Keystone-SDA
The Jura Government denounces “a strictly budgetary approach, opting for ease” on the part of Swisstopo, which has been thinking for a few months of a disengagement from the Mont-Terri underground laboratory in Saint-Ursanne. The executive thus answers a written question by Pierre-André Comte.
(Keystone-ATS) The socialist deputy returned to information made public in early May. The Federal Office of Topography would be looking for another organization to use the operation of the site. Management could be entrusted to a third party outside the federal administration, with a removal envisaged for December 31, 2026.
In its response, the Jura Government “regrets this decision which endorses an international level of international level research in essential fields for the future, such as the final storage of radioactive waste or for the capture and storage of CO2”.
He explains that he was informed by the Confederation “without notice, despite a partnership agreement in force for more than fifteen years in which the principle of cooperation is registered”.
“Research neutrality” at stake
The executive wrote to the federal advisor Martin Pfister and met the management of Swisstopo on May 15. According to the government, the latter has “favored a strictly budgetary approach, opting for ease by withdrawing from its management responsibilities”.
“It is the neutrality of research and the credibility of the laboratory on the international scene which are compromised with this withdrawal,” said the executive. According to him, this disengagement is difficult to explain from a financial point of view.
It represents “barely 2 million annual savings for the Confederation”, while 120 million have been invested by partners for research since 1996. The government hopes that the recent change at the head of the Federal Department of Defense, Protection of Population and Sports (DDPS) allows “a more coherent re -evaluation of the federal strategy in this field”.
A working group responsible for monitoring the evolution of the situation and maintaining pressure on the Confederation was put in place in early June. Jurassic elected officials with federal chambers will also be able to relay the worries of the canton.
The Mont Terra laboratory is today a research center on internationally recognized storage in geological layers. It is used exclusively for research purposes. There is no question of storing radioactive waste there. An agreement between the canton, owner of the site, and the Confederation excludes any storage.
Since 2011, the research carried out by Swisstopo also focuses on the geological storage of carbon dioxide in the basement, a theme of great topicality with global warming. Operating authorizations are granted to the Federal Office of Topography.