La Prensa attack PTQ/FQM continues.
La Prensa knows that all of the questions they raise have long ago been debated, litigated, and ruled on by the Supreme Court over the last ten years.
But hey, let's not let that get in the way of the story!! Even the Nature Conservancy states in their famous report that the only hope for the biodiversity corridor was Minera-Panama and Petaquilla who would replant 10 for 1 and save it from the slash and burn exploitation of the friggin' Indians.
Minera Panama explored without collateral
Anam endorsed two new phases Panama Mining exploration in its concession, but this company explored before approval.
MARY TRINY ZEA
08/05/2013 - Two new studies of environmental impact assessment (EIA) for field exploration approved the National Environmental Authority (ANAM) to Minera Panama.
By orders dated December 2012, Minera Panama became the phases VII and VIII of exploring its 136 square kilometer concession in Donoso.
But, although the latter endorsement phases occurred in December 2012, Inmet (former owner of Minera Panama) had nine months before the results of a drilling program which discovered the site of Balboa. This plan was released on March 8, 2011, according to statements of Inmet.
Drilling at the site of Balboa is actually mentioned in the EIA phase exploration VII, approved in December 2012, although by that time, had reported Inmet and the rich mineral resources of the site Balboa.
Minera Panama responded to this newspaper that the exploration of the "reservoir Balboa [also] comes under the exploration phase VI, approved in March 2011." But that EIA was not approved at that time, it was received at the Directorate of Evaluation and Management of the Anam on March 18, 2011. This study was approved actually almost two months later: May 16, 2011.
Furthermore, this does not refer to EIA Balboa deposit, but scans announcing unexploited copper deposits of San Benito, Four Peaks and Chicheme.
ANAM KNOWS NOTHING
In Anam Minera Panama indicated that "should not" explore before having the endorsement of the institution.
But none of the three officials interviewed by this means could say whether there were Balboa scans before approving the EIA, nor could they say whether the drilling at the site were included in previous studies.
Benito Russo, head of Anam Environmental Assessment, said he could not provide the previous EIA or see the maps because they did not have them on hand. But this means EIA obtained all previous explorations in the Documentation Centre of the Anam. None, except the phase VII, mentions the site of Balboa.
The mining project includes three extraction pits to locate sites and infrastructure-to deforest almost 6000 hectares of forest, but the scans are looking to expand the number of places to get ore.
With phases VII and VIII explore Balboa Botija and North Down, Petaquilla, New Fight, Can and Fardalito.
Mina under construction
Since last April, Canada's First Quantum mine controls, acquired by Inmet, which had started its construction.
The construction, which is ongoing, involved down 2000 acres of trees. Also will be cut 18 acres to build 70 temporary exploration platforms Phase VII and VIII, and 50 heliports, Anam documents say.
This mine is the largest copper project in the world, right in the forest reserve purpose of Donoso, province of Colon.
Metal Exports will begin in 2016, after an investment of 6 billion 200 million dollars.
Environmental damage and fragmentation of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, where the mine is drilled concern to the National Association for the Conservation of Nature (Ancon) and the Environmental Advocacy Center (CIAM).
BAD BUSINESS??
Minera Panama would contribute about $ 130 million a year in royalties to the state, which would be about four billion dollars in a 30-year operation. This contribution to the State would be the equivalent of mining revenues for two years.
The mine would produce 255,000 tonnes of copper a year, 90 thousand ounces of gold and 1.5 million ounces of silver.
To this day will remove 150,000 tons of materials and after 10 years, 255 000 tonnes.
"There is a good deal that the State receives royalties for $ 130 million, when the gross value of annual output [of the mine] would reach a figure of about 130 million 2000 dollars" (based on the current price of the metal ), said Raul Moreira, president of the College of Economists.
"If I had even Anam technical or financial capacity to analyze the EIS before the project started, how will ensure that such earth moving permanently affect the biodiversity of the area or to satisfy the assumptions of environmental impact mitigation during production and culminates once the life of the mine? "asks.
The miner says its project will contribute to the biological corridor connecting said that 240 000 hectares reforested.
But his own EIA states that the biological risk is the reduction of biodiversity, by "project footprint". For example, reveals that the forest will need over 50 years to grow back.
Ancon and focus their questions Ciam chemists to use to get the minerals and the possible formation of acid waters.
In this regard, where the mine is built are Petaquilla River basins, Caimito and San Juan.
The Panama Mining supports EIA as "potentially high risk to the people", the increase in the concentrations of arsenic in the product of the activity of the mine. And 20 kilometers from this there are 6000 inhabitants.
Affect fish tissues, causing human health risks, exposes the EIA approved by Anam in December 2011.
According to experts of the Ministry of Health, arsenic causes cancer.
EIA also notes that increase the concentrations of copper, aluminum and selenium in water.
The tailings filtration (tubs with the ore processed with chemicals) will impact local groundwater, says the EIA.
The unknowns of the new 'mining district'
For three deliveries, hereby addressed the transfer of state land for mining, covering the forest reserve of Donoso, Colon, and Omar Torrijos of the park in Cocle, equivalent to 1.5% of the country, called "mining district Petaquilla ". This is the possible destruction of an area similar to twice the Coiba Island.
There are questions left unresolved since the mining and Ricardo Quijano, Minister of Commerce and Industry (Mici)-sector regulator refused to be interviewed by this newspaper. In Donoso operate Petaquilla Gold and Minera Panama. The first is from Panama Richard Fifer, and the second belongs to the Korean state (20%) and 80% of Canadians.
- Why Petaquilla Minerals says the regulator of U.S. securities has a mining concession of 842 square kilometers, when the Mici reports only 136 square kilometers?
- What motivates to publish maps Petaquilla mining concession by 51 thousand square kilometers, equivalent to 1.5% of the country?
- Mici Why not make clear whether the company Richard Fifer has so much land for exploration and mining?
- Is it legal for companies selling state land Fifer out of his contract-law?
- What protects Petaquilla exploring outside their concession and no environmental impact study?
- Why did the authorities not aware of Petaquilla operations outside its concession, when they have never hidden?
- Why give Mici is for two new exploration contracts Petaquilla of 24,105 hectares, equivalent to the surface of lakes and Alajuela-Bayano environmental regulations when it fails?
- How much will the State in royalties Petaquilla to extract gold?
- Why not have a record Mici updated mining and consistent with the location map of the exploration and extraction sites?
- How much land will yield Minera Petaquilla Minerals Panama after agreeing new concession contracts with the State of Panama?
Mary Triny Zea
FOCUS: Korea, owns 20% of the
Harley James Mitchell Moran *
Opinion. A constitutional analysis makes me disagree with the possibility that foreign governments are shareholders of Panamanian mining companies. The Panamanian State territory includes, among other elements, the subsoil, which, according to Article 3 of the Constitution, "can never be ceded, transferred or disposed of, either temporarily or partially to other states." While Article 257 of the Constitution dictates that the deposits of any kind shall not be subject to private ownership, but may be provided by the State or by private companies under concession.
This article does not point out the possibility that different to the Panamanian government, even within the framework of public or private companies, to influence these concessions. Finally, Article 290 of the Constitution says: "No foreign government or institution or foreign official or semi-official may acquire title to any part of the national territory", except in the case of the embassies. Undoubtedly, the recent amendments to the Code of Mineral Resources, foreign governments, through partnerships, dominate concession sites, as do companies today, encouraged by the Government, contrary to the letter and spirit of the Constitution.
AI
