MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Chilean Patagonia dams controversy reaches NY Times
Another controversy has erupted in The New York Times involving Chile and a project to build hydroelectric dams in Patagonia, an initiative which is being questioned by international environmentalists groups.
This time the incident involves a letter published in NYT in which environmentalist campaigner Robert Kennedy Jr. states that Chilean President Michelle Bachelet "opposes big dams". Former president John Kennedy's nephew argues that the project to build hydroelectric dams in Chilean Patagonia "would degrade one of the most beautiful places natural areas on the planet", adding that the project is a legacy form the time of Dictator Augusto Pinochet. Robert Kennedy Jr. Says that a recent editorial from the NYT relative to the Aisen region dams "perfectly captured the current situation in Chile". He ends his letter saying he expects President Bachelet to find a path for citizens that ensures not only economic development but also the protection of nature". Published: April 8, 2008 To the Editor:Your April 1 editorial "Patagonia Without Dams" perfectly captured the current situation in Chile. Just the day before, I met with President Michelle Bachelet to discuss Chile's energy future, and "she indicated to me that she opposes big dams" and is committed to steering Chile to a brighter, sustainable future. "A legacy of General Augusto Pinochet, the proposed plan to dam two of Patagonia's pristine rivers" and build the world's longest transmission line would degrade one of the most beautiful, least spoiled natural areas left on the planet, an area declared a BioGem by my organization, the Natural Resources Defense Council. It would be shortsighted for Chile to meet its energy needs without even taking a hard look at the potential of readily available alternatives including efficiency, solar, geothermal and wind. I was impressed by the growing public opposition from communities in the region and among the public in Chile to the hydroelectric scheme. "It is my hope that President Bachelet will indeed choose a path for her citizens that will assure not only economic development, but also the protection of nature's bounty". Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - New York, April 4, 2008
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