Argentine province suspends open-pit gold mining project following protests

[Judi Lynn]

Tuesday, January 31st 2012 - 04:54 UTC
Argentine province suspends open-pit gold mining project following protests

Argentine authorities suspended Canadian firm Osisko’s open-pit gold mining project in the north-western province of La Rioja amid grassroots protests and considerations of a possible referendum on the whole project.

“There’ll be no further activity ... as long as people oppose” the project in the Andes mountains near the border with Chile, La Rioja Gov. Luis Beder Herrera said in a statement.

The move was hailed by some 300 La Rioja residents and environmental activists who demonstrated last Friday outside the Canadian Embassy in Buenos Aires and held up signs that read “No to Gold, Yes to Life” and “No More Cyanide.”

The Famatina project was suspended to give authorities a chance to explain to protesters – who set up camp on Jan. 16 to prevent the start of prospecting at the mine site – that the project will not pollute the environment, the statement said.

More:
http://en.mercopress.com/2012/01/31/argentine-province-suspends-open-pit-gold-mining-project-following-protests

[dipsydoodle]

1. Video included here : Massive mining protests spread in Argentina

Argentinians are rising against mining operations in the Northwestern province of La Rioja where 2000 people find themselves resisting Canadian Osisko mining corporation's open-pit gold project in the town of Famatina.

While demonstrations spread across the country, union representatives, social and political organizations gathered at the Obelisk -Argentina´s national monument- in Buenos Aires.
Banging saucepans in sign of protest and chanting “Water is not for sale”, they claimed mining activities would deplete scant water resources in an already dry region and seriously damage the environment and called authorities to stop the plans of “killing corporations” as they describe them.

According to social and political activists, modern mining methods are against sustainable and responsible development and could not be carried out without the “complicity” between political authorities and multinational corporations.

This is not the first time mining activities have lead to social protests in Argentina. Five years ago, demonstrations forced Canadian world´s top bullion producer Barrick Gold to say goodbye to its projects also in the province of La Rioja.

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