OREANDA-NEWS. On 02 July 2008 was announced, that the Primorie environmentalists are concerned about gipsy moth non-controllable reproduction imported in Chinese pipes used for ESPO construction. A warm weather having set in, the insect got down to invading significant territories of the Far Eastern forests, the environmentalists inform. However, instead of drastic efforts aimed at eliminating the pests, the activists keep insisting on termination of cooperation with the Chinese manufacturers and suggest that pipe products from China be banned.

Announcements of the information agencies on this subject were commented on by The Eastern Oil Pipeline expert portal. The comment, in particular, notes that the gipsy moth fighting campaign started as early as last autumn. Then the insects were allegedly found on pipes for ESPO construction, which were unloaded in the Aldan District. However, specialists from the South Yakutia border inspection in charge of plant quarantine say the gipsy moth is not dangerous in the nearest months. The fact is that the insect starts to reproduce at a temperature of higher than 10 degrees Centigrade, and as early as in October 2007 average temperature in South Yakutia was close to zero. By the way, individual publications mentioned the earlier  recorded cases of gipsy moth drift with Japanese cars that are rather popular in Russia. Noteworthy that the prohibition requirements apply to individual categories of foreign products only.

The other day, the Primorie Environmental Agency of the Bureau of Regional Public Companies (BRPC) sent an application to Mr. Anatoly Kvashnin and Mr. Oleg Safoniv, authorized representatives of the President in the Northern Federal District and the Far Eastern Federal District, which goes about Transneft management’s and local authorities’ lack of understanding and awareness of the scope of the problem with the Chinese gypsy moth. In the opinion of BRPC representatives, personal intervention of authorized representatives would enable to promptly and timely resolve this issue. In this case, environmentalists believe that introduction of the quarantine ban to Chinese pipe products import would reverse the situation only. The next step should become qualification of the products as goods subject to statutory phito-sanitary control.

In spring, BRPC management distributed the application requesting to prohibit import of Chinese pipe products. The document was addressed to the Federal Customs Service, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Russian Committee for Supervision over Agricultural Products and the Russian Committee for Consumer Supervision. Moreover, the letter appealing to cease cooperation with Chinese pipe manufacturers was sent to TNK-BP. Commenting on the actions taken by the public agency, Mr. Anatoly Lebedev, BRPC’s Chairman, openly states he  accepted the proposal to distribute, on behalf of the agency, an already drafted letter, a scientific substantiation of which can be appreciated by a specialist only.  It is, nonetheless, admitted on BRPC’s website that the agency is not engaged in scientific research; however, it is willing to intervene in a court proceeding or appraisal, a mass protest action and anti-poacher plan.

At present, the action plan to fight quarantine pests was adopted in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). While the Primorie-based agency continues making highlight declarations, the Yakutian Government is implementing drastinc steps to fight the pest. Forest divisions of the Aldan, Neryungry, Lensk and Olekminsk Districts, together with phito-sanitary supervision specialists of the Russian Committee for Agricultural Supervision, held a comprehensive examination of the location for warehousing and storage of materials for the ESPO oil pipeline construction. According to the Yakutian Environment Protection Ministry Vladimir Grigoriev, according to the audit, the issue was reviewed at a meeting of the Republic Government’s anti-epizooty commission.

Specialists of the Khabarovsk Area forestry division believe that the gypsy moth population has settled on several thousands of hectares of the Far Eastern forest rather long ago. It means that the insects might have well laid their eggs into the pipes after the pipes had been unloaded in Russia.

Moreover, it is not quite right to make Transneft entirely liable for gypsy moth’s intervention to Transneft. Firstly, control over penetration of harmful pests should have been exercised by the appropriate bodies. It is also logic that the core lines of business of the company that is engaged in oil pipeline transport facilities does not implies existence of staff entomologists who are able to track and assess the actual threat posed by imported insects to Far Eastern forests. Obviously, the matters of biologic content in an equipment package for construction of Transneft’s facilities are not included into the company’s competence.

The Eastern Oil Pipeline expert portal notes: “Unfortunately, the environmental aspects of major investment projects of such scale as ESPO are becoming a matter for speculations and an instrument for exercise of economic interests increasingly more often. At present, Russian pipe manufacturers are announcing reduction in sales of own products, due to changes in construction of Phase I ESPO. Actually, the problems with sales of pipes used in laying down trunk oil pipelines, including ESPO, are becoming increasingly more acute. Environmentalists’ current requirements as to banning of Chinese pipe import, rather than developing a series of efforts to eliminate the pest confirm once again that public agencies are becoming an efficient tool for achieving quite tangible economic interests”.