Lettera per l’Abruzzo da James e Dan Fante

  

Attention:
Forest Oil Corporation
Monte Pallano – Colle Santo

James Fante, Thousand Oaks, California

Paese di origine dello scrittore John Fante

Dan Fante, Sedona, Arizona

May 6th 2010

Dear representative of the Ufficio di Valutazione Ambientale of the Abruzzo region,

It has recently come to our attention that the Forest Oil Corporation of Denver has filed an intent to drill the Bomba area for oil and gas, as of March 15th 2010.

We are the children of John Fante, who in his stories never failed to write about the Abruzzo traditions and culture that his parents had taught him, and who with his books gave fame to Torricella Peligna and to its people. As his descendants, we continue to carry genuine love for Abruzzo. We visit the area often and are engaged in several literary and community projects in Torricella, which we love deeply. We have walked the Abruzzo beaches and felt the quiet magnificence of her mountains and forests. Over the years, we have been humbled and honored time and again by the genuineness and kindness of the Abruzzo people.

This letter then, is to express our concern regarding the large scale drilling that the Forest Oil Corporation of Denver has planned for the area surrounding the Bomba lake and which includes, among others, the town of Torricella Peligna.

We sincerely believe that the Monte Pallano – Colle Santo projects will not bring any benefit to Torricella, Bomba and its people and we urge you to save the lake from the oil developers by denying drilling permits.

The project calls for a refinery, multiple wells and pipelines that would forever change the beauty of the Bomba landscape while exposing it to unnecessary dangers. The area surrounding the Monte Pallano project is geologically fragile and large scale drilling could cause instabilities in the existing dam, subsidence and mudslide. It could potentially trigger earthquakes in an already highly seismic area, and pollute water reservoirs. Forest Oil admits as much to its investors and in the documentation provided to your office.

The desulfurization unit planned for the refinery will incinerate about 250,000 kilograms of toxic waste everyday, including highly dangerous substances, such as hydrogen sulfide, cancerous chemicals and heavy metals. The fumes would be visible throughout the area, and would carry the odor of rotten eggs, as is typical of hydrogen sulfide. Apart from the obvious health related questions and issues, it is clear that such infrastructure, with huge metallic plants, incineration columns, tanks, heavy traffic and bad smells would be huge eyesores for visitors to the area and for tourists who have come to appreciate the lake and its natural beauty. Who would want to vacation in an area where it smells of rotten eggs?

From a more global perspective, drilling for oil in such a sensitive and beautiful place is anachronistic. While the world pushes towards renewable energy and tries to reduce its carbon footprint, drilling for dirty and scarce oil in the Bomba lake would be a step backwards.

With his work, our father gave homage to Torricella Peligna and to Abruzzo. Recently a square was dedicated to his memory in downtown Los Angeles. We would like to preserve the natural beauty of his Abruzzo roots as well, so that Torricella and the entire Bomba area can thrive to their fullest potential. There is so much work to be done to make the place a better one, to make sure that its natural beauty can turn into economical well-being for the people and that it can be preserved and shared for generations so come. Let us honor the hard work of the generations before us, by giving a better Abruzzo to the generations that will come after us.

Let us work for a better Abruzzo. Let us keep our beautiful Abruzzo the way it is now, green, healthy, poetic and unadulterated by oil and gas drilling.

Sincerely

James and Dan Fante