The PD, CGIL and M5S join forces against oil extraction in Basilicata

CGIL, PD and M5S on the CGIL, PD and M5S on the front line against drilling. In Basilicata, the legislation approved last Friday by the government to fast-track oil extraction licences in Italy has reignited the spirit of the anti-drilling campaigners. Even before the decree was approved – having been referred to the Senate’s Environment Committee yesterday – Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s words had not gone unnoticed: “We have protected this nation as much as possible from high energy prices, but now we want the energy Italy needs to be produced in Italy as much as possible,” Meloni had said from the stage in Bari, where she celebrated her government’s record tenure. Then came the announcement: “We intend to increase the amount of oil that can be extracted from our seas because it makes no sense to go and buy oil from Qatar when we have it in Basilicata.” The remarks provoked a strong backlash. 

“Basilicata is not Italy’s cash machine. Basilicata will not sell itself short and has the right to decide its own future! Before granting anything, the Bardi government must decide the future of this region together with its citizens and take the Basilicata dispute to Palazzo Chigi to reach a development agreement that is not merely about the exploitation of natural and oil resources”, said Fernando Mega, General Secretary of CGIL Basilicata. The Potenza secretary echoed these views, speaking of a “regressive vision of energy policy” and arguing “that the natural decline in oil extraction in the Lucanian region must be accompanied by a gradual phase-out of fossil fuels and a repurposing of the production sites in the Val d’Agri by investing in non-oil and alternative energy sources”.

On the political front, the first party to speak out was the Five Star Movement. “To hear it claimed that ‘there is no need to go and get gas from Qatar when we have it in Basilicata’ is a colossal error that betrays a profound ignorance of the actual data on our subsoil, but above all a short-sighted view of the nation’s energy future,” declared Arnaldo Lomuti, MP for Basilicata. The figures referred to by the MP relate to oil reserves, which, he claims, are sufficient to cover “barely fifteen months” of Italian consumption. And so, it seems, they are deemed unnecessary.

The decree stipulates that if the region fails to respond to applications for the prospecting, exploration and production of onshore hydrocarbons within 45 days, the Prime Minister may agree to an extension of up to 60 days, during which Palazzo Chigi or the Minister for the Environment may enter into dialogue with the local government to ascertain the reasons for the delay. If, upon expiry of the deadline, the region has still not given its opinion, the possibility arises of appointing a commissioner. However, this is not automatic: an additional condition must be met, namely that the region’s inaction is likely to jeopardise the timely carrying out of activities of national strategic interest, such as energy security and the continuity of supplies. However, the provision does not eliminate the state-region agreement required for these activities, nor does it directly authorise new drilling. Only if the region fails to give its opinion within the prescribed timeframe may the government appoint a commissioner to express the agreement in place of the region. The research services of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate are currently examining precisely this mechanism and its legal implications as part of the process of converting the decree into law.

“Once again, Rome seems to be claiming the right to make decisions over our heads, without involving the communities, local councils, associations and citizens who live in and defend this area on a daily basis,” is the position of the Policoro branch of the PD, which has issued a lengthy statement describing the possibility of appointing a commissioner as “a very serious act”. In general, the hostility is directed towards increased crude oil extraction: “To even consider further increasing extraction activities today means condemning our region to a future of greater environmental pressure, greater land consumption and a greater risk of pollution”.

In Rome, however, the PD has sent out another signal: it is criticising the government’s approach but seeking to rectify the tax situation to bring more resources to the region. Thus, MP Enzo Amendola and Senator Daniele Manca have tabled an amendment “to restore a proper balance between taxation and the region regarding oil extraction, by recognising the resources to which Basilicata is entitled precisely by virtue of the extraction currently taking place”. Corrective measures without a final resolution: “It is unacceptable that, given the quantity of oil already extracted in Basilicata, local residents should have to pay the highest fuel prices in Italy at the pump. Before any announcements of new extraction projects and even before the commissioners mentioned by the Prime Minister, there is a question of social justice regarding this region,” stated Amendola.