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This press release was originally distributed via the eWire press wire service (2002–2016). It is preserved here as a historical record.
Environmental Groups Urge Ford to Take Responsibility for Planned Destruction of the Environment in the Czech Republic
ARCHIVED 2002–2016: Originally distributed via the eWire press wire service. Preserved as historical record.
Environmental Groups Urge Ford to Take Responsibility for Planned Destruction of the Environment in the Czech Republic
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Environmental Groups Urge Ford to Take Responsibility for Planned Destruction of the Environment in the Czech Republic
Ford Subsidiary Breaks Ground on Unspoiled Farmland, Risking Health and
Environment of Czech Citizens
EUROPE, CZECH REPUBLIC, MOST DISTRICT, Apr. 10 -/E-Wire/-- Thirteen Czech environmental groups sent a letter to Ford Motor Company today demanding that it stop placement of a manufacturing plant on prime agricultural land in the Czech Republic. Ford is founder and 25 percent owner of NEMAK Co., which recently broke ground on the facility with an expected annual output of 1,600,000 engine heads.
The facilityââ¬â¢s operations are expected to release toxic substances such as heavy metals and dioxins in the middle of the last remaining farmland in this part of North Bohemia ââ¬" one of the most environmentally devastated regions in both the Czech Republic and Europe overall.
According to the Czech National Health Institute, Czechs are exposed to substances with dioxin-like effects at a rate several times higher than limits set by the World Health Organization, bringing the risk of several hundred new cancer cases yearly. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deems aluminum processing plants such as the planned NEMAK facility a significant source of dioxin pollution. By locating a dioxin source in the heart of tilled land, NEMAKââ¬â¢s facility would make a bad situation worse, creating an additional contamination risk for farm soil and products, and as a result, for food.
NEMAK chose a greenfield site despite the availability of nearby brownfields in the district where the environmental impact would be much lower. ââ¬ÅInvestors like greenfields. There are brownfields [in the district], but why would we build a factory in the middle of a former coal pit?ââ¬ì³ NEMAK spokesman Pavel Kucera told the media. ââ¬ÅThey would have to pave the roads with gold for us to go there.ââ¬ì³
ââ¬ÅFord claims that it wants to be the worldââ¬â¢s most environmentally responsible automaker, and yet they own 25 percent of NEMAKââ¬â¢s shares,ââ¬ì³ says Pavel Pribyl from Friends of the Earth Czech Republic. Fordââ¬â¢s assets from its joint venture with NEMAK exceed $140 million. ââ¬ÅFordââ¬â¢s potential profit from this NEMAK deal will come at the expense of the Czech environment and public health.ââ¬ì³
Eight legal actions have been brought against NEMAKââ¬â¢s project, and more are in preparation. ââ¬ÅThe former East-bloc states are racing to the bottom in their efforts to attract foreign investors,ââ¬ì³ says Pavel Franc from the Environmental Law Service, a Czech public interest law organization, ââ¬Åand thus these investors dictate the terms. Disregarding or circumventing national legislation is among their typical behaviorââ¬"and NEMAK is an example of this.ââ¬ì³
A detailed overview of the projectââ¬â¢s procedural problems and the letter to Ford Motor Company are available at http://www.i-eps.cz/eng/index.html.
Environmental Media Services
Pavel Franc, Environmental Law Service, Czech Republic, Tel.: + 420 (0) 5 45 57 52 29, Cell phone: + 420 (0) 608 719 535, E-mail: [REDACTED-EMAIL] or Pavel Pribyl, Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, Tel.: + 420 (0) 2251 3859, E-mail: [REDACTED-EMAIL]
http://www.i-eps.cz/eng/index.html
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