Here’s a new one to me. When glaciers get in the way of mining gold, move them. When public outcry won’t let you move the glaciers, redefine them. Harder to get worked up about moving “ice reservoirs,” after all.
Here’s the November 18 story about mining company Barrick Gold’s plan for its Pascua-Lama project in Chile, found in your favorite source and mine, The Mining Journal:
BARRICK Gold Corp has submitted revisions to its environmental-impact assessment (EIA) for the Pascua-Lama gold development project to the Regional Environmental Commission of Chile’s Atacama region.
The commission had asked for amendments to the company’s plans for the project, including possibly using underground mining for a portion of the mine which would otherwise require the removal of glaciers in the area.
However, Barrick says “studies by international glaciologists redefine “the accumulations of ice” as “ice reservoirs” rather than glaciers.
The company says the resubmission of the EIA, which still includes the planned removal of the ice, contains improvements in monitoring of water quality, treatment of acid runoff, water management, solid-waste management, dust treatment, and protection of flora and fauna.
