An Indonesian court cleared a subsidiary of Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp. of wrongdoing in a lawsuit filed against the company by an environmental group. The group, Walhi, had sought cleanup and an apology from Newmont’s subsidiary for dumping mine waste from a now-closed gold mine directly into Buyat Bay, allegedly killing fish and sickening area residents with tumors, rashes, and more. The case, as well as a criminal suit against the company that ended in acquittal earlier this year, were considered by both sides to be key tests; if the cases had gone against Newmont, multinational mining companies may have been less likely to so brazenly pollute Indonesia’s environment in the future. But phew, no need to worry about that now.
