The president of the Round Table of the Commonwealth Countries in the Dominican Republic, FFernando González Nicolás clarified that the mining and environmental laws do not allow mining exploitation in San Juan de la Maguana without first carrying out scientific studies that demonstrate that this activity will not have a negative impact on the water.
He added that the law is very clear and that the decision to allow or not a mining operation in San Juan depends on the result of environmental and social studies that are pending.
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“Currently, the Dominican State is not obliged to authorize a mining operation in San Juan de la Maguana, however, if the law requires it to approve the permits for the studies to be carried out,” González Nicolás highlighted.
He stated that it is the studies that must determine how a mining development would affect the water of San Juan.
González Nicolas emphasized that “the parties involved in the mining development in San Juan understand and accept that if the studies confirm that mining will affect the water in San Juan, then there will be no mining there.”
He pointed out that it is essential that the studies be carried out as seriously and professionally as possible and that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources to outline the terms of reference for the studies.
He indicated that these studies should also be supervised by Dominican society, especially by the community of San Juan, and in this sense he recommended including as observers the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic, Senator Félix Bautista, Deputy Melido Mercedes, both congressmen from San Juan, among other representatives.
These should ensure that the studies, required by law, protect the best interests of the community of San Juan and the entire country.
The president of the Bureau of the Commonwealth added that, by authorizing the studies, the water in San Juan would be guaranteed, the Dominican State would comply with the law, the image of the country as an attractive destination for foreign investment would be confirmed, that the legal certainty and the doors to San Juan would be allowed to open to new opportunities, such as exports and trade in the agricultural, industrial, and technological sectors, among others.
“Investors from the countries of the Commonwealth can play an important role in the economic and social development of San Juan, as they have done in the recent past in other regions of the Dominican Republic, such as the northwest line with the industry. banana plantation”, concluded González Nicolás.
