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Category: Mining prohibition El Salvador
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Published: Saturday, 02 January 2016 23:44
By Carmen Rodriguez: Cipamericas
Since 2014, organized farmers from several municipalities of the department of Chalatenango, located in the north of the country, have expressed their full rejection to a mining operation in the area. In November this struggle has represented an important precedent and has compelled the local government to start the process of passing a municipal law that will prohibit companies from exploiting gold and other metals from the mountains.
The four referenda that have taken place in potential mining areas of the country have vindicated the villagers’ position, showing that more than 80% oppose mining. Thanks to popular opposition, the mayor of the municipality of San José Las Flores has begun drafting a municipal order that will prohibit all types of metal extraction in the mountains and forests bordering the municipality.
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Category: Mining prohibition El Salvador
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Published: Saturday, 02 January 2016 17:34
Oliver Ristau*: Deutsche Welle / Translation: Marina Bonetti
El Salvador wants to protect its environment and therefore bans mining. The population supports the plan, on the other hand, a Canadian company files a lawsuit before an arbitration tribunal. From El Salvador, Oliver Ristau.
A vote could hardly be any clearer. 99% of the voters in Arcatao, a Municipality in northern El Salvador, said No. There cannot be a gold mine in their region. This is the 4th referendum within the last few months to take place in the smallest Central American country, through which its people have expressed their opposition to gold mining projects.
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Category: Pacific Rim/OceanaGold
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Published: Thursday, 19 November 2015 11:26
Republished from: CISPES
On Monday, November 9, El Salvador was host to an unusual meeting of some of the continent’s wealthiest and most influential players: former US President Bill Clinton, notorious Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim, and Canadian businessman Frank Giustra, who has made a career out of major investments worldwide in mining, from gold and diamonds to uranium, among other industries.
The visit was ostensibly to promote a local project of the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership (CGEP), which both Giustra and Slim finance with $100 million donations. In El Salvador, the CGEP supports the so-called sustainable development work of a key local figure: Carlos Callejas, owner of the Super Selectos grocery store chain who is widely rumored to be pursuing the 2019 presidential nomination for the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) party. Clinton, Slim and Guistra’s visit to El Salvador was effectively an early campaign boost for Callejas, providing enormous publicity for the Callejas Foundation, a recipient of CGEP funding, and the Super Selectos chain, while bolstering Callejas’ image for a 2019 presidential bid.
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Category: Mining prohibition El Salvador
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Published: Wednesday, 11 November 2015 17:53
Gloria Silvia Orellana - CoLatino /Translation - Marina Bonetti
The rough and wrinkled hands of Santos Armendariz are a true reflection of his age and a life dedicated to the fields, without hesitation these marked "No" on the ballot for the referendum to "defend" against metal mining in the municipality of Arcatao, Chalatenango.
Santos comes from a small valley in the canton of Teosinte, Arcatao. At 84 years of age and with health difficulties, he took most his time to approach a polling station to vote for the local government to issue a "Municipal Ordinance" prohibiting metallic mining in their municipality. "I came to vote because they (the mining company) will destroy the hills and leave me without home. For me this is not good because I will become homeless and without water, true? ... I can die shortly, but what about the little ones that are left" he reflected.
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Category: Mining prohibition El Salvador
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Published: Wednesday, 11 November 2015 17:03
Marina Bonneti
Successful referendum puts Municipality of Arcatao among the few official Mining-Free Territories in El Salvador
On Sunday, November 8th Arcatao became the fourth Municipality in the Department of Chalatenango to be declared a Mining-Free territory. A public referendum revealed that the large majority of the population rejects the idea of exploration and exploitation projects in its area.
Eight voting centres were set up in the different cantons of the Municipality of Arcatao, in order to make it easier for citizens living in remote locations to express their vote.
José Avelar, mayor of Arcatao, was proud to announce that 1027 votes were cast, meaning that the turnout was around 67% of the active voting population. Out of these votes, only 3 were “yes” (thus in favor of mining activities), one was a null vote, and the remaining 1023 formed a strong “no” voice. Thus the final result showed that an overwhelming 99% of the population that expressed their opinion is opposed to mining.
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Category: Mining prohibition El Salvador
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Published: Wednesday, 11 November 2015 14:01
P. Cabezas
The Ministries of Economy, Environment, FIAES and the Maquilishuat foundation recently released a report on the environmental legacy and damages to health caused by mining operations abandoned 100 years ago in the eastern part of the country.
The report found nine negative environmental impacts generally present in the 15 mines studied. Impacts were defined as “events that have already occurred, observed and documented to have adverse effects on natural and social environment directly or indirectly related to mining”:
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