President, miners face-off

Feb 12, 2010 News

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– Special Committee’s life extended, role expanded

– Assurance given that mining will not stop

By Leonard Gildarie

Weeks of worry by gold miners over reforms in the industry came to a head yesterday as President Bharrat Jagdeo, in a highly anticipated meeting, said that mining activities will not stop even though the regulatory body will have to be notified.
Additionally, in a packed meeting at the International Convention Centre at Lilendaal, East Coast Demerara, the President announced that he was also extending the life of a special mining committee he had appointed in early January to now include representatives of small miners from various communities across the country.
Many critics of the reforms lauded the announcements by the President as a welcome sign of the government’s commitment to the industry and said that there were many misconceptions that led to confusion and unease amongst miners.
Hundreds of miners, from across the country, converged to the venue yesterday with many unable to enter because of space constraints.
During the three-hour-long session which also saw several government ministers and officials in attendance, in addition to many large scale miners, President Jagdeo also fielded several questions about government policies and even complaints about possible corruption amongst officials of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.
He also made it clear that miners, especially small miners, could start mining, in a three-hectare area in a concession area, while awaiting word from loggers whether they will be extracting logs.
Recommendations
According to Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, Chairman of the Special Land Use Committee (SLUC) which was examining several proposals, miners for all scales of operation must give notice of current operations and this includes owners, lessees and tributors. Mining will continue during the period. The notice will take immediate effect and shall be required to be for a six–month period. Certain negotiations between miner and forester must occur during this period.
Recognizing that there may potential for conflicts where there are minerals and commercial timber, the committee agreed that the stakeholders should have equal opportunity to capitalize and there may be a need for revising forestry rules in selected areas given the practical need for limited clear felling to extract the mineral. The current forestry rules are considered to be very stringent – a view that was expressed by the GGDMA in its report of discussions held with the Forest Products Association.
Currently, the rules classify clear felling as prohibited and this restricts the forester in harvesting. Mining Regulations allow clear felling to the extent that it is necessary to do so, and may make use of the product in the course of an operation.
The committee also recommended that environmental bonds (for large and medium scales) and reclamation bonds (for small scale) operations must continue to be lodged by miners.
A Mining Reclamation Fund (as distinct from the environmental bond) was also mooted but there was no consensus where the money would come from.
According to the reports, mercury, and to a lesser extent cyanide, have brought better mineral recovery but have also brought greater challenge to conservation. The SLUC said that it is cognizant of several areas, which have been mined but not reclaimed. These must necessarily be dealt with and the recommended fund is intended to be used for this.
Miners will have to give notification for operations that will occur after October 1, 2010 and after, including location and sequencing details.
Mining Regulations also require large and medium scale mineral property holders to submit an Environmental Management Plan in which location and sequencing are required to be incorporated. This plan in effect is advance notice by the miner of the progress of his/her operations.
A Memorandum of Understanding must also be executed between GGMC and GFC. Initially, the miner must give notification to the GGMC and thereafter work out a mutually beneficial approach with the forester using an initial mining block/ starting point. “The forester will then indicate his interest in extraction within one (1) month and extraction, if any, shall occur within six (6) months. The miner shall submit notices and reports only to the GGMC.”
According to the report of the committee, neither forester nor miner should be allowed to delay and stymie the process and both must pursue this process in good faith with each providing the required information in a timely manner and having productive discussions resulting in a workable agreement for their mutual benefit.
Meanwhile, on the issue of reclamation, the committee agreed that this must be continually done.
On the issue of prospecting permits (medium scale) where mining is already taking place, persons or businesses have until April 1 to take the necessary steps to obtain a mining permit.
Any new miner who intends to mine at a new site shall have to give notice to the GGMC of the prospecting site. Should the miner intend to proceed from prospecting to mining, a three hectare plot to conduct initial mining will have to be identified.
“The forester then determines within a month whether he intends to harvest the trees or not. If so, he has a maximum timeframe of six (6) months within which to do so. If after six (6) months there is no agreed plan, the parties shall be encouraged by the GGMC and GFC to come to a resolution.”
Deadlines
According to the report from the special committee, all persons commencing new mining operations in a new area will have to furnish a six (6) months’ notice of intended prospecting or mining operations and the location of dredge. In this notice, an initial starting point and one (1) alternative starting point must be described providing GPS coordinates and depictions on a map for both.
For areas with no surface right overlap of mining and forestry titled area where operations are already designated, a notice shall be required but for informational purposes only. The GGMC shall accordingly annotate this notice and refer it to GFC per the regular procedure (as set out below).
Beyond the six months period, the loggers will lose their rights to interface with the miners on forest extraction issues, which may hinder mining on the permit/licence area.
Critics
Yesterday, Fred McWilfred, an outspoken Bartician who was a key figure in last week Monday’s protest in that mining community, described that meeting as a “good” one with the President clearing up several misconceptions.
“I particularly like it when he announced the expansion of the Benn’s committee and allowing small miners to be involved and part of it. People were feeling threatened and I must admit there was a lack of information.”
President (ag) of the GGDMA, Charles Da Silva, echoed the feeling of McWilfred and noted that the meeting with the miners was a good one with the President “using a lot of diplomacy”.
“The miners will be leaving here today with restful minds that everything that they were worrying about will be resolved.”
But Da Silva also noted that several issues, which could not be discussed more in depth because of time, still would have to be discussed.
“In a nutshell, it was a very cordial meeting.”
Also there for the meeting with President Jagdeo was Ramesh Deonarine, who represented miners from Port Kaituma. “I think that the President stood by his word that mining would not stop, especially for small miners. The President has also allowed three hectares for miners to work while notifications are being given out. Yes, it is good for the miners.”

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