Opposition disappointed with Cockpit Country mining approval
Published:Tuesday | January 4, 2022 | 4:35 PM
The Opposition People's National Party says it is disappointed with the decision of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) to grant a permit for the mining of lands that are part of the Cockpit Country in St Ann via Special Mining Lease (SML) 173.
The decision was announced yesterday and saw Noranda Bauxite being given permission to mine 1,324 hectares of their lands in the protected area of St Ann.
It was noted that the allocation is much smaller than the 8,335 hectares for which Noranda had applied.
READ: Currie rues mining green light for St Ann lands
However, the opposition is not pleased with the decision.
“Although the permit is for a smaller parcel of land than requested, we believe the decision of the environmental regulator is counter to its mandate to protect and preserve Jamaica's environment, including the sensitive and important Cockpit Country,” said Spokesperson on Land, Environment and Climate Change, Sophia Frazer-Binns, in a statement today.
“The role that the Cockpit Country plays in Jamaica's survival and our way of life must not be taken lightly,” Frazer-Binns added.
She believes that the Cockpit Country must be off-limits to mining.
Frazer-Binns is calling for urgent legislative protection of the Cockpit Country Protected Area as well as the establishment of buffer zones.
She is also calling for the Government to establish a multi-sectoral/multi-disciplinary committee to commence in earnest, the exploration of alternatives to bauxite mining.
“The evidence is clear that both time and mining lands are running out.”
Frazer-Binns is appealing to Prime Minister Andrew Holness not to override the decision of the NRCA, in the event that Noranda appeals the entity's decision.
She is arguing that this would be a retrograde step and contrary to his oath to work in the best interest of Jamaicans.
“Our very future depends on how we protect and preserve the environment and the Prime Minister must lead the charge,” she said.
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