Cotui environmental management plan

[NewsWhore]

The PRSC deputy for Sanchez Ramirez (Cotui) province, Rafael Molina Lluberes, is campaigning for a review of the contract the Dominican government signed with Barrick Gold. Sanchez Ramirez is the province where the Barrick Gold was authorized to exploit the Pueblo Viejo mine gold deposits. Molina complained that the director of the Department of Mines, Octavio Lopez and Industry & Commerce Minister Jose Ramon Fadul have become public relations officers for the company, in detriment to the better interests of the Dominican people. He criticized the fact that the contract was fast-tracked through the Chamber of Deputies in 2 hours, and that it establishes that the government will only receive revenues after the company recovers its estimated US$3 billion investment over a period of more than 5 years. He blamed the upper echelons of the political parties for rushing the contract through Congress. He also criticized the fact that the contract does not include an environmental management plan despite the area showing high pollution levels due to loosely supervised mining activity over the past 3 decades. He said that the company is opening the gates of the Mejita and Magajita dams to reduce the pressure caused by rains, but this is being done without the waters passing through treatment plants, which is further polluting the streams in the area. He demanded that an environmental management plan should be included in the contract.

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