Italian courts reject permits for Pompiod and Augusta waste facilities

In the Valle d'Aosta region, the regional administrative court (Tar) rejected a challenge to the regional decision that excluded the Pompiod landfill renewal from the Environmental Impact Assessment procedure. Environmental groups Valle Virtuosa, Legambiente and the Comitato Discarica Sicura said the judgment does not close the case, noting remaining issues such as proximity to a Natura 2000 site, traffic, emissions and mitigation measures, and announced an appeal to the Council of State.

In Sicily, the Tar of Catania ruled in favor of waste‑management firm Hub Cem, reinstating an authorization for a waste‑storage plant at the commercial port of Augusta that had been withdrawn by the regional government. The court found procedural shortcomings in the regional and municipal handling of the permit process. Environmental association Italia Nostra criticised the decision, demanding a new, rigorous assessment because of the plant’s closeness to the ecologically valuable Augusta salt pans.