Greenpeace activists on
Wednesday staged a demonstration in front of the Altar of the
Fatherland in Rome's Piazza Venezia to protest against the
government's energy plan and urge Italians to vote at a
referendum on April 17 on offshore drilling for oil and gas in
Italy.
The Constitutional Court last month gave the green light to
the referendum, a decision welcomed by regional councils and
environmentalists concerned about the effects of offshore
drilling on marine ecosystems.
The referendum will cover the duration of prospecting
authorizations as well as already authorized drilling.
It was proposed by regional assemblies who oppose drilling
platforms in earthquake-prone, attractive marine environments.
"Drills pose a grave threat to our seas and this is
sufficient motive to reject them," said Andrea Boraschi, who is
in charge of the Greenpeace Energy and Climate campaign.
"They are also a senseless energy strategy which condemns
Italy to rely on fossil sources - a favour to the oil lobbies
that greatly endangers key economic sectors such as tourism and
fishing," he said.
Also on Wednesday, Greenpeace launched a new online
campaign at http://stop-trivelle.greenpeace.it
The government has said there will be no new drilling off
Italy's coasts no matter how the referendum turns out.
As well, the ruling Democratic Party (PD) made known that
Italians who are temporarily residing abroad can vote in the
April 17 drilling referendum.
Citizens living abroad must contact their home municipality
by February 25 in order to receive their ballot papers, a PD
official said.
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