Curse of Copper
Monday, July 24, 2006
The documentary short "Curse of Copper" is available for download at ekosTV.com. This is the official 34-minute version that will be shown at this year's Environmental International Film Festival in Toronto.
Anti-Corruption Commission Finds Irregularities with the Junin Mining Project
Friday, July 21, 2006
Congressional Anti-Corruption Commission finds a host of irregularities with Ascendant's Junin mining project After months of investigation, Ecuador's Congressional Civic Anti-Corruption Commission released their initial findings related to Junin's mining project and found a number of serious irregularities and illegalities. Many of the findings point out the irregularities with the way the Environmental Impact Study and Terms of Reference have been carried out. It also found that the Terms of Reference has not been legally consulted with the communities, and that the company has not received the necessary authorization from Cotacachi's Mayor Auki Tituana. Mayor Tituana on many occasions has publicly declared his opposition to the Junin mining project. The finding ends by calling on the Ministry of Energy and Mines to strictly abide by the legal and technical norms before the the project is approved. The finding is available at: http://www.comisionanticorrupcion.com/paginas/noticiaespe.asp?idnoti=220&idsec=14&idarea=2 See below for the original press release from the Commission COMISIÓN DE CONTROL CÍVICO DE LA CORRUPCIÓN BOLETÍN DE PRENSA No. 206 - 2006 LA C.C.C.C. INVESTIGA INCUMPLIMIENTO EN PROYECTO MINERO EN INTAG La Comisión de Control Cívico de la Corrupción investiga, de oficio, el cumplimiento de las normas y procedimientos legales en la elaboración y aprobación del Estudio de Impacto Ambiental y Plan de Manejo Ambiental de las minas GOLDEN 1 y GOLDEN 2 a cargo de la empresa Ascendant Copper ASCENDCOPPER S.A, en la zona de Intag, cantón Cotacachi, provincia de Imbabura. Debido a que aún están en marcha varios de los procesos previos a la ejecución del proyecto minero, la C.C.C.C. alerta de las irregularidades e ilegalidades que se estarían cometiendo en el proceso de aprobación del Estudio de Impacto Ambiental y Plan de Manejo Ambiental que, de no corregirse a tiempo, pondrían en grave riesgo el medio ambiente de la cordillera del Toisán, una de las 25 áreas biológicas más importantes del planeta, cuya protección, junto con el resguardo de la paz social, tiene primacía en la Carta Política, como lo expresa esta en el Art. 23 numeral 6 que señala: "La Ley establecerá las restricciones al ejercicio de determinados derechos y libertades, para proteger el medio ambiente". El proyecto minero en la cordillera del Toisán, a cargo de la empresa Ascendant Copper ASCENDCOPPER S.A., contempla la explotación de cobre y molibdeno, en las minas GOLDEN 1 y GOLDEN 2 que tienen una extensión total de 4.904,57 has. Para garantizar una eficaz protección del medio ambiente y de los derechos de las poblaciones ubicadas en las zonas aledañas, se requiere del cumplimiento estricto de las normas y procedimientos legales y técnicos, lo que en el presente caso no se está cumpliendo, toda vez que: 1) La Empresa ASCENDANT COPPER, una vez obtenido el título minero, no ha presentado hasta la fecha el Estudio de Impacto Ambiental Preliminar, contrariando lo establecido en el segundo inciso, letra b), del artículo 11 del Reglamento Ambiental para Actividades Mineras que establece que dicho estudio deberá presentarse De manera previa a las actividades iniciales de exploración, y una vez que se cuente con el respectivo título minero. La Evaluación Preliminar de Impacto Ambiental será elaborada en base al instructivo correspondiente que consta el Anexo de este Reglamento y deberá presentarse dentro del plazo de noventa días, contados a partir de la fecha de vigencia del título. 2) Por información ofrecida en su página web, (www.ascendant.com) al 17 de julio de 2006, la compañía se encuentra realizando el Estudio de Impacto Ambiental Preliminar, cuando el título minero lo obtuvo el 17 de noviembre de 2004. A julio de 2006, la empresa informa que "estableció una oficina de campo el mes pasado para aceptar comentarios sobre los términos de referencia para el EIA Preliminar. Estos términos han sido presentados al Ministerio de Energía y Minas para su aprobación, luego de lo cual podría empezar la empresa con la fase de exploración". 3) De la información analizada hasta el momento se desprende que los Términos de Referencia no han sido consultados legalmente con la comunidad ni tampoco se contó con la autorización del Ministerio de Energía y Minas para abrir una oficina de consulta. 4) Los Términos de Referencia reportados como la base del futuro Estudio de Impacto Ambiental no exigen la realización de un estudio de la Factibilidad Ambiental del Proyecto de ASCENDANT COPPER ASCENDCOPPER S.A. No hay posibilidad de saber si existen variantes de explotación o tecnologías diversas tales que puedan reducir significativamente el impacto. 5) El documento presentado como Estudio de Impacto Ambiental, antes de la aprobación de los Términos de Referencia, muestra un análisis cualitativo y no calcula los principales impactos ambientales del proyecto minero. Los valores de los costos son expresados en unidades de tiempo, como mensuales o anuales, lo que no permite saber cuantas hectáreas se reforestarán o cuantas muestras se tomarán para evaluar impactos o para orientar el Plan de Manejo. Todo indica un estudio superficial que no tiene relación con la realidad del proyecto. 6) El diagnóstico arqueológico presentado como estudio del área para la concesión minera, proyecto Junín, minimiza la importancia arqueológica del área. 7) El Alcalde de Cotacachi no ha emitido hasta la fecha el informe previsto en el artículo 11 de la Ley de Minería, en tanto el proyecto minero involucra a zonas pobladas. Por lo expuesto, la C.C.C.C., en ejercicio de sus atribuciones constitucionales y legales, exhorta al Ministro de Energía y Minas, Ing. Iván Rodríguez Ramos, para que dé cumplimiento estricto de las normas legales y técnicas previas a la aprobación del proyecto minero en la zona de Intag, en especial, la aplicación del Reglamento Ambiental para las Actividades Mineras, en particular lo preceptuado en el apartado b) del artículo 11. Además, advierte su responsabilidad ante el incumplimiento de dicha norma. Dr. Alfredo Alvear Enríquez Director Ejecutivo 1.- LA C.C.C.C. INVESTIGA INCUMPLIMIENTO EN PROYECTO MINERO EN INTAG Atentamente, Comisión de Control Cívico de la Corrupción
Images from the Quito March
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Ascendent's office being closed down for violating community rights, July 13, 2006.View All Images
QUITO MARCH A HUGE SUCESS
Friday, July 14, 2006
14 July 2006 The march in Quito was a huge success, and very moving. It much bigger than we anticipated. The Ap and MSN Money carried the news today, though their estimation of the total number of participants was much too low (250) We estimated that around 700 people participated, filling one of Quito-s main street with men women and children from Intag, carrying colorfl signs and shouting anti-mining slogans. The crowd demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Energy and Mines until the Minister accepted to meet with a delegation composed of Cotacachi's Mayor, presidents of the Local Parrish governments of Intag, and community activist Polibio Perez. The Minister pretty much accepted that Ascendant will have to go, in that he promised to strictly abide by the law, and that if he discovered any illegalities, the company's concessions will be revoked. Since there's no doubt at all there are illegalities, in one month we should see an Intag free of Ascendant. After the Ministry, the crowd delivered a letter to the Ministry of the Environment to pressure them into taking action to protect the area's forests and threatened wildlife imperiled by the project. Later on, we continued to the offices of Ascendant Copper, where the crowd continued their protest, gluing large red "Shut Down for Violating Community Signs" across the main entrances to the building and some windows. There were no arrests, and the crowd was at all times peaceful. In one month the Parish governments of Intag have called for a Regional Assembly to take other measures in case the government refuses to shut down Ascendant's operation in Intag. Everyone at the meeting withe the Ministry was confident that no further measures will be needed. See below for the international press coverage so far. In addition to this most of Ecuador's main newspapers covered the story. A very sincere THANK YOU for all those that helped make the march such a huge success. I'll post some photos on our web site of the march as soon as I'm back home Carlos In the news: MSN Money July 13, 2006 06:37 PM ET: Ecuadoreans Want Mine Concession Pulled el Nuevo Herald Posted on Thu, Jul. 13, 2006: Protestas contra minera canadiense en Ecuador
INTAG MARCHES IN QUITO
Thursday, July 13, 2006
13 july 2006 INTAG MARCHES NEW THREATS Yesterday, approximately 400 men, women and children came from Intag to Cotacachi and later to Quito to march against the Junin mining project. After the march in Cotacachi the people got on buses and came to Quito's beautiful San Franscisco Plaza, within earshot of the presidential palace. There was music, dancing and speeches to celebrate the solidarity and firm opposition to the mining project. Today, several hundred more people are expected to join the demostrators to peacefully march in front of the Ministry of Energy and Mines and other institutions and demand the government cancel the mining concessions and force Ascendant to leave Intag. Cotacachi's Mayor, along with other councilmembers gave a insipiring anti-mining speech, saying he will always be opposed to mining. Several Parish government presidents are also participating in the march to show their solidarity with the position of most of the Intag area. Look for photos of the march on our site. New Troubles in Junin. Along with the good news, there's disturbing reports of new intimidations by what appears to be paramilitary personnel in the Intag area. The International Observers denouned the presence of armed men in motorcyles intimidating Polibio Perez and other community leaders, some of them pretending to be part of the military. The affected persons are in the process of presenting a formal denounciation to the nation's Ombudsman. We'll update you on this in the next few days, but for the report, please request a report at
Carlos
More Legal Hassles for Ascendant
Saturday, July 08, 2006
MiniUpdate 8 July 2006 More Troubles for Ascendant: The Nation's Ombudsman Intervenes in the Junin Case "....With the above antecedents, and in view of the fact that the facts denounced would indicate that Articles 24(6), 86, 87, 88, 89 and 91 of the National Constitution of the Republic have been violated and by virtue of the powers established in Article 96 of the National Constitution of the Republic and 2b) of the Organizational Law of the Ombudsman’s Office, in my capacity as FIRST DEPUTY OF THE OMBUDSMAN, I HEREBY ORDER: That the corresponding dossier be opened in the Ombudsman’s Office in order to investigate the facts denounced and issue a ruling on the enforcement of the fundamental rights listed above;..." This is an extract of a major decision handed down earlier this week by Ecuador's First Deputy Ombudsman addressing some of the irregularities and illegalities surrounding Ascendant Copper Corporation's Junin mining project. The denouncement was presented by DECOIN and two local residents of the area against not only Ascendant's tactics and procedures, but also against government institutions for not carrying out their respective duties to guarantee full compliance of the law. The Ombudsman's decisions carries with it the obligation of state institutions to abide by the recommendations it issues. The violations mentioned in the decision have to do with the duty of the state to guarantee the right of local populations to be previously consulted prior to the state taking decisions that might affect the community's environment and the people´s right to live in an environment free of contamination, among other fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution. Copies of the ruling was sent to several government institutions requesting a response from them, and the Ombudsman also instructed Cotacachi's Mayor to take the necessary measures so that " he can prevent the implementation of activities contrary to the fundamental rights of the population of the community of Chalguayacu Bajo and other zones that may possibly be affected by the activities of the Golden 1 and Golden 2 concession." The legal strategies will not end here. Several other lawsuits, administrative actions and other activities are planned for the near future to assure this project does not violate our rights, and is stopped once and for all. These include a massive demonstration in Ecuador's capital against the mining project planned for next week. The demonstration will be led by local, regional and national elected officials. DECOIN
|
