SubscribeThe citizens of Baja California Sur oppose the open pit gold mine know as Paredones Amarillas located in the Municipality of La Paz. This blog is dedicated to providing information about the dangers this project will pose to our community. We are prompted to act by the continuing efforts of parent company Vista Gold in their ongoing public relations initiative to convince the Mexican Government that the open pit Gold Mine known as Paradones Amarillas is environmentally benign, and that it is socially and economically desirable for them to allow an open pit gold mine in the midst of the pristine Sierra de la Laguna biosphere. WATER IS WORTH MORE THAN GOLD! For information in Spanish go to http://ParedonesAmarillosNO.com
Excellent News!
Vista Gold Corp. Announces Dismissal of Change of Forest Land Use Permit Application for the Paredones Amarillos Gold Project
DENVER, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vista Gold Corp. ("Vista" or the "Company") (TSX & NYSE Amex Equities: VGZ) announced today that its wholly owned Mexican subsidiary, Minera Paredones Amarillos S.A. de C.V. ("MPA") has received notice from the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources ("SEMARNAT") that SEMARNAT has dismissed, on administrative grounds, MPA's application for the Change of Forest Land Use Permit ("CUSF") for the Company's Paredones Amarillos gold project in Baja California Sur, Mexico ("Paredones Project"). Specifically, SEMARNAT dismissed the CUSF application, without a review of its substantive merit, for MPA's alleged failure to satisfy certain procedural and informational requirements. The CUSF is required before the Company can commence construction of the Paredones Project. The Company is currently amending its CUSF application to address SEMARNAT's specific procedural and informational requirements and intends to re-file the application shortly.
In addition, while not formally the basis for SEMARNAT's dismissal, SEMARNAT communicated what it believes are additional issues with the Company's CUSF application, which SEMARNAT stated it was not able to resolve due to a lack of information, including:
While the Company believes these comments are without legal merit and that several of the comments are beyond the scope of SEMARNAT's legal authority in connection with a review of a CUSF application, the Company expects the dismissal of the CUSF application will delay the commencement of construction, development and production of the Paredones Project. In addition to re-filing its CUSF application, the Company is working with its legal counsel and political experts in Mexico on a broader strategy for the advancement of the permitting process for the Paredones Project. This includes a potential court challenge to SEMARNAT's dismissal of the CUSF application as the Company's advisors believe the legal basis for the dismissal was incorrect. The Company will continue to provide information and updates as they become available.
In addition, while not formally the basis for SEMARNAT's dismissal, SEMARNAT communicated what it believes are additional issues with the Company's CUSF application, which SEMARNAT stated it was not able to resolve due to a lack of information, including:
- SEMARNAT's refusal to recognize the validity of the Temporary Occupation Permits granted to MPA by the Mexican General Direction of Mines, which are a pre-requisite to filing for a CUSF, on the basis that the project is located in an environmentally protected area over which the Mexican General Direction of Mines does not have jurisdiction;
- The National Commission for Biodiversity objects to the project on environmental grounds; and
- MPA's failure to obtain an official communication from the Mexican Natural Protected Areas Commission ("CONANP") acknowledging CONANP's conformity with MPA's application for the CUSF.
While the Company believes these comments are without legal merit and that several of the comments are beyond the scope of SEMARNAT's legal authority in connection with a review of a CUSF application, the Company expects the dismissal of the CUSF application will delay the commencement of construction, development and production of the Paredones Project. In addition to re-filing its CUSF application, the Company is working with its legal counsel and political experts in Mexico on a broader strategy for the advancement of the permitting process for the Paredones Project. This includes a potential court challenge to SEMARNAT's dismissal of the CUSF application as the Company's advisors believe the legal basis for the dismissal was incorrect. The Company will continue to provide information and updates as they become available.
Canadian Mining Companies at Odds with Many in Mexico by Frontera Norte Sur
If many locals have their way, Canada's Mexican gold rush won't extend to the southern tip of Baja California. Planned for a site within the Sierra de la Laguna biosphere, the Paredones Amarillos gold mine is awaiting approval of a land use permit from federal authorities that could pave the way for the extraction an estimated 1.2 million ounces of gold over a period of 9.3 years.
But plans for the open pit mine proposed by Canadian-owned Vista Gold Corporation are sparking opposition from environmentalists and residents. Critics contend that metals and chemicals used in the mining process could contaminate precious groundwater supplies, scar a fragile ecosystem and threaten public health. Further, they fear critical sea turtle and whale habitats could be jeopardized from the construction of a desalination plant designed to pipe in water for mining operations from a coastal site at Las Playitas.
Ariel Ruiz, spokesman for a local citizens' movement gaining steam in Todos Santos and nearby communities, said opponents have gathered 3,000 signatures on a petition against a mine.
"What we are really talking about is that all the water we consume comes from the (Sierra de la Laguna)," Ruiz said. "People are opposed because it is a high price they might have to pay for this investment."
Boasting mixed stands of pine and oak, and recognized by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a world biosphere, the Sierra de la Laguna is the source of groundwater for a wide swath of Baja California Sur.
Vista Gold President Fred Earnest and project manager Carlos Calderon both dispute environmentalists' contentions that Paredones Amarillos would cause ecological harm. According to Calderon, Vista Gold will utilize environmentally sensitive, state-of-the-art mining technology and practices and uphold "the highest international standards" like the International Cyanide Management Code.
Projected to create nearly 400 construction and 300 mining jobs if it moves forward, the Paredones Amarillos mine will entail an investment of $170 million, according to Earnest. Also serving as Vista Gold's chief operating officer, Earnest pledged his company will establish a foundation to support health care and education in Baja California Sur.
"We want to be a responsible corporate citizen in Baja California Sur," Earnest said.
A decision on Vista Gold's land use permit application is expected sometime early next year.
The Paredones Amarillo controversy is among the latest ones to arise from the aggressive expansion of Canadian mining companies in Mexico. Already dominating foreign investment in the country's fast-growing mining sector, 200 Canadian companies are reportedly scouring 400 places in the Mexican Republic for possible new mines.
The surge in Canadian mining activities in Mexico and other parts of the world is being enthusiastically underwritten by the Harper administration. According to a compendium prepared by the Halifax Initiative, a coalition of non-governmental groups founded to press for reform of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, numerous government programs help subsidize Canadian mining companies through direct loans and guarantees, insurance, foreign aid policies, and stock investments from public pension funds.
The central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi is another front in the mining vs. environment battle. A long-running fight between local landowners and a national network of environmental and human rights activists on one side, and the Vancouver-based New Gold Incorporated on the other, almost came to a head last month when Mexico's Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) revoked an operating permit for the company's Cerro de San Pedro mine.
Reiterating charges that New Gold's operations were provoking public health problems from cyanide and mercury emissions, as well as causing damages to a historic church and other buildings, opponents applauded the decision. This month, however, a Mexican court threw out Semarnat's decision. Withdrawing the mining permit, the court stated, would adversely impact 500 direct and 1,500 indirect jobs linked to the mine. New Gold, the court ruled, "has always respected environmental rules that regulate the activity it pursues."
A citizen complaint about the mine was rejected earlier this year by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation. The Montreal-based commission is charged with investigating and issuing records of fact on environmental problems in the three member nations of the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA].
In some places, violence has been directed against mining opponents. After months of reportedly suffering threats, jail and even physical assault, Mariano Abarca, a prominent anti-mining organizer for the Mexican Anti-Mining Network (REMA) in Chiapas, was shot to death November 27 in the town of Chicomuselo, where farmers have waged a struggle against a barite mine run by the Canadian-Mexican firm Blackfire Exploration Ltd.
Earlier this month, Chiapas state law enforcement officials arrested three men purportedly connected to Blackfire Exploration Mexico for Abarca's murder. Citing environmental violations, the Chiapas state government also ordered the Chicomuselo mine temporarily shut down.
Samuel Ruiz, the former bishop of San Cristobal de las Casas, spoke out against the murder of the environmental activist. In order to prevent more deaths like Abarca's, Ruiz appealed for an end to the "criminalization of defenders, as well as the stigmatization and repression of organized peaceful protest."
A growing international scandal surrounds the Abarca murder. According to Rick Arnold, coordinator of the non-government organization Common Frontiers-Canada, documents in the possession of REMA and its supporters show that Blackfire was funneling $1,000 monthly into an account controlled by Chicomuselo's mayor for the purpose of keeping company opponents "under control."
The activist's slaying is helping stoke a rising debate over the conduct of Canadian companies abroad and the Harper government's role in promoting resource extraction in the developing world.
Opposed by the Harper administration and the mining industry, a piece of legislation pending in the Canadian Parliament, Bill C-300, proposes to make public financial and political support for private mining companies contingent on meeting human rights, environmental and health standards. A second bill, C-345, would permit foreigners to sue Canadian companies in Canadian courts for human rights abuses committed abroad.
Ottawa is clearly concerned about the ramifications of the Abarca murder. Two high officials, Canadian Governor-General Michaelle Jean and Peter Kent, junior foreign minister for the Americas, visited Chiapas shortly after Abarca's slaying, but did not meet with REMA members, as was requested by the group.
On December 18, four Canadian organizations — Common Frontiers-Canada, Mining Watch Canada, United Steelworkers, and Council of Canadians — jointly announced they would pursue legal charges with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police against Blackfire for violating the 1998 Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act.
There was no immediate comment from Blackfire, but an undated statement posted on the company's website lamented violence in Chicomuselo and expressed sympathy with family members of victims.
——————————
Sources: Miningwatch.org, December 18, 2009. Press statement. El Universal, September 7, 2009; December 9, 14 and 15, 2009. Articles by Alberto Aguilar, Gladys Rodriguez, Oscar Gutierrez and Adriana Ochoa. Narconews.com, December 14, 2009. Article by Kristin Bricker. El Diario de Juarez, November 13, 2009. Greenpeace Mexico, November 19, 2009. Press statement. Ecoamericas, November 2009. Proceso/Mining Watch Canada, August 26, 2009. Article by Isain Mandujano and Sandra Cuffee. Commission for Environmental Cooperation, July 15, 2009. Press statement. Halifaxinitiative.info. Blackfireexploration.com.
——————————
Frontera NorteSur (FNS)
Center for Latin American and Border Studies
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico
WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW
As many of you may know, Vista Gold mining company is seeking permission to develop a massive open pit gold mine at Paredones Amarillos in the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve above Todos Santos. This project will directly challenge our community. We are being asked to risk the regional aquifers, the turtle sanctuaries, the whale coastal feeding areas and our oasis. Please help protect Todos Santos and the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve.
Paradones Amarillo mining company just filed for the change of zoning for the development of an open pit gold mine. Different government agencies are in the process of making a decision NOW. We need everyone to send letters to the federal and state agencies looking at this issue to express opposition to the project. Please help and get as many others to participate in this letter writing campaign. Take the following steps:
- Copy the following email addresses and paste them into the “To:” line of your email.
isaias.gonzalez@congreso.gob.mx,
esthela.ponce@congreso.gob.mx,
victor.castro@congreso.gob.mx,
marcos.covarrubias@congreso.gob.mx,
francisco.meza@congreso.gob.mx,
fobregon@senado.gob.mx,
jcotac@senado.gob.mx,
luis.coppola@pan.senado.gob.mx,
c.secretario@semarnat.gob.mx,
comisionado@conanp.gob.mx,
mauricio.limon@semarnat.gob.mx,
delegado@bcs.semarnat.gob.mx,
bermudez@conanp.gob.mx,
eduardo.gonzalezh@semarnat.gob.mx
- Send a copy to of your email to info@paredonesamarillosno.com or info@defiendelasierra.org so we can track your letters.
- Copy the text of the letter. In the first line where it says “tu nombre” , put your name. Also put your name at the end of the letter. (For a translation of the letter see below)
Estimado Funcionario Público,
Le escribe (tu nombre), para decirle que me opongo al establecimiento de la mina de oro Paredones Amarillos, dentro de la Reserva de la Biósfera Sierra de la Laguna.
* Me opongo porque estoy convencido que el valor de la Sierra tal y como se encuentra es mayor que el valor del oro que se puede extraer de ella.
* Me opongo porque no me convence una inversión que durará 10 años frente a sus costos ambientales que durarán cientos.
* Me opongo porque estoy convencido de que es mejor inversión cuidar el agua que la Sierra de la Laguna provee a los sudcalifornianos, que aportar más oro para la industria de la joyería.
* Me opongo porque no creo que los cerca de 200 empleos (muchos de ellos para gente de otros estados) que se generarán, no justifican la destrucción de un ecosistema único en el Estado y el País.
* Finalmente, me opongo porque sé que, como país, tenemos que reconocer el valor de las Áreas Naturales Protegidas y respetar los motivos que llevaron a su creación.
Por estas y otras razones, le exijo respetuosamente que, como mi representante y como servidor público, tome las medidas que están a su alcance para evitar el establecimiento de la mina Paredones Amarillos en la Sierra de la Laguna.
Http://ParedoneAmarillosNo.com
Atentamente,
(Tu Nombre)
- Send the email.
- Pass this information on to as many other people you know who can help. Todos Santos needs your support NOW.
Translation:
Dear Public Official
I am writing, “YOUR NAME”, to tell you that I oppose the establishment of the gold mine known as Paredones Amarillos, within the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve.
- I oppose this project because I am convinced that the value of the Sierra de la Laguna is greater than the value of the gold that can be extracted form it.
- I oppose this mine because I am not convinced that an investment that will last 10 years is worth the environmental costs that will last for hundreds of years.
- I oppose the mine because I am convinced that it s better to invest in the water that the Sierra de la Laguna provides for the citizens of Baja California Sur than providing more gold for the jewelry industry.
- I oppose this mine because I do not believe that the 200 jobs (many of which will be fore people from other states) generated, cannot justify the destruction of an eco system that is unique in our state and in our nation.
- Finally, I oppose this mine because I know that, as a nation, we must recognize the value of the Protected Natural Areas and respect the reasons for which they were created.
Because of these and others reasons, I respectfully insist that as my representative and as a public servant, you take whatever measures are available to you to stop the establishment of the Paredoness Amarillos mine in the Sierra de la Laguna.
Sincerely,
(YOUR NAME)
PLEASE ASCT NOW AND PASS THIS ON TO OTHERS WHO WILL
SUPPORT TODOS SANTOS.
DIRTY GOLD VIDEOS!
DIRTY GOLD
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qc48hbKouk
SAN PEDRO GOLD MINE CLOSED BY THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT NOV. 12, 2009
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1aQ71SdZZA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qc48hbKouk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1aQ71SdZZA
SEARS AND KMART: NO DIRTY GOLD!
Sears/Kmart join other jewelers in pledging to avoid *dirty* gold
60 jewelers now committed to sourcing precious metals responsibly
Washington, D.C, 11/18 -- Three major jewelry retailers today announced their decision to shun irresponsible gold mining and seek cleaner sources of gold and precious metals. Sears Holdings (parent company of Sears and Kmart), Ultra Stores, and Blue Nile all signed the No Dirty Gold campaign's Golden Rules for responsible sourcing of precious metals, bringing the total number of jewelry retail signatories up to 60. These jewelry retailers include 7 of the top 10 jewelry retail firms in the United States, and represent over $1.3 billion in annual US jewelry sales, or nearly a quarter of total sales.
"The No Dirty Gold campaign is a great initiative that pushes for sustainability and ethnical sourcing on gold. We are proud to be a part of it and to offer our customers gold that was obtained in a responsible manner", said Michelle Pearlman, Senior Vice President and President of Jewelry at Sears Holdings. "Sears strives to be a green company and we will continue to work to build lifetime relationships with our customers starting from the mines up."
Jewelers are realizing that their customers are concerned about dirty gold and the devastating effect of gold mining on communities and the environment. The production of one gold ring generates, on average, 20 tons of mine waste. Gold mining has been linked to human rights violations, forest destruction, toxic pollution, and loss of lands and livelihoods.
"The No Dirty Gold campaign applauds this important step taken by Sears, Kmart, Blue Nile and Ultra Stores," said Payal Sampat of Earthworks, which spearheads the No Dirty Gold campaign. "We look forward to working with these companies to find solutions to irresponsible gold mining practices."
Sears, Ultra, and Blue Nile have signed on to the Golden Rules at a time when discussions are advancing on third party certification of more responsible mining practices through the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA). The Golden Rules signatories have committed to seeking third party certification of responsible sourcing when it becomes available.
The Golden Rules call on mining companies to meet the following basic standards in their operations:
- Respect basic human rights outlined in international conventions and law
- Obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of affected communities.
- Respect workers' rights and labor standards, including safe working conditions
- Ensure that operations are not located in areas of armed or militarized conflict
- Ensure that projects do not force communities off their lands
- Ensure that projects are not located in protected areas, fragile ecosystems, or other areas of high conservation or ecological value
- Refrain from dumping mine wastes into the ocean, rivers, lakes, or streams
- Ensure that projects do not contaminate water, soil, or air with sulfuric acid drainage or other toxic chemicals
- Cover all costs of closing down and cleaning up mine sites
- Fully disclose information about social and environmental effects of projects
- Allow independent verification of the above
Mexican Up In Arms Against Mine
By John Holman in San Pedro, Mexico
Armando Mendoza points to the huge cracks in the walls of his house in San Pedro, Mexico.
Gesturing to the ceiling that recently fell in, he shows the damage caused by the daily explosions from the Canadian-owned mine San Xavier, which crouches over this small village.
Armando is one of the residents who opposed the mine when it was proposed by New Gold, the Canadian gold-mining company, in 1996. The community has been bitterly split over the project, which has brought jobs to some, but also razed the hill behind this former tourist destination.
The explosions from the mines have caused fast-spreading damage, breaking apart
Armando Mendoza points to the huge cracks in the walls of his house in San Pedro, Mexico.
Gesturing to the ceiling that recently fell in, he shows the damage caused by the daily explosions from the Canadian-owned mine San Xavier, which crouches over this small village.
Armando is one of the residents who opposed the mine when it was proposed by New Gold, the Canadian gold-mining company, in 1996. The community has been bitterly split over the project, which has brought jobs to some, but also razed the hill behind this former tourist destination.
The explosions from the mines have caused fast-spreading damage, breaking apart
New York Times Uncovers Real Cost of Gold
New York Times Uncovers Real Cost of Gold
December 2005. The price of gold is higher than it's been in 17 years. But much of the gold left to be mined is microscopic and is being wrung from the earth at enormous environmental cost, often in some of the poorest corners of the world. In The Cost of Gold series, New York Times reporters describe gold mining's toll with stories from the western United States, Guatemala, Ghana, Indonesia, and Peru.
- "Behind Gold's Glitter: Torn Lands and Pointed Questions" (Part 1)
- "Treasure of Yanacocha: Tangled Strands in Fight Over Peru Gold Mine" (Part 2) (PDF 61KB)
- "Below a Mountain of Wealth, a River of Waste" (Part 3) (PDF 377KB)
- "A Drier and Tainted Nevada May Be Legacy of a Gold Rush" (Part 4) (PDF 348KB)
- Flash slide show: The Cost of Gold: 30 Tons an Ounce
- Flash slide show: The Cost of Gold: Treasure of Yanacocha
- "The Curse of Inca Gold" (PBS/New York Times documentary)
Water vs. 3700 tons of Arsenic
Clean Water is more precious than gold!
Vista Gold mining company is proposing to excavate a large open pit gold mine in the Paradones Amarillas area of the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere. The mining site is located west of El Triunfo in the sierra above the Carrizal agricultural zone.
While there are many reasons to oppose this mining project, the most important is the risk of arsenic contamination in our aquifers. The mine will take out 37 tons of gold, but also bring to the surface 3700 tons of arsenic. With every hurricane or heavy rain this exposed arsenic will leach into the aquifers for generations.
These are some of the other impacts we are concerned with:
- Pollution of underground water supplies, derived from the infiltration of chemicals used during the gold production process, mainly lead, arsenic and cyanide. This type of pollution is always dangerous, and it is even more so in a region like this one, where water is so scarce.
- The impacts that this pollution would have on productive activities throughout the region, including agriculture, livestock and tourism.
- The impacts of mining activity on the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve, one of the most important ecosystems in the state and in the whole country. It is troubling to see how close the proposed mine is to the core area of the Reserve.
- Social impacts normally associated with gold mining on all the towns and communities located within the project's influence area, including the cities of La Paz and Todos Santos.
- The lack of a comprehensive closure plan and insufficient financial means to guarantee full closure and post-closure care.
CLEAN WATER IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD!
CLEAN WATER IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD!
For more information about the dangers of Open Pit Gold Mining please see: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/international/24GOLD.html?_r=1 a month long series of articles about gold mining that was published by the New York times. Also see http://www.nodirtygold.org/ a series of articles and web sites you can visit for more information on open pit gold mines.
TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW about Gold Mining and the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere - Pedro Zapata
2. THE SIERRA DE LA LAGUNA HAS THE ONLY PINE FOREST IN THE STATE. The biodiversity of the Sierra de la Laguna is unique in the world. This forest contains the highest number of species of any terrestrial ecosystem in the state, including species
that exist nowhere else in the world, like 86 endemic species of vascular plants.
3. THE SIERRA IS UNDER THREAT. In June 1994, the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere
Reserve was created, in order to protect this important piece of our natural heritage. Nonetheless, plans are currently underway to build an open- pit gold mine inside this protected area, in the Paredones Amarillos region. Because of its location and the technology it would use, the construction of this mine would represent a significant threat to the Sierra de la Laguna, its biodiversity, and its role as the water source of thousands of people.
4. A GOLD MINE IS FAR OUTLIVED BY THE WASTE AND POLLUTION IT GENERATES. The Paredones Amarillos gold mine plans to operate for only 9.5 years. The impacts generated by the mine’s waste and the chemicals used in its operation remain toxic for a long time and can last hundreds of years.
5. GOLD MINES ARE VERY POLLUTING. Extracting gold from stones is a process that uses and generates extremely toxic chemicals that can pollute water sources, this process also relies heavily on daily detonations that have very harmful effects on wildlife. The deadliest of these chemicals include cyanide, arsenic, sulfuric acid, lead, mercury and other heavy metals that can have dramatic effects on human health and on ecosystems.
6. MOST NEW GOLD IS USED FOR JEWLERY. A very small percentage of newly minted gold is destined for technology or medicine-related uses. Worldwide, a large portion of gold production; more than 80% according to some of the reviewed sources, is used in the jewelry industry. The production of a single gold ring, for example, generates up to 20 tons of waste.
7. OPEN-PIT GOLD MINING CREATES MOUNTAINS OF WASTE. LITERALLY. The Paredones Amarillos mine plans to extract around 40 tons of gold during the 9.5 year operation of the mine. Producing this amount of gold, according to the mine’s own calculations, will generate a ton of waste, per each gram of gold. This represents the production, during 9.5 years, of 40 million tons of waste; roughly 11,000 tons every day.
8. GOLD MINES LEAVE BEHIND GIANT CRATERS WHERE ECOSYSTEMS USED TO BE. The Paredones Amarillos mine plans to dig a 58.7 hectare crater in the Sierra. This is roughly equivalent to the 36 city blocks, or 54 football fields.
9. OPEN PIT GOLD MINING HAS A DARK HISTORY IN MEXICO AND THE WORLD. Across the globe, from Africa to Central America, different communities have experienced first-hand the environmental and social impacts of open- pit god, mining. More and more, empowered communities have refused to allow mining inside or close to sensitive ecosystems.
10. THERE IS STILL TIME. In the coming months, decisions will be made in La Paz and Mexico City to allow or prohibit the construction of the Paredones Amarillos gold mine. You can help protect the Sierra de la Laguna. Distribute this document and stay tuned. In the next few weeks we will be proposing specific activities to protect the Sierra de la Laguna.
LETTER TO VISTA GOLD AND MINERA PAREDONES AMARILLOS
Mr. Michael B. Richings
Executive Chairman, CEO and Director
Vista Gold Corp.
Executive Chairman, CEO and Director
Vista Gold Corp.
Mr. Carlos Calderon
Vice President and General Manager
Minera Paredones Amarillos, S.A. de C.V.
The subscribers of this letter want to express our profound concern regarding the proposed open pit gold mine project known as “Paredones Amarillos”, to be located in the Sierra de la Laguna region, in Baja California Sur. We know that, in recent days, authorizations were given to the project to begin exploration at 4 different sites. Should this exploration yield positive results, we are concerned that Vista Gold might be tempted to rapidly move ahead with the project, without engaging in a dialogue with the community and without sufficient attention to the potential environmental and social impacts of the project.
Our fears are not without substance. The environmental and social impacts of gold mining in Mexico and elsewhere in the world have been well documented. Around the world, mines like the one proposed for Paredones Amarillos have affected local livelihoods, leeched cyanide into water supplies and caused significant impacts to local ecosystems.
These are some of the impacts we are concerned with:
- Pollution of underground water supplies, derived from the infiltration of chemicals used during the gold production process, mainly lead, arsenic and cyanide. This type of pollution is always dangerous, and it is even more so in a region like this one, where water is so scarce.
- The impacts that this pollution would have on productive activities throughout the region, including agriculture, livestock and tourism.
- The impacts of mining activity on the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve, one of the most important ecosystems in the state and in the whole country. It is troubling to see how close the proposed mine is to the core area of the Reserve.
- Social impacts normally associated with gold mining on all the towns and communities located within the project's influence area, including the cities of La Paz and Todos Santos.
- The need for a comprehensive closure plan, including sufficient financial means to guarantee full closure and post-closure care.
Having outlined the previous points, we wish to engage in a dialogue with Vista Gold Corp. We would like to give the company an opportunity to present its vision for the project, as well as its environmental management plan and its planned environmental and social mitigation and compensation measures.
We believe that such a dialogue is not only convenient, but a necessary step in the establishment of a healthy relationship between Vista Gold and the community of Baja California Sur.
Please direct your response to Pedro Zapata, Water Program Coordinator at Niparaja
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
