Lezignan Corbieres’s unfortunate Bitumen Factory

The unfortunate decision to build a bitumen factory at the border of Lezignan Corbieres and Ferrals des Corbieres has caused an unholy stink. For at least the last month there has been a constant protest in my Wednesday market in Lezignan Corbieres, with protesters from the Collectif contre i’usine de bitume handing out leaflets outlining the environmental impact of the factory as well as the traffic implications and collecting signatures for their petition.

The site itself is on the road between Lezignan Corbieres and Fabrezan, at the limit of Leziginan Corbieres and Ferrals des Corbieres with a part of the bitumen factory in both communes.. The company involved, Colas Midi Méditerranée, is a subsidiary of the giant Bouygues empire. Most people know Bouygues Telecoms, but it is predominately an Energy and Construction global business with a digital infrastructure and outsourcing wing. The company has a long history of working with local governments providing a wide range of services from tarmac to telecoms, road maintenance to civic construction. 

Colas Midi Méditerrané is part of the Colas group, a huge enterprise, who’s name is based on Cold Asphalt. The company was initially set up in 1924 by Shell and Générale d’Entreprise, and was launched to exploit the Cold Asphalt production technique developed ironically  by two English chemists Hugh Alan Mackay and George Samuel Hay. Nowadays Colas is heavily involved with all aspects road and rail network building and maintenance, A business that means they work very closely with the Muncipalities, Departments, Regions and National Government, that is the people who issue the tenders for public works that is Colas bread and butter.

In December 2016 Vinca, the construction and auro-route giant spent around 800 million euros to buy Colas 16.8% .of the auroroute company Cofiroute.  We will return to this a bit further down this article.

Colas Midi Méditerrané is deeply implanted in the Aude and has close ties to Lezignan Corbieres. They are one of the sponsors of FC Lezignan Corbieres XIII, the rugby team, a passion close to Mr Maique’s heart, and ex rugby man and Mayor of Lezignan Corbieres. They recently paved and covered the new market place that we will all be moving too sometime in September.

So what is a hot mix bitumen factory and why all the heated debate? Well simply put a bitumen factory is where the two key elements in asphalt are put together, the  black viscous binder, which is a by  produce of the oil refinery industry, is heated up to make it liquid and then mixed with a aggregate, usually crushed rock, gravel and sand, other chemicals and additives can be added to stabilise the mix. It is then poured into large transporters which carry it off to what ever work site has ordered it.

The argument against the bitumen factory are;

Environmental, chemical emissions from the process will two fold, firstly from the process itself and secondly from water seepage into the water table.There is a major concern that both of these could have a negative impact on the surrounding environment.

Health, as well as the impact of the factory emissions on the natural environment there are concerns on its impact on human health. Lezignan Corbieres has recently has a new lycee built by the Region, the lycee is situated 2 kms down wind from,the proposed bitumen factory.

Infrastructure.  The factory will lead to heavy vehicles passing along the route national and through small villages that are ill suited to large transporters.

Touristic, the Corbieres has a thriving tourist industry, the situation of the factory is by the main access to the Corbieres and will have a negative impact on the tourist trade.

The main arguments for the factory that I have heard is that we will still be repairing the roads, so no more trucks will be passing through the back country than usual. The stuff has to be made somewhere so why shouldn’t Lezignan Corbieres benefit from the jobs and investment. The environmental and health issues are over stated and there is no real concerns. And on the tourist side, well it is not as if we are asking tourists to camp under the factory, people will drive by on their way to Lagrasse and hardly notice the factory, if they want good roads to drive on then that is the price for them.Last but not least is the proposed expansion of the auto-route from two lanes to three. Vinca, the company responsible, usually do their own work rather than outsource it. They install temporary factories that they knock up on site, these have much higher emissions than fixed site bitumen factories.

So what do I think?

Emissions from Bitumen Factories are usually steam, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur oxide, and benzene in the form of a thick black smoke. This article in the New York Times indicates that their are a series of unanswered questions about the chemicals used in hot mix bitumen factories both in the process itself, the emissions created by the process and the emissions from the product.

Water is used to dampen down the dust leading to concerns about chemical leakage into the water table.

Marini Fayat give a detailed  account on how the process works in a bitumen factory and the various emissions that are produced along the production line Emissions into the Environment

In my opinion this is the key objection, the Corbieres is a site of incredible natural beauty with an agricultural base,vines, that are very sensitive to air quality. The impact on the vines of a bitumen factory is unknown, I for one do not think it is worth the risk of endangering a known revenue source for a small new employer.

Colas Midi Méditerrané in their filing for planing permission estimate there will be 174 movements a day in and out of the plant. The majority is expected to be between the bitumen factory and the auro-route exit, but there will naturally be a need to transport the product to where it is needed in Les Corbieres and the Minervois.

The latter argument I find less convincing, if asphalt is needed for a job it will be transported to the job by lorry, whether that lorry leaves the existing bitumen factories in outside Narbonne and Carcassonne or the proposed one in Lezignan Corbieres. they are not going to stop fixing roads. Lorries are still gong to pass through villages where ever the stuff comes from.

The first argument is however stronger, large quantities of raw materials will need to be constantly delivered to the site and the finished product shipped out. The single lane Route nationale that connects the site with the auto-route is in no state to deal with that quantity of traffic.

The pro argument about the environmental impact of a fixed hot mix bitumen factory vs Vinca’s mobile factories is also a bit of a red herring, Vinca and Bouygues are major, bitter and long standing competitors, there is no way that Vinca would outsource such a major part of their business and profit margin to Colas.

So me, I support the Collectif position, support their work and will continue to stick their posters and materials on my plant stall in Lezignan Corbieres market every Wednesday.

So where are we now with the proposed factory?

Well the anti lobby has been really effective, so far the President of the Department, Andre Viola has advised against the factory, the syndicate des AOC Corbieres et du cru Boutenac, the principal wine makers of the area are against the project, the Syndicat des Vignerons de l’Aude are against the project, the Aude Chamber of Agriculture are against the project, the regional independent wine makers federation are against the project, all the local tourist associations are against it. Most importantly the independent expert appointed by the Prefect has found against the project.

The next key date is the 20th September. The Conseil de l’Environment et des Risques Sanitaires et Technologique meets on that date to give discuss their advice on the factory.

The Prefect will make his decision after he has their advice.The Prefect is Paris’s top man on the ground, he has no local democratic accountability and can over rule local elected officials. It would, given the depth of local feeling on the issue be unusual for him to go against his own independent advisor, but it is not unheard of.

The other unknown factor is Lezignan Corbiere’s Mayor, Mr Maique, he has been the principal champion of this projects, albeit behind closed doors keeping the process as low a profile as he could. He know claims to have his doubts. Whether he actually does or not is unknown. That is why the Collectif is calling for a municipal meeting on the subject with a definitive vote to try and pin Mr Maique down on his real position.

You can follow the Collectif campaign in their website and on their regularly updated Facebook Page

If you live locally you may be interested in the positions of surrounding Communes who are members of the Lezignan Corbieres intercommunity.

The debate has also raged in the 34 Mairies of the Communes that make up the intercommunity around Lezignan Corbieres, with a large majority voicing their protest at the project. For an example of the opposition see this conclusion of the discussions of the Council of Ferrals des Corbieres, who were to host a part of the factory The Collectif have published a list of where the Maires stand so far.

Communes against the Bitumen Factory

• Albières : le conseil municipal s’est déclaré CONTRE avec une lettre envoyée à la CCRLCM le 26/07/2018.
• Bouisse : le conseil municipal s’est déclaré CONTRE avec une lettre envoyée à la CCRLCM le 24/07/2018.
• Boutenac : le conseil municipal, réuni le 17/07/2018, a voté CONTRE.
• Camplong : le conseil municipal, réuni le 23/07/2018, a voté CONTRE: ConseilMunicipal_Camplong_230718.
• Cascastel des Corbières : le conseil municipal, réuni le 25/08/2018, a voté CONTRE. Voir la délibération.
• Conilhac : le conseil municipal, réuni le 30/07/2018, a voté CONTRE.
• Coustouge : le conseil municipal du 30/07/2018, s’est prononcé CONTRE – Voir la délibération
• Cruscades : le conseil municipal, réuni le 01/08/2018, a voté CONTRE.
• Fabrezan : le conseil municipal, réuni le 23/07/2018, a voté CONTRE : Conseil_Municipal_Fabrezan_23072018.
• Félines-Termenès : lors de la réunion extraordinaire du 30/07/2018, le conseil municipal s’est prononcé CONTRE – courriel du maire du 30/07
• Ferrals : le conseil municipal, réuni le 12/07/2018, a voté à l’unanimité CONTRE l’installation de la centrale: ConseilMunicipal_Ferrals_120718
• Fontcouverte : le conseil municipal, réuni le 26/07/2018, a voté CONTRE: Conseil_Municipal_Fontcouverte_26072018.
• Homps: le conseil municipal s’est réuni le 02/08/18, a voté CONTRE (moins 2 abstentions) l’installation de la centrale: ConseilMunicipal_Homps_020818.
• Lagrasse : le conseil municipal, réuni le 24/07/2018, a voté CONTRE.
• Lairière: L’équipe municipale émet un avis DÉFAVORABLE. (courriel du 16 aout 2018)
• Lanet : le conseil municipal, réuni le 27/07/2018, a voté CONTRE. Voir la délibération.
• Laroque de Fa : Christine Astruc, maire et conseillère communautaire, se positionne CONTRE l’usine de “bitume” – courriel du 19/07.
• Luc-sur-Orbieu : Le conseil municipal, réuni le 17/07/2018, a voté à l’unanimité CONTRE l’installation de la centrale. ConseilMunicipal_Luc_170718
• Montjoi : la maire, Jessica Bosch est CONTRE le projet – courriel du 23/07.
• Mouthoumet: pas de conseil municipal mais la majorité des conseillers municipaux sont CONTRE (mail reçu de la maire).
• Ornaisons : le maire, Gilles Gasty s’est déclaré CONTRE – courriel du 17/07.
• Paraza : le conseil municipal, réuni le 30/07/2018 a voté CONTRE – voir la délibération
• Quintillan : le conseil municipal, réuni le 29/07/2018, a voté CONTRE – voir la délibération.
• Ribaute – le conseil municipal, réuni le 01/08/2018, a voté une motion CONTRE – voir la délibération.
• Rocquecourbe-Minervois : La maire a consulté par email tous les élus de sa commune. “A la majorité les membres du Conseil Municipal se sont prononcés CONTRE ce projet d’installation – courriel reçu le 3/08/2018
• Saint Laurent de la Cabrerisse : le conseil municipal, réuni le 1/08/2018, a voté CONTRE.
• Saint Pierre des Champs : le conseil municipal a voté CONTRE. Voir la motion.
• Salza : le conseil municipal, réuni le 31/07/2018, a voté CONTRE – Courrier envoyé à la CCRLCM
• Talairan: le conseil municipal réuni le 23/07/2018, a adopté à l’unanimité moins une abstention, une motion CONTRE  – motion_CM_Talairan
• Termes :  le conseil municipal réuni le 08/08/2018 s’est prononcé CONTRE – (copie de la délibération à venir).
• Thézan : Le conseil municipal, réuni le 16/07/2018, a voté à l’unanimité CONTRE l’installation de la centrale :Délibération_Conseil_Thézan_160718
• Tournissan: Le conseil municipal réuni le 01/08/2018 a voté CONTRE à l’unanimité moins une abstention. Voir la motion
• Tourouzelle : son maire, Brice Rufas, vice président de la CCRLCM et président du pays touristique Corbières Minervois est CONTRE – courriel au commissaire enquêteur.
• Villerouge-Termenès : Le conseil municipal, réuni le 16/07/2018, a voté CONTRE l’installation de la centrale : Délibération_Conseil_Villerouge_160718

Communes for the Bitumen Factory

• Lézignan-Corbières : le conseil municipal, réuni le 10/07/2018, s’est prononcé à la quasi unanimité POUR l’installation de la centrale (27 voix pour, 1 contre et 2 abstentions) : compte-rendu (aller à la page 18)
  Marie Hélène Bonnevie, Didier Granat et Alexandre Capelle, élus au conseil communautaire, ont déclaré leur opposition au projet de centrale – courriel du 21/07.

Communes who so far do not have an official position

• Auriac
• Canet d’Aude
• Castelnau d’Aude
• Davejean
• Dernacueillette
• Escales
• Jonquières (conseil municipal prévu le 23/08/18).
• Montbrun des Corbières (conseil municipal prévu fin août pour délibérer sur le sujet).
• Montséret
• Palairac
• Saint André de Roquelongue (Myriam Miquel, conseillère communautaire, est “totalement opposée a ce projet” – courriel du 24/07).
• Saint Couat d’Aude (conseil municipal prévu en septembre)
• Saint Martin des Puits

Communes who have abstained or refused to take a position on the Bitumen Facory

• Albas: La position du conseil municipal d’Albas réuni le 2/08, est “pas de position”.
• Argens-Minervois : le maire ne veut pas se prononcer.
• Massac
• Moux : le maire attend le rapport du commissaire enquêteur pour se prononcer.
• Roubia : le maire ne souhaite pas délibérer sur un sujet ne concernant pas la commune.
• Vignevieille : le conseil municipal s’est prononcé: 6 abstentions, 2 contre, 1 pour: ConseilMunicipal_Vignevieille