Blogs: Protecting Patagonia

As I get ready to head up to Nevada City, CA for screenings of Patagonia Rising at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival today, I can't help but reflect on the current state of the campaign to protect Patagonia from the HidroAysén dams and transmission lines.

The Supreme Court of Chile heard the case against HidroAysén on Friday December 23, 2011. A verdict is expected sometime this month, although the court could be sneaky and issue their ruling in February, when everyone in Chile is on vacation (think August in Europe and the US), and the likelihood of mass protests would be at its lowest. Once the court rules, the Council of Ministers will issue their opinion on the matter. Since this is a part of the new legislation from 2010, no one is quite sure what to expect from the Council of Ministers, and what kind of weight their opinion will have in the matter.

HidroAysén has pushed back the date for turning in the transmission line EIA yet again, now saying they will likely submit it in June of 2012.

One of the beautiful lakes in Patagonia along the Carretera Austral, on the way to Cochrane (Berklee Lowrey-Evans, March 2011)

The first official news of the proposed route for the HidroAysén transmission line was released yesterday by Chile's La Tercera. Over the next two weeks, the company will begin meeting with residents of Chaitén and Cochrane to discuss the route and - no doubt - HidroAysen's plans to snatch the lands and/or the rights to build the lines through these areas.

The reported rumors of a change in route are true - the transmission line is indeed planned to go underwater for 160km of the full 1,912 km length of the line, from the mouth of the Río Yelcho near Chaitén to Puerto Montt. This means that the line will not cut through Parque Pumalín, which has been a contentious issue for many years.

Yesterday morning the Appellate Court of Puerto Montt decided to reject the 7 appeals for legal protection that were filed in May by a diverse group of people and organizations opposed to HidroAysén.

As we celebrate our independence in the United States this weekend, Chileans will be demanding that their government follow the will of the people and cancel the HidroAysén project in Patagonia.

This morning saw a great success for the legal team working in Chile to stop the destructive HidroAysén project in Patagonia.

The Appellate Court in Puerto Montt accepted three recursos de protección – roughly equivalent to injunctions – which means that the project is on hold for up to three months until these issues are resolved.

These recursos are an important and welcome addition to the ongoing Chilean and international campaign to stop these unnecessary dams in the breathtaking corner of the world known as Patagonia.

¡Patagonia vive; la lucha sigue! (Patagonia lives; the fight goes on!)

¡Los que no saltan son de HidroAysén! (Those who aren't jumping are with HidroAysén!)

¡Paaaatagonia – Sin Represas! (Patagonia - Without Dams!)

These were just some of the messages I spent the morning chanting at a demonstration in front of the Chilean Consulate in San Francisco. Between 9am and 1pm, about 75 people came out to support the Chilean movement for a Patagonia Sin Represas.

As you probably know by now, the EIA for HidroAysén was approved on Monday. There have been widespread protests around the country all week, especially in Santiago and Coyhaique (where the vote happened), with more events planned for this weekend.

As is unfortunately all too common in Chile, there has also been police brutality against the mostly peaceful protestors, with some of my colleagues being arrested and beaten.

I've been trying to write a blog all week with a roundup of the news coverage, but have been overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of it in both Chile and the rest of the world. The interest this story has generated is truly amazing, as has been the outpouring of support.

Yesterday was a día de manifestaciones (day of protests) in Chile - thousands of people took to the streets all across the country to protest against HidroAysén in anticipation of the decision due on the project by May 16.

3,500 people turned out for a protest in Santiago on April 26, 2011 to show their support for a Patagonia Sin Represas. (Credit @patogomez via twitpic.com)

I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried last night as the videos and photos began to be shared on Facebook; I was incredibly moved to see so many people stand up for what they believe in - a Patagonia Sin Represas (Patagonia Without Dams). And I cannot give enough credit to all our partners and their allies in Chile who made this day happen. It was truly remarkable.

Today marks the close of the comment period for the public agencies to submit their observations on the third and final addenda to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the HidroAysén project. This means that the Environmental Review Commission could approve or deny the project as early as tomorrow, although they have until May 16, 2011 to do so

I was lucky enough to spend the first two weeks of March 2011 in Chile. It was my first time back in the country in 4 years, since I spent a semester studying in the capital of Santiago. Last time I was there, I was concerned with getting to class on time, figuring out the bus system, and trying to understand all the chilean sayings, such as al tiro – right away, and bacán – cool. This time, I was still struggling to keep up with the sayings, but I was also concerned with meeting as many of the members of the Consejo de Defensa de la Patagonia Chilena as possible, and visiting the areas of Patagonia that would be affected by the proposed HidroAysén project.

The Osorno volcano and a river near Puerto Varas, Chile. (Berklee Lowrey-Evans, March 2011)

After a few days spent in meetings in Santiago, I headed south. My first stop was Puerto Varas, to meet with the staff at Parque Pumalín, one of the campaign partners. Although Patagonia has no formal boundaries, some people think that Puerto Varas is the northern tip of the region. Regardless of this designation, it's a place of amazing beauty, with volcanoes and lakes everywhere.

From there, I flew down to the heart of Patagonia – Coyhaique – which is also the headquarters of one of our main partners in the region, Aisén Reserva de Vida. Although nearly all of the organizations we're partnering with in Chile are small and underfunded, they've managed to do some really amazing work throughout this campaign.