| Scanzano Jonico (or Ionico) and the site for a national nuclear waste repository
(in «Stockholm International Conference on Geological Respositories: Political and Technical Progress» - december 2003) After the referendum held on 1987, Italy has banned the generation of energy from nuclear reactors.
Currently, Italy is confronted with the problem of dismantling nuclear power stations and of ensuring safety solution for nuclear waste (Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel Material and irradiated fuel elements). Some of the waste presently produced comes from research, industrial or medical activities (1.500 mc/year of low and medium level waste).
The numbers of the problem are (Rubbia, 2003):
− 25.000 mc of waste;
− 1.500 elements of depleted nuclear fuel;
− 130 of fresh fuel, 132 of irradiated fuel;
− 33 mc of vitrified wastes;
− 60.000 mc of waste from dismantling.;
− the nuclear materials are stored in quite 150 sites spread across the national territory and the control standards are not adequate (Draft Law of conversion of the D.L. 314 - relation). Currently, the yet-high connected risks, due to the considerable number of sites and not homogeneous storage management procedure, seem to be worsened by the international scenario because of the hyphothesys of terroristic actions (Draft Law of conversion of the D.L. 314 - relation).
On march 2003, the Italian Prime Minister appointed the President of the Nuclear Plants Management Company SOGIN as Nuclear Safety Commissioner, with the specific task to provide the maximum degree of safety for nuclear materials and to initiate the plants dismantling procedures. The Commissioner, in agreement with the Conference of Regional Authorities Presidents, had to promote a study to identify successful solutions to a centralized management of radiation waste storage (O.P.C.M. 20.03.2003).
The Decree-Law n.314 of november the 14th has announced the realization of a national geological storage of all II and III category nuclear material and the irradiated elements, in the area of Scanzano Ionico, in the Basilicata Region. The site is declared as military defence installation of National properties. The Decree-Law allows emergency procedure and the deadline to complete the work is 12.31.2006. The Company that will realize the work (the same SOGIN) has to validate the site with a subsequent study. On the same site the temporary storage structures are to be built. (D.L. 314 14.11.2003) 
The selection criteria concerning the technology to be used and of the identification of the location are not clearly specified. In the Decree-Law it is held that the site of Scansano has been chosed in relation of the soil geomorphological features. Many researches have expressed some reserve on the identification of the site, in relation to the proximity to the sea (600mt), the cost regression process of 0.5 m/year, the location in sismic area 3, the geologial features itself, and the high population density (Rubbia, 2003). The identification of the site has been neither concerted nor communicated in advance to the concerned Local Authorities.
The issue of the Decree-Law has created the alarm state among the population of the area: immediately from the beginning a pacific occupation of the site has been carried out and information and public awareness activities have been launched. From the first moment it was clear, to the common people and to the Local Authorities, that the implementation of such a depository represents an enormous hazard for an area larger that the municipal one, involving a great part of southern Italy, ad for the people living in. It was also clear that, apart from the health hazard, the construction of a permanent nuclear storage would seriously damage the tourism and agricultural based economy of the area. The area of Metapontino, where Scanzano is located, is a promising touristic reality and an important rural area whose precious and biological production is exported all over Europe. During the recent decades many public and private investments have been making to consolidate and to reinforce the position on touristic and fruit and vegetables market, according to sustainable development programmes fostered and supported at EU and local level. The Government decision on the site would vanish the attempts made by the local community to preserve the environment, to enhance the natural resources, and contextually to create concrete opportunities to invert the depopulation regional trend.
The claim of the Institutions has added to the popular one: the local municipalities has interpreted the role of mouth piece of worries and demands from the relevent population; furthermorethe regional administration has complained the lack of involvement and consultation in the decision making process.
The awareness-raising activity of the population, Istitutions, stakeholders, political parties, trade union organizations, environmental movements, a wide range of gross-roust associations joining the protest, has achieved a success greater than expected: 14 day long occupation of site and trasport infrastructure facilities around it, more than 22.000 subscription at the on-line protest petition demanding the cancellation of the Decree-Law, the formal demand of cancellation to the Government by the Conference of Regional Authorities Presidents, the reports of different-field researchers expressing dissents and doubts on the decision (Rubbia, 2003; La Reppubblica, 2003a; La Reppubblica, 2003b; Autorità Interregionale di Bacino della Basilicata, 2003).   
The Government has not cancelled the Decree-Law but has amended it erasing the name of Scanzano, giving the Commissioner one year to indicate the definitive site by the aid af a scientific commission and by comparison with other solutions proposed by the Conference of Regional Authorities Presidents, and confirming the centralized and accelerated procedure for the environmental impact assessment and the military concern of the site. (Emandation at the D.L. 314 14.11.2003 on 27.11.2003)
The emendation is only a first achievement; currently the Draft Law of conversion is object of a debate in the Parlament and the opposition to it is strong and widespread.
The above mentioned events gives evidence of as the awareness of population on health, environment, self-determination, land use planning, and institutional relationship is mature enough so that such an impacting decision cannot be taken against the will of the people and without the agreement with local administration. The allocation and storage of nuclear waste cannot be faced as a mere question of science or discussed as a technical concern; it is primarily a political matter, ad
the most recent story of Scanzano has demonstrated it.
A forecast for the future: wherever the Commissioner will decide to allocate the national final storage of nuclear materials according to the current Decree-Law, without scientific studies and long-term tests on-site obout the hazard for population and activities, without a wide information to the population and without involving the concerned Local Authorities, there the local comunity will avoid it in every way. References:
La Repubblica [2003b], A. Cianciullo, Tutti i rischi del cimitero nucleare, 15.11.2003, p.15, in italian.
La Repubblica [2003a], L. Parise, Pratesi: un’idea discutibile serviva un altro confronto, 15.11.2003, inserto Bari, p.2, in italian.
C. Rubbia [2003], Audizione alla VIII Commissione Ambiente della Camera dei Deputati, in merito al D.L. 14/11/2003 n.314, in italian.
Autorità Interregionale di Bacino della Basilicata, [2003], Diagramma della popolazione interessata, in italian. source: Basilicata Region
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