An inspection into the legality of the Wind Power Plant (WPP) construction on the Runa Polonyna (a high-altitude Carpathian meadow) without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure has been underway for a week and a half by the State Environmental Inspectorate (SEI) in the Zakarpattia region.
The results of this inspection are critically important because there are currently two official and contradictory positions coming from central government bodies:
- The Position of the State Inspectorate for Architecture and Urban Planning (DIAM): They claim that the foundations and roads for the wind turbine construction are separate construction objects—not components of the overall wind farm—and therefore do not require any environmental assessments (EIA).
- The Position of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (Min dovkillia): This body directly indicates that the WPP foundation is an integral part of the WPP construction, and such activity cannot be legally carried out without a formal EIA Conclusion/Decision.
We want to believe in the best and hope for the honesty and professionalism of the environmental inspectors. This is despite the fact that the regional branch of the SEI in the Zakarpattia region took three whole weeks to even contact the Ministry for permission to conduct the inspection, and despite the fact that these inspectors previously ignored all reports regarding the WPP construction submitted by local activists via the “Eco-Threat” (Ekozahroza) application (a national citizen reporting system for environmental violations).
Ultimately, control over compliance with environmental protection legislation is the main reason the Eco-Inspectorate exists. The result of this inspection will determine whether the law is upheld on this valuable mountain site.
