San Antonio Leader || Outer Port: Cosmos Foundation requests new citizen participation opening

Outer Port: Cosmos Foundation requests new opening for citizen participation

The port company, for its part, stated that the project is progressing in strict compliance with all environmental regulations.

The Cosmos Foundation, administrator of the Maipo River Wetland Nature Sanctuary, formally requested the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) to open a new citizen participation process (PAC) to evaluate the information included in the recent Complementary Addendum submitted on June 6 by the San Antonio Port Authority (EPSA) within the framework of the Outer Port project.

“As an organization mandated by the State to conserve the Maipo River Wetland Sanctuary, we believe that a public review of this new information is not only pertinent but necessary. Citizen participation strengthens the legitimacy of a process that has incorporated significant changes into a project that will have an impact on the ecosystem,” said Diego Urrejola, executive director of the Cosmos Foundation.

Arguments

The requirement is based on the fact that this Addendum “introduces substantial modifications that could generate new environmental impacts or significantly expand those already identified, especially in the Maipo River Wetland Nature Sanctuary, a protected area that is part of the project’s zone of influence.”

The organization supports its request with three central arguments. First, they point out that “the Complementary Addendum incorporates a typology applicable to projects that may generate physical or chemical alterations in urban wetlands. This modification was justified by the potential impact on the Maipo River Wetland Nature Sanctuary and the Ojos de Mar lagoon system, which means that the owner (EPSA) recognizes that the clarifications, corrections, or additions contained in the Addendum substantially affect the project or its environmental impacts, which have not been subject to a citizen participation process,” they point out.

The second justification relates to the updated studies and expansion of the Sanctuary’s area of influence. “The Complementary Addendum incorporates and updates a series of technical studies specifically aimed at the protected areas of the Maipo River Wetland Nature Sanctuary, such as vertebrate and invertebrate wildlife, vegetation, landscape, air traffic, and marine water resources. In addition, it expands the project’s area of influence to expressly include this protected area,” they state.

And the third argument refers to voluntary measures that could have direct effects on the ecosystem. “The new environmental document proposes voluntary commitments that directly impact the sanctuary, such as monitoring, vegetation curtains, lighting control, waterfowl studies, and water quality monitoring. Furthermore, the wetland is identified as a potential receiving site for low-mobility wildlife that will be displaced by the project. These measures, although relevant, have not been subject to public review at any prior stage of the process,” the foundation states.

30-day period

Diego Urrejola recalled that “the project manager (EPSA) had more than three and a half years (after requesting four extensions from the SEA) to respond to technical and citizen observations during the environmental processing, while the organizations and experts are requesting a 30-day period to analyze and review the contents of the Complementary Addendum.”

The Cosmos Foundation stated that it is currently analyzing the Supplementary Addendum in detail, with the purpose of verifying whether the technical observations raised in the Consolidated Report of Clarifications, Corrections, or Extensions (ICSARA) for the Outer Port project were adequately addressed by the project owner.

“Territorial development must be built alongside the community, and citizen participation is a key tool for projects of this magnitude to be sustainable over time. Protecting the Maipo River Wetland Sanctuary does not mean halting necessary development, but rather ensuring that it is compatible with the conservation objectives the State has determined to protect and that it is socially and environmentally sustainable in the long term,” Urrejola concluded.

Substantial improvements

When asked about this issue, the San Antonio Port Authority reaffirmed that the Outer Port project “has progressed in strict compliance with all the regulations of the Environmental Impact Assessment System, incorporating substantial improvements in its design thanks to the citizen and technical input received. The project includes robust environmental mitigation and compensation measures, in addition to voluntary commitments that reflect responsible, sustainability-oriented management.”

They added that “this port development is part of Puerto San Antonio’s sustainability policy, which seeks to balance economic growth with environmental protection and social well-being. We reiterate our willingness to engage in transparent dialogue with all stakeholders, confident that collaboration will allow us to build a modern port, harmonious with its surroundings and with shared benefits for the province of San Antonio.”

On June 6, the Port Authority submitted the Outer Port Complementary Addendum to the SEA.

Environmental organizations are requesting a 30-day deadline to analyze the contents of the Supplementary Addendum.