|
Canadians
Denied
Right
To
Resume
Mining
in
Costa
Rica
Costa
Rican
officials
Wednesday
nixed
a
resumption
of
mining
by
Metales
Procesados
M.R.W,
a
subsidiary
of
Canadian-owned
B2Gold,
at a
site
that
collapsed
back
in
2007.
A
technical-environmental
body
in
the
environment
ministry
said
plans
for
resuming
operations
at
the
site
in
Miramar
de
Puntarenas,
about
110
kilometers
west
of
San
Jose,
were
environmentally
non-viable.
The
body
cited
a
May
2010
decree
by
President
Laura
Chinchilla
slapping
a
moratorium
on
new
mine
exploration
and
mining,
particularly
for
gold,
which
uses
highly
toxic
chemicals
like
cyanide
and
mercury.
In
2007,
after
the
mine
had
been
open
for
two
years,
an
accident
led
to
nearby
waters
being
polluted
by
cyanide.
The
mine
was
then
shuttered.
In
recent
years,
Costa
Rica
has
boosted
its
efforts
to
protect
the
environment
from
mining-related
pollution.
The
freeze
on
new
mining
operations
should
span
the
length
of
Chinchilla's
term
at
least,
through
May
2014. |
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