Opposition is stacking up higher and higher
against Newmont’s $4.8 billion mega gold project in Peru. Here is a
quick run down of things that are beginning to impact whether this
project is longer feasible, or not.
Political
Today the Deputy Minister of the Environment, Jose de Echave, resigned
in protest. Echave said that the Humala government "lacks an adequate
strategy for dealing with social conflict." He also raised concerns
about the weakening on the Ministry Environment after being restructured
to defer to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers
La Republica: Jose de Echave renuncio al viceministerio del ambiente
Washington Post / AP: Peru environment official resigns amid protests by peasants who fear mines will harm water
There is growing tension between the Ministry of Mining and the
Ministry Environment. Last year the Ministry of Mining supported and
approved Newmont’s Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the Conga mine.
However, after growing protests the last few weeks the Ministry of the
Environment has reviewed the EIS and concluded that it had lacked
comprehension and needed further evaluation because it would “cause
drastic changes to the ecosystem”. Not a ringing endorsement for
Newmont’s EIS for Peru’s largest ever mining investment
IDL-Reporteros: De lagunas a desmontes
Peru 21: Piden mayor evaluacion Conga
Social
Today is the sixth day is a sustained strike that has crippled the
Cajamarca region. The protests have been sporadic in the past few weeks
after being called on by the Regional President, Gregorio Santos,
however the most recent wave of protests have been building day by day
in numbers and urgency. Groups ranging in the thousands have been
occupying central plazas and coordinating marches to guard the lakes
threatened by Newmont’s Conga project. The Conga project has gone from a
forgone conclusion during the Garcia administration to a major moment
in the new administration that communities and companies are using to
measure up the new Humala administration’s intentions.
AP: Peru's highlands conundrum: gold vs. water
MSNBC: Peruvian highlanders highlight mine's environment impact
AFP: Peru mining protest closes airport
Environmental
As written above there has been tension between the Environmental and
Mining Ministries. It’s clear that upon review the Environmental Impact
Statement is far from complete.
RPP: Plantean nuevo EIA del proyecto Conga para acabar con paro en Cajamarca
Also disconcerning is Newmont's obvious lack of concern for the
environmntal impacts mining brings to the region. Newmont is proposing
to mine a high-altitude ecosystem that coincidentally is protected in Colombia
because if its fragility; Newmont also wants to remove 4 lakes and
replace them with man-made reservoirs (3 for drinking, and the biggest
to hold mining waste); and finally Newmont is proposing a mine site at
the headwaters of multiple rivers. These factors alone demand an EIS
that is developed with full due-diligence and accountability, not with
expediency and rubber-stamping.
Source:www.earthworksaction.org