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Miners fail to comply with environmental regulations – GGMC mulls increase of land reclamation fee
Since 2005, the mining regulations were modified to include provisions which cater for the environmental impacts of mining.
GGMC Commissioner: Newell Dennison
According to the amendment, every holder of a mining licence, prospecting permit or mining permit is required to conduct land reclamation—a process of decommissioning a mining operation with the objective of leaving that area in a safe and stable condition.
Land reclamation is essential to repairing any damage done to the environment as a result of mining activities.
During the activity, mine operators are essentially cleaning up after themselves by, inter alia, replanting trees and opening blocked waterways to make the land useful again.
However, miners have so far failed to comply with the regulations, causing the responsibility of clearing the land squarely on the shoulder of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
As a result, GGMC has been to mulling over a more aggressive approach to ensuring that the process is complied with.
During an address to stakeholders at the Herdmanston Lodge yesterday, Commissioner of the GGMC, Newell Dennison revealed that to intensify the campaign, the Commission is considering raising the bond fee for land reclamation.
At present, miners are required to lodge $100,000 as a bond with the GGMC. The sum is to be used by GGMC to clear and redevelop the land if the miners fail to comply with the legal obligation.
The GGMC Commissioner admitted that the bond is not enough for the reclamation work. Dennison told stakeholders that in three years, the Commission spent over $100 million to reclaim mining lands.
In his overview of the land reclamation process, Senior Environmental Officer of GGMC Geoffrey Scott noted that the Commission has been collecting and compiling data to develop and implement a suitable method of reclaiming the land for all stakeholders involved.
“Retrieving data forms a huge part of what we do. We are still compiling information to build a database from which we can identify, specifically, where miners are not compliant and how we can work with them to help reclaim the lands.
We recognize that with restoration across the broad, there is generally a low level of compliance. So, our task is to tabulate data to establish and synchronise the information to assist GGMC and miners in reclaiming the lands.”
Meanwhile, GGMC’s legal advisor Kara Duff-Yehudah stressed that mine operators have a legal duty to comply with the amendment of the mines regulations.
“Reclamation is an important legal requirement under the laws of Guyana. All holders of mining permits and licences at small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale levels are required to conduct land reclamation.”
In fact, she noted that before embarking on mining activity, every operator small, medium or large scale, must first submit a land reclamation work plan for GGMC to approve.
Since the introduction of the new regulation, GGMC through the Ministry of Natural Resources has taken a lead role to ensure the mainstreaming of land reclamation within Guyana`s extractive industries.
The GGMC, with the oversight and approval of the Ministry of Natural Resources, has made notable progress in the mainstreaming process. Land reclamation has since been integrated into the agency’s annual work programme.
Working jointly, the GGMC, through the reclamation unit, has being keen on pursuing a harmonised and a multi-stakeholder approach towards environmental management, policy development and problem solving pertaining to land reclamation.
In advancing this directive, the GGMC through its reclamation unit continues to focus on education as the main building block for stakeholders’ compliance.
As such, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the oversight body for the local extractive sector has taken a lead role towards ensuring that large, medium and scale miners fulfill their land obligations.
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