Ambassadors of Canada and Switzerland support carrying out environmental studies on the Romero Mining Project
Christine Laberge and Rita Hämmerli-Weschke added that allowing the company to proceed to the environmental and social evaluation would be another example of the institutional strength, the climate of legal certainty and due process, which distinguishes the Dominican Republic internationally.
Santo Domingo Dominican Republic. Mrs. Christine Laberge and Rita Hämmerli-Weschke, ambassadors in the Dominican Republic of Canada and Switzerland, respectively, showed their support for carrying out the environmental impact and feasibility studies of the “Romero Mining Project” by the company GoldQuest in the area of Hondo Valle, municipality of San Juan de la Maguana, province of San Juan.
The diplomats asked the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader Corona, to grant the corresponding authorizations so that the Ministry of the Environment can begin the process of evaluating the environmental and social feasibility as established by the Dominican legal system.
They assured that the environmental and social impact studies of the “Romero Mining Project” must establish the suitability and conformity of this project and demonstrate its feasibility. The initiative of the mining company is part of the concept of responsible mining, as evidenced in the technical and economic pre-feasibility study, approved by the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
Laberge and Hämmerli-Weschke are optimistic about the great contributions that the “Romero Project” would provide to the Dominican Republic and especially to the economic and social transformation of the province of San Juan, not only because of the large economic resources that the company would contribute to the community, but also because of the direct and indirect job opportunities that it would generate, which are estimated at more than a thousand jobs in the mine construction phase and close to three thousand in the operation phase.
In the mine construction stage, the company will develop important social plans and projects to mitigate the environmental impact that currently exists in the areas of the San Juan river basin and the Sabaneta dam, as well as a development and training center for train the operators, mechanics, electrical that will be used in the mine.
They added that allowing the company to proceed to the environmental and social evaluation would be another example of the institutional strength, the climate of legal security and due process, which distinguishes the Dominican Republic internationally.
Likewise, they stated that the GoldQuest company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, which implies that it is subject to compliance with numerous standards, among which are environmental and sustainable development indicators.
“We must point out that in the event that the environmental and social impact studies determine that the mining operation proposal does not meet the required environmental and social standards, we would not support the operation of the mine,” the diplomats finally emphasized.