Community and business leaders in San Juan de la Maguana province are calling on the government to ensure the environmental impact study for the proposed Romero mining project is overseen by national and international scientific and academic organizations. Their goal is to guarantee the study’s credibility and transparency, N Digital reports.
The public’s concern escalated after the Ministry of Environment recently approved the Terms of Reference (TDR) for the study, which will determine the environmental viability of the underground mine. The Romero project aims to extract a copper concentrate containing gold and silver.
Provincial representatives emphasized the critical need to include the Academy of Sciences, the Environmental Commission of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), international organizations, and the San Juan de la Maguana community itself. They argue that the local community will bear the brunt of the project’s impact.
Roberto Villegas, manager of the San Juan Valley Irrigators’ Board, stated: “With the participation of the Academy of Sciences, international organizations, and even parts of the government that should be involved, we would trust that a balanced and serious study would be conducted, which is appropriate at this time. Therefore, we call on the President of the Republic and the Minister of Environment to please come to our aid and integrate these relevant organizations into the study.”
Félix Agustín Báez, president of the San Juan Valley Agricultural Producers Association, echoed the sentiment, asserting, “Regarding the environmental impact study, the only thing we demand today is the participation of international organizations, the Academy of Sciences, and the UASD, and also us, the producers of the valley.”
Víctor Rojas, president of the Pedro Corto Livestock Association, further stressed: “Since it has already been established and disseminated in the area that the environmental impact study has been approved, that study should include the Academy of Sciences, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, and some international organization that can vouch for the veracity of what that study says.”
From the academic perspective, Pedro Mateo, a member of the UASD’s Environmental Commission, also highlighted the necessity for a more comprehensive and participatory environmental evaluation. “We believe that a strategic study of the environmental situation in the area must be carried out. There must be public oversight regarding this project and its evaluation. It must involve or be overseen by other credible institutions for all sectors,” he noted.
Evangelina de los Santos, a leader of the Dominican Association of Professors (ADP) in San Juan de la Maguana, underscored the importance of ensuring impartiality in the environmental assessment process. “If these studies are to be carried out, there should be significant participation from both international organizations that have no ties to the mining company and the Academy of Sciences,” she concluded.
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30 July 2025