We directed many various inquiries to different structures, concerning acceleration of designing and buildings of a reserve non-trench Lena river crossing of the pipeline, enforcing the Plan of oil spill liquidation with measures of emergency protection at ice floating, about possibility of working out of republican law on oil pollution.

The answers received showed that that reserve crossings will be built at a stage of full development of ESPO oil pipeline, also «the device of a reserve crossing does not raise safety of oil pipeline, and basically it is directed on maintenance the stability of delivery of oil as commercial, commodity operation». We were informed that the Ministry of Nature Protection of Sakha Republic has a working group on bill of republican law on oil pollution. After introduction of the bill on parliamentary hearings, they were to inform us of its further consideration. However, the Ministry of Nature Protection of Sakha Republic informed us in the oral form in December 2009, that the legislative initiative wasn’t supported by the Government of Republic Sakha.

We also sent an inquiry with the offer to include our republican specialists as experts and engineers in the projecting work of the oil pipeline crossings. Experts of our republic have much experience of construction work in difficult environmental conditions of our region, their advice could make the Transneft company to execute the recommendation of Sakha Republic government to use not-trench reserve run of ESPO oil pipeline across the river Lena. We received no answer on that. Later our query was sent by the deputy of the State Duma Fedor Tumusov to Transneft. In the answer they sent to him via the Ministry of Energy it is noted, «that by technical regulations it is possible to build crossings through a water stream over 75 m width in one run, if such decision is well-based in the project. The use of a reserve run is not aimed at safety (!), but at maintenance of uninterrupted and stable delivery of oil». Such is the position of federal state structures which let large business ignore building norms and rules made for securing the safety of big dangerous objects exploitation.

In March, 2009, after some expected delay, Transneft approached to the stage of building of oil pipeline transition through the Lena river. It was made in trench way, despite of all assurances about ecological responsibility of the company, despite of our general efforts to induce them to build it in safer way - tunneling. Predictably, the very ceremony of trenching the pipeline was strictly only for the admitted people: representatives of municipal authority, dancers and one pro-state "ecologist" Afanasyi Egorov from «Green Republic». The representative of the Public ecological monitoring network was not admitted, despite our inquiries.

In June, 2009 we again sent the project of «the Ecological policy of Transneft oil company in Republic Sakha" to its president Tokarev, also noticing that he gave false facts to high officials saying Eyge Environmental Education Center is supported by US Agency of International Development. In the letter we also referred that the company continues to work with formal declaring of its ecological policy whereas on the Round table in January, 2008 oil industry workers promised to be more open.

Besides that work, we continued our eco-educational work in summer children camps where we talked with kids about water use problems, a solicitous attitude to water, and had some thematic games and activities.

In April we organized the round table devoted to the action and protection of the river. Participants accepted the plan of ecological monitoring of lakes of the Tujmaada valley and the river Lena. Some work on monitoring of some water bodies has already started, and we also had preliminary talks with the municipal water treatment and management company Vodokanal on water savings and possible educational work among the population. This work remains in our plans. Since last year Eyge Environmental Education Center has been involved in the work of Public Council of the Lena river basin Water Management Service. Participation in the Council gave possibility to make some important suggestions and inputs in the list of water economic and water security actions plan till year of 2014.

We addressed the public ecological organizations of Siberia and the Far East and worked out common appeal from our coalition in support of building the not-trench reserve transition of an oil pipeline through the Lena river. We received some answer, as always vast and without a definite answer on the raised question.

We would like to highlight active work of public monitoring members in Olekminsk– they revealed that 1 hectare of wood got spoilt due to building of transition of an oil pipeline through the Lena river. The Department of Forestry Relations of Sakha Republic tried to make off-schedule check, but offices of public prosecutor didn’t allowed it. Nevertheless, the fact of the lost wood is taken into consideration and they issued the decree about its transfer to sanitary cut to minimize the influence of wood parasites.

In November 2009 the first incident on the pipeline happened: spill of diesel fuel in Olekminsky region, near the place of transition of oil pipeline through the Lena river. People gave the first signal about it: by the appeal of local population the representative of the Network of public ecological monitoring we we sent letters to the Ministry of Nature Protection , Federal Service on Nature Protection, Nature protection prosecutor office. According to their inspection, the causes of diesel leak on temporary pipeline was poor care of personnel, discrepancy to swapping technical requirements (according to official information about 10 cubic metres spilt).

In 2009 Transneft made a decision to extend the volume of oil transported through the ESPO system, they decided to enlarge it to 50 ml tones a year (30 ml tones now). Non-answered are our numerous inquiries about why Transneft decided to stop opening public reception office in Yakutsk and make public hearings on this enlargement project, while having made such decision earlier.

Owing to our indefatigable inquiries and appeals by the above-stated questions to different structures, the company- exploiter of the ESPO, Vostoknefteprovod, organized a meeting in Olekminsk in November, 2009, where they invited our representative as the interested public. That meeting gave us some answers concerning ESPO, however, the main question – terms and method of building of reserve run through the Lena river – was left without a definite answer.

The grand opening of the first stage of ESPO oil pipeline took place in December, 2009. In the end of October we received the answer from Far Eastern Federal Service on Technical Control that they conduct supervising checks, and after oil company notifies them on termination of construction of all separate objects of the pipeline, the final accreditation process will take place. So, December 2009 saw the official launch of ESPO first stage. What happens quickly after – oil spills on pipeline in January-February, 2010.

And up to the present, there is no definite answer, if the company "Trasneft" will consider the recommendations of our president, government of Sakha republic, appeal from wide public to build a reserve run of transition through the Lena river in safer not-trench way. Our action on protection of Lena river goes on – as the threat of oil pollution of the river, unfortunately, remains. We believe that our common united forces – of people, ecologists, deputies, inspectors of nature protection – can achieve justice in protection of our native Nature, our great River.

Save Lena River Action Organizing Committee