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After the decision of the Brandenburg State Environment Agency to continue building the factory of the US electric car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide near Berlin, representatives of nature conservation associations were appalled.
“Making such a serious decision shortly before the Christmas holidays is no longer comprehensible for the two nature conservation associations Nabu and the Green League,” declared the association representatives Christiane Schröder and Michael Ganschow on Thursday.
"The associations find it particularly shocking that the Ministry of Environment's technical supervision is exercised in favor of economic interests."
Schröder and Ganschow refer to a sentence in the letter from the State Environment Agency on Wednesday, in which it is stated that the further construction of the factory no longer has to be linked to the condition that a security deposit for a possible dismantling has actually been provided.
“As part of the exercise of discretion, the State Office for the Environment has also taken into account a corresponding directive from the supervisory authority,” it said.
The Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment had announced that the state of Brandenburg had agreed with Tesla on an extended deadline of January 15 to deposit 100 million euros for possible dismantling costs.
Tesla had not provided the security deposit by December 17th after early approval for further deforestation and the installation of machines for the paint shop.
Then the work was suspended for the time being.
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The federal chairman of the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP), Christian Rechholz accused the State Environment Agency of cheating.
"At the last minute, when the trees are already being cleaned for Christmas Eve, the newspapers are in print and everyone is mentally on Christmas vacation, the authorities allow Tesla to continue building quietly," he criticized.
"This approach is a huge mess."
In the Tesla factory from July 2021 up to ...
Source: dpa / Patrick Pleul
... 500,000 vehicles roll off the production line every year
Source: dpa / Patrick Pleul
A newly cleared area of pine forest.
Source: dpa / Patrick Pleul
The construction of Tesla's first European electric car factory has progressed very quickly so far.
The US electric car manufacturer aims to start production in July 2021.
Tesla is currently building through individual provisional approvals because the decision on the final environmental approval by the state of Brandenburg is still pending.
The Brandenburg State Environment Agency is evaluating a hearing from nature conservationists and local residents.
They fear negative consequences of the factory for the environment, among other things because of the water consumption and because part of the construction site is in a water protection area.