Weekly “Arguments and Facts” No. 31. Without flag or anthem, but with medals and Tchaikovsky 04/08/2021
The little woman was tough, promising that she would seek redress for the damage done to nature. And she did. In addition to the cleaning activities carried out at the expense of Norilsk Nickel, its subsidiary Energy company Norilsk-Taimyr paid 146.2 billion rubles. Never before has such sums been collected from a business.
The head of the Federal Service for the Monitoring of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor) Svetlana Radionova told AiF that she was proud of this victory.
Not scary in combat
& mdash; You probably didn't believe me then, like millions of people. It was very difficult for us. It's both the great physical activity, when they were working out at it after the accident, and the cold, plus all of our guys got sick with covid (we weren't talking about it then ). Have you seen me & mdash; in gloves, masks. I just lived there & mdash; flew, worked, slept. & nbsp;
But now there is a result. And now everyone understands that this is not a faraway land & mdash; good, but not ours. No, we live in a society where justice can prevail. For me, this is a very important word in life: justice.
Of course, we are acting within the law and will not marry him. But we do our job, aware that it is not only in accordance with the law, but also justice. Well, and the sense of righteousness and the emotions arising from victory, & mdash; this is perhaps the brightest and most beautiful feeling after love.
Photo: Rosprirodnadzor Press Service.
& mdash; Svetlana Gennadievna, then, looking at you, & nbsp; such a small woman next to such tall men, I thought to myself: where did this combativeness come from?
& mdash; Apparently, unlike my short stature (well, God didn't give – laughs) with our tasks and decisions, it seems like activism. I just believe in what I do. I have a bad trait: I don't know how to present well, do public reports. In the field, in a tent with men, I feel more confident, and everything becomes clearer.
Fight? Probably, there is such … And this, apparently, from the belief that we do everything right, and the belief in people. I really hope for the people who work with me. REFERENCE Svetlana Radionova graduated from Saratov Law Academy in 1999. 2011 – Russian State University of Oil and Gas named after V.I. Gubkin, in 2012 – RANEPHiGIS. She worked in the Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Commission of the Russian Federation. In 2010-2018 – Deputy head of Rostekhnadzor. Responsible for Rosprirodnadzor since 2018.
& mdash; It also takes courage in this kind of work. We understand how great men are able to behave when it comes to their interests (it's not Norilsk Nickel anymore). Are you afraid ?
& mdash; Yes that can be scary, I'm blonde … (laughs) But you know I'm so scared of being scared that I hate this state. If the room is dark, on entering it the first thing I do is find the switch and turn on the light & mdash; so that it is not scary. Well at work I know it will be a lot worse if you don't. It will be worse if you stop. Therefore, you cannot stop.
Everyone knows the motto of the paratroopers: 'No one other than us. & # 39; & # 39; So it is very applicable to our work. Scary often happens after. When you are in combat, you are not afraid.
You know, a very rich man once asked me, “Well, & nbsp; why are you trying so hard? I replied that by working here I was doing my job well. I will work elsewhere & mdash; I will try there. I believe the state hired us to do our job well.
Photo: Rosprirodnadzor press service.
& mdash; How do you feel when you are under pressure?
& mdash; They often put pressure on us. At least they're trying to push. The first feeling in such situations is & mdash; disgust. The second & mdash; want to fight back. It's also probably because I don't like to be scared.
I collect hippos and know a lot about them. There is an expression: “The hippo has poor eyesight, but with its weight, that's not its problem.” The hippo appears to be running aggressively. Actually not aggressive, but because he's shy. Precisely because he is afraid, he runs to the source of danger.
General cleaning
& mdash; You have been working at Rostekhnadzor for many years. This is a completely different oversight. Was it difficult to delve into the specifics of the maximum allowable concentrations?
& mdash; The first thing I did when I got here was & mdash; looked at the supervisee lists and said, “ Hello again! '' That is, I work with almost the entire industry, but I have also worked with her at Rostekhnadzor and know the industry very well.
But here I started to remember the times that I hadn't paid attention to back then because they were not within my purview. I saw, for example, a polluted area, but it was not my job. And now I remember with what disdain they would tell us: & # 39; Here the environmentalists have come & # 39; & # 39; ; don't worry, we'll take care of them. And that is shocking. Maybe, of course, the same disdain was for us, only we didn't see this & mdash; No one will tell it to your face.
I came to Rosprirodnadzor not alone & mdash; with the whole team. The first six months earlier & nbsp; only at 2:30 a.m. & nbsp; we did not leave from here. Many, many, many have searched, studied, analyzed, looked at, immersed. We are still studying something, but somewhere we have brought our own vision.
We have met a lot and met companies. We are not enemies of those who do not harm nature. We have formed a scientific and technical board, because we understand that no one is the smartest, and often competent expert advice is needed.
Photo: Rosprirodnadzor Press Service.
& mdash; Sergei Kuzhegetovich, flying over the Arctic, was so impressed by the traces of economic activity that he announced a general cleanup of this area. You have headed the department for three years. Obviously they've traveled all over the country before. What can you say about our situation in general?
& mdash; Of course, I have traveled across the country. And then the Deputy Prime Minister came with us. She also cares about what happens to our nature. Victoria Valerievna Abramchenko came after our trips to the Prime Minister, told about the situation. Mishustin announced a closed-cycle economy, and the socio-economic development strategy, which the government is currently discussing, includes a large section on general cleanup. This is in addition to the national 'Ecology' project. In my opinion, action has been taken of great importance.
Air, soil and water
& mdash; Which industries represent the most serious threats to the environment?
& mdash; If we are talking about rivers & mdash; this of course is about the state of the water utilities and anything to do with treatment facilities and industrial flooding. Over 60% of water pollution & mdash; water services. Today, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities both have extensive treatment facility reconstruction programs. We are finally starting to build them on the seas, which makes me personally very happy. Why we still don't have a clear sea & mdash; & nbsp; I do not understand.
The company, of course, always has the desire to introduce 2-3 lines of a poultry farm first, and only then, when the money is earned, to introduce set up treatment plants. Because they don't want to spend the money right away. And this is a disaster for the territory.
As for air, the main pollutants & mdash; they are metallurgists. Severstal, Norilsk Nickel, Rusal, Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant, Mednogorsk Copper and Sulfur Combine operate in 12 of the dirtiest cities in Russia … In addition, coal-fired boilers pollute the air a lot.
The soil is damaged by the barbaric behavior of some underground users, who use natural resources in the wildest way, not wanting to modernize technologies. It's like having a watermelon & mdash; cut out the middle and throw the rest away to rot in the sun.
And the second serious source of soil pollution is & mdash; it is our common waste, which we produce a lot and which already has a completely different component composition than it was 20-30 years ago.
& mdash; Many industrial giants are reporting that they are modernizing their production facilities, installing super filters, building new processing plants, and that environmental damage from their activities is a thing of the past. What can you say: have the owners really become responsible for the impact of production on nature?
& mdash; These statements are largely false. All of our industrial owners have a lot to do in this regard.
Most companies have engaged in modernization not at all for environmental reasons, but in order to reduce costs. Less water consumption & mdash; pay less. They take less electricity & mdash; pay less. That is, they count the money.
Let's not go back to the steelworkers, but let's talk to the people who live near our animal breeding giants. There are not only smells but also direct damage to farmland. Animal waste is simply taken to the field. Moreover, they themselves believe that this is normal, they say, they always carried cow droppings to the fields. Yes, but only such a huge herd of 10,000 head ever existed, and the cows grazed in the meadows & mdash; they ate grass, not what they eat now.
Those territories and companies that are now included in the general cleaning & mdash; there is a lot of accumulated damage. Where is he from? Obvious reluctance to do anything to clean up. These are Usolye-Sibirskoe, Volgograd Chemical Plant, Altai Khimprom and Ufakhimprom.
We are now working with legislators and explaining to them that we cannot give companies the possibility of endlessly increasing the number of facilities where they deposit their waste. For example, a sludge collector no longer has & mdash; the second will be put, then the third, the fifth … The land is great, & nbsp; there is enough room. And then the business died & mdash; and there won't be anyone to do anything?
& mdash; The state will recover at its own expense …
& mdash; The state does not have an account. We pay with you & mdash; taxpayers.
But, on the other hand, it makes no sense to torture a business with fines if it shows the momentum for improvement. We understand that it is impossible to drastically change the situation overnight. And we understand that it is impossible to leave the dialogue & mdash; you have to maintain the desire for change. It's like a child. If I tell my kid he fails he will give up. But I say, 'Well you've done something already, well done! Let’s try again. & # 39; & # 39; And he is encouraged to continue to do so.
Direct communication
& mdash; You are active on social networks. Previously, the ministry did not seek to release the results of its inspections until the prosecution was terminated. And now you are announcing your current findings, even entering public discussions.
& mdash; It is my horror. I think periodically: maybe close Instagram? I communicate there myself (when I drive by car – there is no other time), and it is very difficult.
Actually, I have few subscribers. I am not a blogger. I have nothing to show except shape and some kind of environmental pollution.
There were several reasons for maintaining an account. First of all, I wanted to understand what people really think and how willing they are to spend their time communicating about these topics. The second & mdash; I wanted to tell you that the department is changing. Well, and the third & mdash; we live in the 21st century and I think we should not use the communication technologies given to us & mdash; it is atavism. I don't want to be a dinosaur. Therefore, I carry this personal burden. They write to me a lot and rude …
& mdash; Trade disputes.
& mdash; Oh yes! But business & mdash; it is good. But it happens that they evaluate my appearance or say that I am the letter 'p'; I'm not saying it. However, there are also very good people who understand the situation, know where to look at certain documents, who to talk to. For their sake, I continue to keep an account. I am also present in Telegram channels & mdash; where you can respond in the comments. I mainly answer people from the regions & mdash; that we have seen this problem, this one.
Volunteer helpers
& mdash; Is the institution of public inspectors in the department that you are developing spontaneously forming or has there been some orientation in there? Who are these people ?
& mdash; He was even before us, but probably not as active. Although even now in my opinion there is not enough activity. Public inspectors & mdash; they are volunteers. And I would like some voluntary organizations to pay attention to us.
We are 3,000 people across the country & mdash; we can't look around every corner. Therefore, we are waiting for helpers & mdash; people who are not committed, not mad, not so angry, who say that everything is bad and that it will never be good. We need positive people who see what's wrong, but want to work with us to make it feel good.
& mdash; Was there a lot of advice from these people?
& mdash; A little, but there are some very substantial ones. We have closed, for example, a coal port & mdash; this is based on the urgent collection of information by our public inspector. He also acted as a witness in court.
There are active and intelligent people in the North Caucasus. I communicate with a whole group on Kavminvody.
& mdash; What are you talking about ?
& mdash; About land, pollution of sources, illegal logging and illegal construction. After all, it's not just about building & mdash; it changes the landscape, exerts anthropogenic pressure on groundwater bodies. The greater the pressure on the slope or on the mountain, the more water migrates to other horizons. Everything is interconnected. Nature & mdash; a single living organism. As we are with you. If one hand isn't working for us, the other will be under a lot of stress. If there are problems with the circulatory system, then there will be poor coordination & mdash; as a result, you can bump and injure your knees.
& mdash; How do you assess the potential of our people, their willingness to take care of nature?
& mdash; I believe 85% are ready. I think the potential is high, but so far we haven't even half revealed it. I believe that in 10 years the company will be radically different. Throw the garbage in the forest, leave the dirt behind or execute an illegal order to turn off the filters & mdash; that would be the equivalent of hitting a child today. The mentality will change.
Ecology & mdash; everyone's business. And everyone should understand and remember this. And write also, please, that ecology & mdash; this is not a fashion trend. It is still true.