Thursday, 18th May 2006 (1421 views)

Mining firm Gabriel Resources has submitted the required environmental study to the government of Romania regarding its proposed open-cast gold mine at Rosia Montana.

The project has been the subject of some controversy. Critics claim that the use of cyanide as an extractive is risky and that the gold mine could threaten ancient Roman gold mines and harm the environment.

However, the new study from the Canadian miner meets the latest waste management directives stipulated by the European Union. Further, Gabriel Resources aims to remediate "the ravages of 2,000 years of uncontrolled mining" and says it will leave the rivers and soil in the region "cleaner than when we found them".

Poor mining practices in the past have led to heavy metals polluting the water – levels that far exceed the legal limits in Romania. These include 110 times the legal limit of zinc and 3.4 times the legal limit of arsenic.

This has a negative effect on the local people and Gabriel Resources aims to build a new state-of-the-art facility that will address these serious concerns. The firm stressed that the "highest environmental standards" will be implemented in the project.

Gabriel's president and chief executive, Alan R Hill, said the submission of the environmental study was "a decisive moment for the Rosia Montana project".

 

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