NewsWhore
11-27-2009, 05:20 PM
Environmentalists Osiris de Leon and Luis Carvajal say the contract the government has signed with Barrick Gold should be reviewed and revoked. Together with economist Luis Vargas, they called for lawyers who are motivated and committed to form a front "to defend the country from that contract," as reported in Hoy. The environmentalists say the contract violates Environmental Law 64-00.
"The contract says that Barrick Gold will approve the environmental plan of what they will carry out, which contravenes what is established in Environmental Law 64-00. The contract violates the Constitution in its present text and in the new text," said Luis Carvajal.
He made the point that the relocation of the residents who will be dislodged from areas near the former Rosario Dominicana mine will be made with a loan the company will grant the Dominican government, and this will be paid back from the benefits of the exploitation, when the government begins to receive them.
The three experts say that a campaign needs to be launched urgently to create a national awareness. This follows on the heels of the successful efforts by civil society, youth groups and academics that led to nationwide rejection of the construction of a cement plant in a buffer zone of the Los Haitises National Park. A Gallup Poll showed an 85% rejection level that led the Fernandez administration to contract a UN multi-sectorial mission to make recommendations. The UN team confirmed the environmental and civil society organizations' concerns and concluded that the cement plant was only viable and pertinent for the company, but that the risks and benefits for other sectors did not justify its construction at that site.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
"The contract says that Barrick Gold will approve the environmental plan of what they will carry out, which contravenes what is established in Environmental Law 64-00. The contract violates the Constitution in its present text and in the new text," said Luis Carvajal.
He made the point that the relocation of the residents who will be dislodged from areas near the former Rosario Dominicana mine will be made with a loan the company will grant the Dominican government, and this will be paid back from the benefits of the exploitation, when the government begins to receive them.
The three experts say that a campaign needs to be launched urgently to create a national awareness. This follows on the heels of the successful efforts by civil society, youth groups and academics that led to nationwide rejection of the construction of a cement plant in a buffer zone of the Los Haitises National Park. A Gallup Poll showed an 85% rejection level that led the Fernandez administration to contract a UN multi-sectorial mission to make recommendations. The UN team confirmed the environmental and civil society organizations' concerns and concluded that the cement plant was only viable and pertinent for the company, but that the risks and benefits for other sectors did not justify its construction at that site.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)