An environmental lawyer who has already helped several towns ban mining in their territory said he will help create a provincial assembly in western Colombia with more powers to exclude mining. Juan Ceballos, a lawyer with a passion for the environment, plans to help residents in the Antioquia department in western Colombia form a Provincial Constituent Assembly in order to protect their land from mining projects.
The multinational mining companies AngloGold Ashanti and Solvista Gold operate in the area which is supposed to be mine-free. In the municipalities already on board with Ceballos, mining concessions cover 90% of the territory. The crusading lawyer has also initiated class action lawsuits against four multinational mining projects, notably, AngloGold Ashanti’s La Colosa project.
See http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/economy/27696-colombia-lawyer-takes-on-multinational-mining-companies.html.