PSPV Requests Port President to Clarify 'Common Front' with City Council Against Macrodepots

PSPV spokesperson in the Alicante City Council, Ana Barceló, has called on the president of the Alicante Port Authority (APA), Luis Rodríguez, to clarify "what the common front consists of, which, according to the Urban Planning councillor, Rocío Gómez, has been established with the City Council" to "prevent" the installation of XC Business 90 SL's macrodepots in the port.

Similarly, she has demanded that Mayor Luis Barcala "detail the terms under which the environmental license was granted to the company and whether this authorization includes any conditions," according to a statement from the socialist municipal group.

"The port president must explain exactly what the common front with the City Council entails to halt the fuel tanks. What actions will Rodríguez take? Is he determined to obstruct the macrodepots after the Barcala government has granted the environmental license? What mechanisms does he plan to implement for this purpose? We have requested an urgent meeting to discuss all the details, as this is a very delicate issue that has garnered unanimous rejection from Alicante society," Barceló stated.

The socialist spokesperson recalled that "over a year ago, the main opposition group requested a full copy of the port's security plan from the Port Authority to determine if the document includes measures to be implemented in the port area if the macrodepots are eventually authorized," a possibility the PSPV "firmly rejects."

Thus, she explains that the port "continues to withhold any document 13 months after the request was filed": "We demand maximum transparency from both the Port Authority and Barcala. The mayor must explain in detail the terms under which the environmental license was granted to the company and whether this document contains any conditions, and must provide all information on a matter that generates enormous social concern."

Similarly, the socialist spokesperson criticized that "the local PP government, in its recent statements, has claimed it will be stringent in fully meeting the necessary requirements": "Had they worked with such diligence instead of ignoring the company's request and relying on administrative silence, it is very likely we would not find ourselves in this predicament."

"Barcala now says he grants the license by legal imperative, but that has been in effect since the Supreme Court (TS) dismissed the City Council's appeal. We demand maximum transparency on such a crucial issue and a report on the possibilities of a nullity appeal," Barceló concluded.