The incongruity of Barrick Gold

RE: Say no to Barrick Gold pirates

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There are big problems in the island of Santo Domingo, where Haiti and DR share the island.Each with a population of about 10 million, the Dominican Republic and Haiti are vastly different. The Dominican Republic, occupying the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, is wealthier and more stable. It has a free trade agreement with the U.S. and Central America and is a top tourism destination in the Caribbean.

Metals mining can generate environmental problems in even developed, stable countries because of the industry's reliance on hazardous materials, said Payal Sampat, international program director for Earthworks, a U.S.-based watchdog organization.

"Even in the United States, metals mining is a sliver of the gross economic output of the country and it's still the number one toxic polluting industry," Sampat said. "So that's food for thought for countries like the Dominican Republic and Haiti that are on the cusp of embracing large-scale mining without all the regulations and historical experience."

The Dominican Republic lacks strong environmental regulations, a major reason the state-owned mining company could cause such destruction and why there was no real effort to clean up the mess, said Virginia Rodriguez, a coordinator for SalvaTierra, a local nongovernmental organization whose name translates as "Save the Earth."

Rodriguez said Barrick's plans to use 24 tons per day of cyanide in the mountainous center of the Dominican Republic, source of some of the country's most important rivers, makes her nervous. "There is a very high risk especially with an island like ours with a very fragile ecosystem," she said.

Supporters of the project note say Pueblo Viejo will be a huge economic boon for the Dominican Republic. The nearly $4 billion direct foreign investment is by far the largest in the Caribbean nation's history. Barrick on papers will be the Dominican Republic's largest exporter and add 2 percent to the nation's GDP.
But so far the government haven't seen nothing, zero nada.


The mine itself will only produce about 2,000 jobs but the company says about 11,000 workers were involved in the construction and there will be more than 10,000 jobs indirectly created by the project, company and government officials say.but somehow those jobs were related to a peruvian crew.No jobs for dominicans whatsoever.

"This is a major industrial achievement for the country," said Dominican Mining Director Octavio Lopez. "Imagine what this will do for our economy aside from the exploitation of the gold, with some 10,000 jobs, 83 percent of them for Dominicans."




In papers, If gold prices hold up, mining eventually will surpass tourism as the country's largest income earner, with royalties and other revenue making up about 5 percent of the government's budget.But BG havent pay nothing to the Dominican government, and it doesn't look like they are ready to do so.


But skeptics are uneasy about the cyanide used to process the ore and question whether the operators can guarantee their assurances to contain chemical runoff in a country prone to major flooding, especially during hurricanes.

"We are not against mining in the Dominican Republic necessarily, but the industry has been its own worst enemy here," said Luis Carvajal, a biologist at the University of Santo Domingo and a prominent critic. "Without a doubt, the impact of the mine will be significant."

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So far the pollution in DR caused by BG in the Maguaca and Chacuey river and Hatillo dam is overwhelming.Sooner or later , that damage is going to be paid with wild life and human lives as well.
Not to mention the crops and cattle.

They haven't plant a single tree and in the last agreement with government officials , they didn't talk about reforestation, paying fines, water treatment facilities, hospital for people already getting sick, etc, etc..

Barrick Gold have a long reputation of pollution and contamination all over the world,They were recently fined at Chile and Nevada USA. It's practically impossible to work without tons of cyanide.
Chile could do it..Nevada could do it. Time to stop the Barrick for the benefit of the poor people and the next generations.