Release: Newmont welcomes Government Integrated Team report

Jakarta, October 20, 2004 -- Newmont Mining Corporation welcomes the release by the Government Integrated Team of the report entitled Environmental Quality Assessment of Buyat Bay and Totok Bay. The report states conclusively that Buyat Bay is not polluted and the fish are healthy.

?This report represents complete vindication for Newmont and confirms that Newmont has told the truth, has mined responsibly and has properly managed the environment of Buyat Bay,? said Tom Enos, Vice President of International Operations from Newmont?s headquarters in Denver and the former Vice President for Indonesian Operations.

?We strongly believe the information contained in this report ─verified by six government and private accredited laboratories ─should put to rest the controversy regarding Buyat Bay. Perhaps more importantly, the report should reassure the local communities that Newmont is a reliable partner who can be trusted to do what is right,? he said.

?We are hopeful the police will soon release the five detained employees of Newmont,? said Luhut Pangaribuan, lawyer for Newmont.

The five Newmont employees have been detained since late September and are being held in a detention facility at National Police Headquarters in Jakarta. Nonetheless, Newmont will continue to cooperate with the police investigation.

The Government Integrated Team report is the second major report released in the last two weeks that contains conclusive data showing neither pollution in the bay nor poisoning in the fish or people. A study by WHO in conjunction with the National Institute for Minamata Disease was released by the Health Ministry two weeks ago and also confirmed that Newmont has complied with all applicable regulations.

Key Findings
Key findings in the Government Integrated Team report include:
??Data shows that the water in Buyat Bay is not polluted. All the parameters of water quality are well below the standards. Further, the quality of water in Buyat Bay was found to be the same as the quality of water at the control points, and in Totok Bay. This finding is the same as the finding of the KLH-BPPT study conducted in Sep-Oct 2003.?
??The data on fish collected by the integrated field team found that total mercury in fish is below the standard prescribed by the World Health Organization. The data also shows that the level of inorganic arsenic (10% of the total arsenic) in fish is below the standard prescribed by the food standard of Australia and New Zealand.?
??Buyat Bay is not polluted with mercury. Mercury level in the mixing area (tailings area), outer Buyat Bay and the control points are the same.?
??Buyat Bay is not polluted with arsenic. Arsenic level in the mixing area (tailings area), outer Buyat Bay and the control points are the same.?
??Fish from Buyat Bay are fit for human consumption. Eating fish from Buyat Bay does not create any risk of Minamata Disease.?

Newmont has made a company wide commitment to socially responsible mining and to abide by the highest environmental standards. The Government Integrated Team?s report proves that Newmont is innocent and will hopefully bring quick resolution to the case. At the same time, Newmont continues its commitment to the communities surrounding the mine. (end of release)

Source: Newmont