With a vote of 138 in favor and four against, the Chamber of Deputies has approved the amendments to the Barrick Gold contract as received from the Executive Branch that call for increases in revenue for the government while conditioning this to gold average price of US$1,600 the ounce. The contract also authorizes Barrick to benefit from the operation of the Quisqueya power plant. The legislators rejected proposals for an environmental review of the contract, which were made after the Dominican Medical Association (CMD) reported that the mine operation has seriously affected the health of the 600 families living in the area.