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Activists in the Dannenröder forest against the further construction of the A49
Photo: Boris Roessler / dpa
The protest against the extension of the A49 between Kassel and Frankfurt is becoming increasingly violent.
While activists linger in the treetops of the Dannenröder Forest, which has been cleared for clearing, other protesters rope up from motorway bridges.
The police took some of them into custody.
At the same time, the opponents of the controversial motorway project are not giving up their technical and legal battle and are thus causing the green transport minister of Hesse, Tarek Al-Wazir, to have explanations.
An expert opinion, initiated by his planning authorities, on how the extension of the A49 motorway will affect the groundwater in Central Hesse, apparently shows errors and deficiencies.
A counter-opinion comes to this judgment, which the action alliance "No A49" commissioned the Marburg advisory office RegioConsult and which is available to SPIEGEL.
Accordingly, the technical contribution of the official experts is based on outdated and incomplete data.
The planned intervention by the controversial traffic project was not determined on the basis of building drafts.
In addition, possible pollution of drinking water by motorway wastewater has not been sufficiently investigated.
RegioConsult further criticizes: "It would have been necessary to determine the possible effects of climate change on the quantitative status of the groundwater."
Environmental activists want to stop clearing
Environmental activists have set up protest camps near the planned route in the Dannenröder Forest.
"The clearing must be stopped immediately", calls Elke Müller from the action alliance, which is examining another lawsuit.
The activists are waiting for the written justification of the judgment from the Federal Administrative Court, which is not yet available.
RegioConsult's counter-opinion is available to the green-ruled Ministry of Transport in Hesse.
The ministry rejects the accusations against its own report on request.
According to the ministry: "The strict regulations of the European Water Framework Directive are also observed."
A ministry spokeswoman points out that the Federal Administrative Court dismissed the action brought by environmental organizations because of the groundwater hazard in the summer.
The responsibility for the construction lies with the Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer (CSU).
"There is therefore no way for the Hessian Ministry of Transport to stop the project," she told SPIEGEL.
Only the federal government, i.e. the Federal Minister of Transport, could do that.
Greens against environmentalists
The Greens are coming under increasing pressure from environmental and climate protectors.
The federal level calls for a moratorium on the construction of new motorways and also a stop of clearing in the Dannenröder forest.
But Al-Wazir, as the executive minister, has to push ahead with the construction, even if he has spoken out against the project.
In the party, pragmatists fight hardliners for the right course.
The former do not consider the moratorium to be particularly strategically clever.
This week, climate activists occupied the Green Party headquarters in Berlin to protest against the party's stance.
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