Protest against Pascua Lama. Source: Miningwatch Canada
The world’s biggest gold mining corporation, Barrick Gold, has been served a US$16.4 fine and told to halt operations at its Pascua Lama project until it takes measures to prevent water contamination. While welcoming the move, eleven Chilean organizations, representing groups living downstream of the project, point out that the fine pales in significance beside the damage the project has already caused. Calling for permanent closure of the mine, they declare: “Barrick is an irresponsible mining company that … has regularly and intentionally damaged the environment, and … represents a threat to the life and health of thousands of people who live in the Chilean Huasco Valley and in the province of San Juan, Argentina.”
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=12309.
Barrick is a Canadian company in which there is major British investment (see http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=Barrick&go=Go).