Ecologist Luis Carvajal says that the Ministry of Environment has changed the terms of reference of the UNDP review to favor Xstrata. As reported in El Dia, Luis Carvajal says that under the previous terms the exploitation permit could not be granted. Carvajal said that the evaluation to be carried out by UNDP specialists breaks with Dominican institutions and is a threat to Dominican sovereignty. He said that the UNDP did not bring a team to evaluate the area and they cannot issue an in-depth judgment that would require more time. “That is a myth. No matter how good the experts, they are not going to be able to carry out a study in few days. They will only study the evaluation made by Xstrata Nickel,” said Carvajal when interviewed by Cuentas Claras on 95.7FM yesterday.
El Dia reports that the UNDP began its consultations for the evaluation of the environmental impact study submitted by Xstrata Nickel Falcondo for the authorization of the mining in Loma Miranda behind closed doors. Environment Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez and deputy ministers Zoila Gonzalez and Jose Alarcon Mella were present at the first meeting. The UNDP specialists then met with Falcondo representatives.
The UNDP has invited anyone interested in taking part in the consultations to attend the open days of 6, 7, and 8 February.
The present director of the Department Mining is a former employee of Falcondo.