More from CarmenMoraru
MANIFESTO regarding Silver-gold exploration and exploitation mining activities in Romania
Given the iminent approval in next future of several large scale gold exploitation projects and among them some detaining concession license for exploitation: Rosia Montana (Rosia Montana Gold Corporation), Certej (Deva Gold) and Baita-Craciunesti (Deva Gold) or for exploration: Baisoara (Rom Aur), Rovina (Samax Romania), Alunis Piatra Handal, Eastern and Western areas (Romaltyn Exploration), Poprad (Romaltyn Exploration), Camarzana Nord (Romaltyn Exploration).
Considering the extremely dangerous precent for Romania of recently assigning the environmental permit for large scale cyanide based gold exploitation project from Certej, with breaking important European directives regarding protection of habitats of communitary interest, but also international conventions that impose the environmental authorities the obligation to adequately consult the interested and the affected public and the potentially affected neighboring countries,
Knowing that at present in Romania there isn’t any incipient framework for mining companies to contract financial insurances against prejudices on environment, according to the European legislation regarding environmental accountability,
Reminding that the impact of cyanide on all environmental factors on short, medium and long term is a large one,
Reminding that the actual legislation leaves unregulated serious problems with irreversible consequences on human health and ecosystems (i.e. the limits of hydrocyanic acid in the air),
Taking into account the lack of transparency from Romanian public authorities involved in authorization process for mining projects, manifested in the fact that the majority of the essential information that should be known by the public since incipient stages of authorizing are classified as „state secret” or „activity secret” or made public truncated, dispersed and only when environmental decisions are already adopted by the involved authorities,
Remarking the lack of reglementation in the Romanian actual law of the interested public’s possibility to effectively and informed participate in all stages when decisions regarding authorization and conducting large scale mining activities, such as the stage when adopting the Government Decision to assign the exploration and exploitation mining licenses,
Given the fact that in quasimajority of locations where private mining companies were assigned exploitation and exploration concession licenses there have been taking place state mining activities for decades; This activities provoked huge loss in environmental factors, but they also profoundly impacted the social-economical structures of the communities; and given the fact that the Romanian state didn’t fulfill its obligations to ecologically rehabilitate the reffered to sites and to socially and economically reconvert, despite the availability of financial resources coming mainly from World Bank or European Union,
Observing that most of the environmental impact asessment for cyanide based large scale mining projects are not grounded on independent and disinterested scientifical considerations and, in most of the cases, they are produced by companies with financial interest in approving and developing gold extraction projects; as following the environmental impact assesment are PR materials intended for obtaining the environmental permit,
Taking into account that actual discussions and evaluations regarding the impact of mining activities on local communities, eco-systems, the areas with archaeological potential or housing archaeological sites concentrating only on short term effects – next 10 to 30 years – but the long term effects, susceptible of appearing over decades, long before the lifetime of the companies holding the mining project are not taken into account and then left in public’s sector responsibility,
We demand the Romanian Government to, directly or through its secondary administrative structures, to take the following measures:
1. Ceasing forthright the authorization and approval procedures for mining projects until adopting all legislative measures and neccessary regulations ensuring: the prevention of any negative impact of cyanide use in mining industry on the population’s health and eco-systems; the assumption by all mining companies of all financial obligations against prejudices on environment and for environmental rehabilitation after closing the exploration and exploitation mining activities; the prevention of any negative impact of the mining activities on areas with archaelogically potential or the ones housing archaeological sites and historical monuments of local, national and universal importance; the prevention of any negative impact of mining activties on the integrity and environmental factors of the protected natural areas of local, national and European interest; the prevention of any breaking of citizens’ rights to property and private life and caused by mining activities;
2. Declassifying the information under the “state secret” or “activity secret” status and regarding conducting large-scale gold exploration and exploitation mining activities on Romania’s territory;
3. Ensuring the legal and institutional framework to allow public participation and consultation at all stages when decisions regarding authorizing large scale gold extraction activities, including assigning exploration and exploitation mining licenses, are taken;
4. Forthright assuming all state’s obligations to rehabilitate the environment and to economically revivify the areas affected by state conducted mining activities.
Considering the extremely dangerous precent for Romania of recently assigning the environmental permit for large scale cyanide based gold exploitation project from Certej, with breaking important European directives regarding protection of habitats of communitary interest, but also international conventions that impose the environmental authorities the obligation to adequately consult the interested and the affected public and the potentially affected neighboring countries,
Knowing that at present in Romania there isn’t any incipient framework for mining companies to contract financial insurances against prejudices on environment, according to the European legislation regarding environmental accountability,
Reminding that the impact of cyanide on all environmental factors on short, medium and long term is a large one,
Reminding that the actual legislation leaves unregulated serious problems with irreversible consequences on human health and ecosystems (i.e. the limits of hydrocyanic acid in the air),
Taking into account the lack of transparency from Romanian public authorities involved in authorization process for mining projects, manifested in the fact that the majority of the essential information that should be known by the public since incipient stages of authorizing are classified as „state secret” or „activity secret” or made public truncated, dispersed and only when environmental decisions are already adopted by the involved authorities,
Remarking the lack of reglementation in the Romanian actual law of the interested public’s possibility to effectively and informed participate in all stages when decisions regarding authorization and conducting large scale mining activities, such as the stage when adopting the Government Decision to assign the exploration and exploitation mining licenses,
Given the fact that in quasimajority of locations where private mining companies were assigned exploitation and exploration concession licenses there have been taking place state mining activities for decades; This activities provoked huge loss in environmental factors, but they also profoundly impacted the social-economical structures of the communities; and given the fact that the Romanian state didn’t fulfill its obligations to ecologically rehabilitate the reffered to sites and to socially and economically reconvert, despite the availability of financial resources coming mainly from World Bank or European Union,
Observing that most of the environmental impact asessment for cyanide based large scale mining projects are not grounded on independent and disinterested scientifical considerations and, in most of the cases, they are produced by companies with financial interest in approving and developing gold extraction projects; as following the environmental impact assesment are PR materials intended for obtaining the environmental permit,
Taking into account that actual discussions and evaluations regarding the impact of mining activities on local communities, eco-systems, the areas with archaeological potential or housing archaeological sites concentrating only on short term effects – next 10 to 30 years – but the long term effects, susceptible of appearing over decades, long before the lifetime of the companies holding the mining project are not taken into account and then left in public’s sector responsibility,
We demand the Romanian Government to, directly or through its secondary administrative structures, to take the following measures:
1. Ceasing forthright the authorization and approval procedures for mining projects until adopting all legislative measures and neccessary regulations ensuring: the prevention of any negative impact of cyanide use in mining industry on the population’s health and eco-systems; the assumption by all mining companies of all financial obligations against prejudices on environment and for environmental rehabilitation after closing the exploration and exploitation mining activities; the prevention of any negative impact of the mining activities on areas with archaelogically potential or the ones housing archaeological sites and historical monuments of local, national and universal importance; the prevention of any negative impact of mining activties on the integrity and environmental factors of the protected natural areas of local, national and European interest; the prevention of any breaking of citizens’ rights to property and private life and caused by mining activities;
2. Declassifying the information under the “state secret” or “activity secret” status and regarding conducting large-scale gold exploration and exploitation mining activities on Romania’s territory;
3. Ensuring the legal and institutional framework to allow public participation and consultation at all stages when decisions regarding authorizing large scale gold extraction activities, including assigning exploration and exploitation mining licenses, are taken;
4. Forthright assuming all state’s obligations to rehabilitate the environment and to economically revivify the areas affected by state conducted mining activities.
- TAGS:
- silverandgold,
- manifesto,
- romania,
- mining
What do you think of this story?
Select one of the options below. Your feedback will help tell CNN producers what to do with this iReport. If you'd like, you can explain your choice in the comments below.
Be and editor! Choose an option below:
iReport welcomes a lively discussion, so comments on iReports are not pre-screened before they post. See the iReport community guidelines for details about content that is not welcome on iReport.
© 2013 Cable News Network. 
Comments