SMI-Xstrata deserves no ECC
Non-compliance with environmental, social, or legal standards means NO-GO

Alyansa Tigil Mina reiterates its call to President Aquino and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to refrain from issuing an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project.

We restate the critique of from the London Working Group on Mining in the Philippines, environmental experts Clive Wicks and Dr. Robert Goodland, who reviewed both the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the SMI-Xstrata Tampakan Copper-Gold Mining Project:

§  The Tampakan mining project is situated in a water catchment on the Mt. Matutum Range which supplies water for the vast agricultural lands of three provinces—this could destroy the economy of the province and affect 150,000 farmers in rural communities that depend on their daily water needs from the aquifers.

§  The mining project will allow for the cutting of forests beyond 1000 meters—that is not allowed by DENR.

§  “The development of the project will result in extensive physical disturbance of the land, which for most part is permanent.” (EIS, p. 2-15)

§  “The Tampakan mine has a high potential for loss of life and high environmental damage if a failure of dams or rock storage facilities occurs.” (ESIA, footnote)

§  “The (mineral) deposits lie within the Cotabato Fault Zone, a West-Northwest Strike slip fault zone. The presence of faults on the proposed mine sites presents a danger to the facilities that will be constructed, such as the tailings pond.” (Catherine Abon, UP-NIGS).  We demand that a verfication from PhiVolcs if active seismic movements have been recorded be factored in the review of the DENR-MGB.

§  Storing 1.1-million tons of toxic tailing and 250,000 tons of high potential for acid drainage and medium-high arsenic content waste rock in the storage facility, which will be sited in the Mel River Catchment is a very risky strategy bearing in mind the numbers of people living and farming along the river. In addition, the storage of 2.7 billion tons of toxic mine rock waste and tailings and a mine void of 800 meters deep is a risk too far. (Mining in Tampakan: Intensifying Conflict Danger in Perpetuity)

Moreover, we strongly believe that no ECC should be issued and no mining should be allowed if there is no acceptance and consent from mining-affected communities. The present violence and escalating tensions in the areas is proof enough that this project is not recognized and consented to by the communities. Additionally, SMI-Xstrata has failed to secure the free prior and informed consent (FPIC) of indigenous cultural communities whose ancestral domains will be invaded by the mining project. Hence, the project should not proceed.

Lastly, the Environmental Code of South Cotabato’s provision on banning open-pit mining is still in effect and can only be overturned by a Supreme Court decision. Thus, the mining project proposal of SMI-Xstrata legally cannot be allowed. The proposal can only be considered if the law is reversed or if the company will deploy other mining processes.

Alyansa Tigil Mina is an alliance of mining-affected communities and their support groups of NGOs/POs and other civil society organizations who oppose the aggressive promotion of large-scale mining in the Philippines. The alliance is currently pushing for a moratorium on mining, revocation of EO 270-A, repeal of the Mining Act of 1995, and passage of the AMMB. (30)

For more information:
Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator, nc@alyansatigilmina.net, 09277617602
Farah Sevilla, Policy Research and Advocacy Officer, policy@alyansatigilmina.net, 0915-3313361

Visit our website: http://www.alyansatigilmina.net
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February 7, 2013

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