A Dominican-Venezuelan mining firm, Dovemco, which has the concession to mine bauxite in Cabo Rojo in the southwestern province of Pedernales could be closed down for violation of environmental remediation requirements. The Ministry of Environment said that if corrective actions are not taken the government could order a cease of operations. A commission made up of deputy ministers Daneris Santana and Manuel Serrano of the Protected Areas and Diversity, and Forestry Resources departments, as well as environmental quality director Silmer Gonzalez, visited the area and found that there have been delays in remediation of the mined areas.
The Ministry of Environment said that while the contract establishes it is the General Department of Mining’s responsibility to follow up on the remediation, they have become involved because it is a non-transferable responsibility of the leading environmental entity in the country.
According to the officials, several months ago they notified the company of the situation and given them time to fulfill the remediation requirements that expired in August.