in the Strausberg-Erkner water association.
The associations see the different name and examples. “Anyone who walks with open eyes through the nearby nature reserve “Lange Dammwiesen and “Unteres Annatal” will quickly see how much water is already missing in this landscape,” reported Nabu Managing Director Christiane Schröder.
Tesla’s first electric car plant in Europe was opened in Grünheide on March 22nd. The water association Strausberg-Erkner has agreed a delivery of 1.8 million cubic meters per year with the car manufacturer. The legal dispute is about the intended increase in water withdrawal in Eggersdorf from 2.52 million to 3.76 million cubic meters per year.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220511-99-243855/2