http://www.rosiamontana.org
Drilling on RMGC’s last nerve


Rosia Montana, Romania; 16. April 2004 ­ As part of the procedures
necessary for obtaining an environmental permit to commence 39
drillings in the Rosia Montana perimeter, Rosia Montana Gold
Corporation (RMGC) yesterday afternoon organized a public consultation
at the local town hall. It was attended by roughly 100 people. Members
of Alburnus Maior attending the debate wore red clown noses; drawing
to the illegality inherent to this puppet consultation. Given this and
given the technical irregularities inherent to this proposed project,
Alburnus Maior is determined to contest the environmental permit; that
is if granted.


RMGC which is 80% owned by Canadian-based Gabriel Resources (TSX:GBU)
intends to realize Europe’s largest open cast gold mining project in
Rosia Montana; entailing amongst other, the involuntary resettlement
of over 2000 people. From its onset the development has been
beleaguered with scandals and operational problems, including local,
national and international opposition by both civil society and expert
institutions.


Yesterday at 17.00 the interested public was invited to express their
opinion on a report submitted by RMGC to the regional environmental
protection authority (EPA) in order to obtain an environmental permit
for 39 drilling points in the Rosia Montana perimeter. Roughly two
weeks ago Alburnus Maior successfully contested the environmental
impact assessment (EIA) procedure for this very project. According to
the Ministerial Order 860/2002 and a recommendation by Romania’s
Ministry for the Environment and Water Management, the entire EIA
procedure should have been re-launched. However, yesterday’s public
consultation was nothing else than the continuation of the procedure
successfully contested by Alburnus Maior two weeks ago.


Fifty members of Alburnus Maior participated in yesterday’s puppet
spectacle in order to highlight the opposition to RMGC’s project as
well as the consequent illegality of the environmental permit; if
granted by the EPA. Members of RMGC’s management team as well as the
management and workers of RMGC’s drilling sub-contractor made up the
rest of those attending.


The consultation commenced with a loud confrontation between those
shouting for jobs and those wanting to protect their lands. Whilst
Alburnus Maior had submitted a detailed and well-motivated
contestation endorsed by 60 Alburnus Maior members at the EPA the
previous day, Alburnus Maior yesterday continued to make technical
comments related to the project. The debate terminated at 19.30.


“Whilst in the past various decisions concerning Rosia Montana’s fate
were taken in absence of effective public participation, we decided to
emphasize the presence of the opposition by wearing red noses. We
carefully analyzed all procedural conditions as well as the report and
duly submitted well-founded contestations. In the event that the law
is applied, this means that no environmental permit will be granted
for RMGC’s drilling project. This in return means no ‘successful
drilling results’”; said Eugen David, President of Alburnus Maior.


According to the law, the EPA now will have to carefully analyze all
comments, contestations and reply to each of them with well-grounded
solutions. Thereafter, RMGC’s report will be studied in greater detail
by a so-called Technical Committee which will then make
recommendations. Once the final decision has been announced, the
interested public can contest it for the subsequent ten days. Only
once these contestations have again been analyzed can the EPA sign the
final permit. Given the procedural irregularities already inherent,
Alburnus Maior is anxiously waiting for the EPA’s final decision.


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For more information contact Eugen David on +40 (0) 740280309 or
Alburnus Maior on +40 (0) 258 859328.
See  http://www.rosiamontana.org