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Armenian Government Ignores Concerns About Teghut Mine

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  • Armenian Government Ignores Concerns About Teghut Mine

    ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT IGNORES CONCERNS ABOUT TEGHUT MINE

    http://asbarez.com/107221/armenian-government-ignores-concerns-about-teghut-mine/
    Wednesday, December 19th, 2012 | Posted by Contributor

    Mountaintop removal at the site on December 1, 2012 (photo by Babken
    DerGrigorian)

    YEREVAN-The Armenia Copper Programme (ACP), a division of the Vallex
    Group registered offshore in Liechtenstein, has begun operating a
    controversial mining project initiated in 2007 in the northern village
    of Teghut. Preliminary work on the project began with the clearing of
    a portion of the pristine Teghut Forest to create a massive tailing
    dump for the toxic waste left after mineral processing. Currently,
    the company is aggressively removing a mountain in order to reach
    the underground deposits of copper and molybdenum.

    The Republic of Armenia has openly made mining a key part of its
    economic development strategy for the country, despite widespread
    public protest on environmental, economic, and social grounds. There
    are more than 400 active mines and 19 tailing dumps in Armenia, a
    small country the size of the US state of Maryland. Scientists have
    reported major health risks in communities around the mines scattered
    throughout Armenia. Human rights and environmental activists have
    also protested violations of property rights and the loss of rare
    and endangered ecosystems and biodiversity.

    According to an expert at a recent conference on the socio-economics
    of mining held at American University of Armenia, the value of the
    minerals in the Teghut mine are $20 billion, yet only $300 million
    is anticipated in taxes and salaries from this project, or a mere
    1.5 percent. This is widely understood to be grossly inadequate to
    cover the environmental and social costs that a project of this type
    and magnitude will generate.

    A coalition of 14 prominent organizations including Armenia Tree
    Project (ATP) and Armenian Environmental Network (AEN) sent a letter
    to President Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan on
    October 30, requesting an independent Environmental Impact Assessment
    (EIA) for the Teghut mining project.

    "Cases brought in opposition to the operations in Armenian courts have
    been cursorily and improperly dismissed on strictly procedural bases
    without proper examination as to the substance of the claims. The
    Environmental Impact Assessment and public notice requirements are
    fatally flawed. The irreparable damage already done to Teghut, and the
    yet greater damage that will be done to the region if mining continues,
    demand immediate attention," reads the letter, in part.

    The joint letter requests the EIA in order to: 1. comply with domestic
    and international laws, 2. determine and present an accurate analysis
    of the environmental impact of the Teghut mining operations, 3. address
    the potential public health impacts of the Teghut mining operations,
    4. take alternative development options to mining into consideration,
    and 5. restore public faith and trust in government. For the full
    text of the letter, go to: http://tinyurl.com/teghut-eia

    The coalition recently received a response to the letter from Edgar
    Pirumyan, Ministry of Nature Protection Chief of Staff, who said
    that an EIA was completed within the scope of the law and that the
    project was therefore approved. For the full text of the reply,
    go to: http://tinyurl.com/mnp-reply

    "We are disappointed with the perfunctory response through the
    Ministry of Nature Protection whose primary mission is the protection
    of Armenia's environment. While an environmental assessment was
    conducted for the Teghut mining project, the organization conducting
    it, LMI, is a subsidiary of Vallex, which is the project sponsor. By
    international standards, the LMI assessment certainly cannot be
    considered an 'independent' environmental assessment," notes ATP
    Managing Director Tom Garabedian.

    "We restate our request that a valid independent environmental impact
    assessment be conducted before any further work at the Teghut site is
    undertaken. We are heartened by the public scrutiny which the Teghut
    project has received and support the efforts of the activists who are
    petitioning the Armenian government. In a recent visit to California,
    the Prime Minister expressed his commitment to Armenia's environment.

    We hope that there is a willingness of the government to reexamine
    Teghut and mining in Armenia as a whole," concludes Garabedian.

    "The Teghut issue resonates with Armenians near and far because
    it weaves together a number of contemporary issues: rule of law;
    transparency in decision-making; public health considerations; and
    public access to information," says Ursula Kazarian, President of AEN.

    She continues, "The unrelenting pillaging of precious and limited
    natural resources for the short-term financial benefit of a handful of
    foreign and Armenian investors is both tragic and appalling. Despite
    the government's lackluster response to our request for an independent
    EIA, we are encouraged by the increasing civic engagement we are
    seeing on the ground and in the Diaspora around this issue, and we
    hope to see that momentum continue."

    The letter was co-signed by Acopian Center for the Environment,
    Armenian American Health Professionals Organization, Armenian American
    Medical Association, Armenian American Nurses Association, Armenian
    American Pharmacists Association, Armenian Bar Association, Armenian
    International Dental Association, Armenian Medical International
    Committee, Axis of Justice (Serj Tankian), Civic Forum, haikProject,
    and World Wide Fund for Nature, Armenia.

    The Armenian Environmental Network's (AEN) mission is to increase
    information and engagement among Armenians, in Armenia and in the
    Diaspora, and the wider conservation community about environmental
    issues in Armenia, while facilitating environmentally sustainable
    development in Armenia through responsible partnerships of
    Diasporan and international resources. Please visit the website
    www.armenia-environment.org.

    ATP's mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees
    to improve their standard of living and protect the environment,
    guided by the desire to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the
    fewest resources first, and conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP's
    three major programs are tree planting, environmental education,
    and sustainable development initiatives. For more information, please
    visit the website www.armeniatree.org.

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