Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Saca reiterates that he will not permit mineral extraction

Following an announcement that he will not give Pacific Rim extraction rights to the El Dorado area, President Saca reiterated that his administration will not support any mineral extraction.

Saca said that he will veto any law the Legislative Assembly tries to pass that allows mining on Salvadoran territory.

He emphasized the environmental ramifications that accompany mining, such as the health implications of using cyanide to extract gold. He made it clear that this administration will not support any mining project.

-Leslie O'Bray, SHARE Grassroots Education and Advocacy Intern

1 comment:

Carlitos Buenischke said...

Let me add a little more background from where I live:

There are many connections between Wisconsin and El Salvador.

You are probably familiar with many of the faith based connections as well as Madison's sister-city relationship with Arcatao.

Perhaps you're also aware of one of the environmental issues that Salvadorans are fighting: mining.

Here's another connection between Wisconsin and El Salvador: The Commerce Group.

This Company is a U.S. Wisconsin chartered corporation, based right here in Milwaukee, engaged in exploration for gold and silver, with its primary asset being the San Sebastian Gold Mine (SSGM). The SSGM is located in the Republic of El Salvador, Central America and produced over one million ounces of gold during the 1900-1917 period. The Company became involved as an investor and then as a majority owner. Gold and silver was mined from mid-1972 through the first quarter of 1978. Mining ceased due to the civil unrest in El Salvador. A peace pact was entered into in December 1992 conditioned upon meeting the terms and conditions of this peace agreement during a three-year period. Mining of gold and silver commenced on April 1, 1995 and the operations were suspended during the first quarter of 2000 due to the low selling price of gold (lowest price about $252) at that time and the need to retrofit, restore and expand the San Cristobal Mill and Plant (SCMP).

The Company presently is seeking permission from the El Salvadoran Office of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) and funding to restore the SCMP and to set up an open-pit, heap-leach operation at the SSGM site. Its alternative is to joint venture or to enter into a merger or other business combination.

Read more about this company and their mining efforts at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/10-q-commerce-group-corp-wi/story.aspx?guid=%7BBDC9046E-1AC4-4691-AAAF-D2C2C94153D6%7D&dist=msr_2. And just Google The Commerce Corporation to locate their web page.

Carl J. Malischke "Carlitos Buenischke"