TV report from 12/28/2017

Last week, a team from the German TV channel ARD was in the Hambach Forest. Their report was on television on Thursday, 12/28/2017, and now also at
http://mediathek.daserste.de/Morgenmagazin/MOMA-Reporter-Was-wurde-aus-den-Aktivis/Video?bcastId=435054&documentId=48753082 (high resolution)
and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV1S7codk80
Both links will be opened in an new tab.
Although the language is German, you can get a good impression of the troubles on the secu road, at which the TV team accidentally was present, the day after the stop of the deforestation.
More info: Live Ticker Barricade Eviction 12/20
The film also shows the result of this year’s clear-cutting, which lasted only two days and the team also visited a tree house.

Continue ReadingTV report from 12/28/2017

5 years ago, the district of Düren decreed the eviction of the meadow. A review

This e-mail was sent to us:

“State of the matter, 5 years after the delivery of the order by the building authority of the district Düren to vacate the meadow, on 12/24/2012:

  1. The excavator to remove the upper layers is still standing about 80 – 100 m away from the former alignment of the A4. Location: Ancient motorway A4 direction Düren, westernmost point!
  2. The former works road is given up and completely free, RWE probably resigned themselves to the loss of this road.
  3. Matthias Hartung, CEO of RWE Power AG, is “going to retire prematurely” this year.
  4. Peter Terium, CEO of the parent company of RWE Power AG and of RWE Innogy AG, is going to leave the RWE Group (became known 5 days ago).
  5. Matthias Hartung and Peter Terium should keep further damage away from the RWE Group. They will not be able to escape their possible responsibilities because of serious environmental crimes against the soil and groundwater, or because of the transfer of insolvency, just like the responsible politicians in North Rhine-Westphalia.

About the “jobs that depend on the Hambach opencast mine”

Not 60,000 jobs are endangered at the end of the open pit Hambach on 03/31/2018, but only less than about 800:

  1. Including the apprentices, only fewer than 800 people (estimated) are employed at the Niederaussem power plant.
  2. The employees of the Hambach open-pit mine (estimated, including the apprentices: approx. 700-900) will continue to be needed for years for the dismantling works of the Hambach mine and to restore the surface of the hole that will be left as required by law (BBergG).

Kerpen-Buir, 12/25/2017

Kurt Claßen“

Continue Reading5 years ago, the district of Düren decreed the eviction of the meadow. A review

Validity of the main operating plan without deforestation renewed until 3/31/2018

Press release of the district government Arnsberg

Original text

Validity of the main operating plan without deforestation renewed until 3/31/2018

By decision of December 20, 2017, the district government of Arnsberg, which is responsible for mining and energy in NRW, renewed the validity of the current main operating plan for the Hambach open-cast mine until March 31th, 2018. As a result of the licence, the continuation of lignite extraction will be secured also after 12/31/2017, thus ensuring the important supply of lignite to the power plants in the months to come.

In view of pending court proceedings, clearing and logging measures on wooded areas are excluded from the prolongation. In the period until the end of March next year, the issues relating to nature conservation legislation will be further intensively investigated and examined by the district government of Arnsberg. After that, the decision on the license until the end of 2020 of the next main operating plan will be taken.

Continue ReadingValidity of the main operating plan without deforestation renewed until 3/31/2018

Fruit Salad

Below you find a smorgasbord of news and announcements that reached us today. Despite the compact form, of course, every message is important and noteworthy.

“Hello,
First our web site had greetings supporting you, now we also have got a radio report from Rostock on the Hambi:

https://www.lohro.de/besetzung-des-hambacher-forst/
We would be pleased if you want to spread it!

Greetings from the coast!”

“Dear environmentalists,
We need your support! Only for half an hour.
Please come tomorrow at 11:55 am to the RWE Tower in Essen and express your solidarity for the preservation of the Hambach Forest.
By conserving the Hambach Forest, RWE must set a symbol for the exit from ligbite power generation and declare itself in favor of an RWE specific transition to renewable energies…
Open Street Map
In collaboration of BUND and Greenpeace there is a daily vigil at the RWE tower in Essen: “Two to twelve – Time to Rethink”. The topics: Hambach Forest, Coal exit, CO₂-Problem.” Duration about 30 minutes.
More info

“Let’s make (hi)story together!

We invite you to an interactive fairytale evening on Friday, December 22, 2017. We take the winter solstice as an occasion for a fairytale evening of a different kind: At the beginning, a story is read out. Afterwards we can continue to develop the story together.

Time: Friday, December 22, 2017, 4:00 pm
Location: Round house in the meadow

Maybe a co-developed story can serve as an inspiration and a vision, with which we actually make history together in 2018 and the miracle of Manheim comes true:
The last remnant of the Hambach forest remains and can regenerate itself.
The demolition work in the villages of Manheim and Morschenich will be stopped and the vision of the “New Village” will be implemented.
The terra nova observation deck will offer a view of innovative energy storage solutions which ensure on a long-term basis, together with renewable energies in the former Rhenish lignite mining area
1) security of supply,
2) jobs,
3) competitiveness,
taking into account the natural and non-negotiable environmental laws.

The language of this event will be German. Depending on the interest and feedback we might offer an evening in English next year.

We look forward to seeing you!”

Continue ReadingFruit Salad