Verification team rejects pollution charge against Newmont

An independent verification team has said that the results of three previous studies carried out by local non-governmental organizations on the impact of the operation of Newmont Minahasa Raya's undersea waste disposal site in the Buyat Bay, North Sulawesi are not valid, According to Newmont.

The mining company said in a press statement on Monday that the team, which had carried out verification works for at least six months, had concluded that the parameters used in the three previous studies on the impact of the undersea waste disposal site were not relevant.

The team concluded that the results of the three previous studies could not be categorized as valid scientific documents, according to the press statement.

The results of the verification works were also unveiled during a meeting between local mining officials with the residents living near the bay.

The independent verification team was established early last year following controversies over the results of three studies on the environmental impact on Newmont's undersea tailing disposal site at the bay. All of the studies concluded that the waste disposal site has caused pollution at the seam water at the bay and could pose serious problem in the future.

The team, which is headed by a person proposed by Walhi, consists of noted experts from various fields.

The management of Newmont said that the conclusion of the team did not cause much surprise to them because the company had denied the allegation for such a long time.

"But we certainly hail the works of the verification team. The results of the verification works prove that the tailings of PT Newmont do not cause pollution to the environment. The company has operated according to existing regulation," Newmont president Rick Ness. (*)