A GROUP of people concerned about the implications of deep-sea mining wants the Papua New Guinea Government to cancel the environment permit and mining licence granted to Nautilus Minerals Niugini Ltd.
The group is led by Jonathan Mesulam of the Alliance of Solwara Warriors, Peter Bosip, the director for the Centre of Environmental Law and Community Rights, Marie Mondu, the development secretary of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of PNG and the Solomon Islands, and Cardinal Sir John Ribat, the Archbishop of Port Moresby, in association with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Coffee Industry support project, Caritas and the Social Communication of CBC PNGSI.
Mesulam said there was a lot of debate and opposition to the project since 2011 and with the project being declared “a failed project” the goal was achieved and asked the Government to go further and cancel its mining and exploration licence.
“The Solwara 1 Project has been declared a failed project in a public statement by the managing director of Mineral Resources Authority Jerry Garry in The National of Jan 24, 2020,” he said.
“The mining licence was given in 2011 and there is no mining, why is the company still holding onto the licence?
“The Government has to cancel the licence before the end of this year,” Mesulam said.
“As stewards of the sea and future, we are now giving notice to the responsible ministers to cancel the seabed mining licence ML154.”
Bosip said the deep-sea mining in PNG was the first of its kind in the world and “we do not know the negative impacts of it”.
“We do not know the best method of mitigating its negative impacts that will arise, we are not prepared to face the negative impact of deep-sea mining.”
The National/pacific Mining Watch
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The group is led by Jonathan Mesulam of the Alliance of Solwara Warriors, Peter Bosip, the director for the Centre of Environmental Law and Community Rights, Marie Mondu, the development secretary of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of PNG and the Solomon Islands, and Cardinal Sir John Ribat, the Archbishop of Port Moresby, in association with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Coffee Industry support project, Caritas and the Social Communication of CBC PNGSI.Mesulam said there was a lot of debate and opposition to the project since 2011 and with the project being declared “a failed project” the goal was achieved and asked the Government to go further and cancel its mining and exploration licence.
“The Solwara 1 Project has been declared a failed project in a public statement by the managing director of Mineral Resources Authority Jerry Garry in The National of Jan 24, 2020,” he said.
“The mining licence was given in 2011 and there is no mining, why is the company still holding onto the licence?
“The Government has to cancel the licence before the end of this year,” Mesulam said.
“As stewards of the sea and future, we are now giving notice to the responsible ministers to cancel the seabed mining licence ML154.”
Bosip said the deep-sea mining in PNG was the first of its kind in the world and “we do not know the negative impacts of it”.
“We do not know the best method of mitigating its negative impacts that will arise, we are not prepared to face the negative impact of deep-sea mining.”
The National/pacific Mining Watch
Next :