G.H.W. Bush Gold Mine To Destroy Local Ecology

In the Pascua-Lama region of Chile, which is part of the Andes mountain chain, the Barrick Mining company is poised to destroy three glaciers and a large farming community in it's rampant rush to mine Gold and Silver. The Barrick Mining company is noted because George H.W. Bush is a member of their board of advisors who's sole purpose is to use his U.S. Government connections to secure premium mining contracts. The results of the mining operation are forecast to produce millions of ounces in Gold and Silver at the cost of permanently destroying three glaciers, the water supply for 70,000 farms and devastating the local community.



At a time when Glaciers are already in decline due to Global Warming, the intentional destruction of three glaciers and the fresh water supply they feed is soulless at best. To mine the area for precious silver and gold in such a destructive way points directly at the souls of the people in charge of such projects, obviously they care nothing for 'ordinary' people or the planetary ecology, they just want more, more, more until the day they die. The statements by Barrick Gold are self-serving to say the least, as it has been seen time and again that promises by corporations are soon ignored in pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Related News Links:
www.corpwatch.org
www.counterpunch.org
www.snopes.com
www.barrick.com

[edit on 12/11/2006 by Mirthful Me]

So lets see, the family has secured oil in one part of the world and gold/silver in another. You can damn well bet they are probably involved with conflict diamonds as well. This is sickening IMO, and I do not understand how their government would just allow this to happen. I will honestly say if their is a local insurrection, and the mine is siezed it would not be a bad thing. Thankfully Peru is way above sea level, and any rise in the coast as a result of the melting glaciers may not affect them as far as floods go.

Then again I don't think three glaciers have been simotaneously destroyed at once in such a short period, so anything can happrn.

Remember 9/11 1973, when Salvador Allende, the world's first democratically-elected Marxist head of state, who died in a revolt led by the armed forces, orchestrated by CIA and masterminded by the notorious warcriminal Henry Kissinger?

It was because of the copper, and as the mastermind himself put it:

"I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves." — Henry Kissinger

Now it looks like they won't risk another coup in Chile - (not Peru, please note DYepes) - just because of gold.

That some of the best wines grown in that area now will be at stake of being poisoned, is just another prize to pay.

Originally posted by DYepes
So lets see, the family has secured oil in one part of the world and gold/silver in another.

Left out securing the opium market in Afghanistan and producing a bumper crop this year.

Another kind of Gold: Poppies for Poppy Bush

[edit on 13-11-2006 by Regenmacher]

it is NOT a G H W Bush gold mine

some times i miss the " no bias " vote option - because it allowed at least a token stand against such gross errors of fact masquerading as " news "

the barrick mines corperation has even felt the need to address this ssue on thier website

the envitomental impact and scope of the mines operation is subject to a certain ammont of interpretation , and i accept that barricks own website is going to put maximum spin on the disputed environental impact .

but regards Bushs involvement :

Statement: “The operation is planned by a multi-national company, one of whose members is George Bush, Sr.”

Fact: Mr. Bush served in an honorary capacity as an advisor to Barrick’s International Advisory Board for two years in the mid 1990’s. Mr. Bush was neither a director nor officer of the Company

is quite emphatic ,

if any one wishes to defend the false accusation that this is a " bush gold mine " please post some evidence - not inuendo based on 10 year old information .

Thanks for the link ignorant ape.


I have a few questions though.

Barrick says they have agreed to stringent "commitments" - but does not say:

1. Who will enforce the commitments? Will Barrick monitor its own activities, or will there be an independent monitor?

2. Who will pay for monitoring?

3. What are the avenues for enforcement?

The approval of the project in Chile (Resolution - RCA 024/2006) lists more than 400 conditions which Barrick must meet to be able to build and operate the Pascua-Lama Project, including very stringent commitments and controls for the protection of glaciers/ice fields and water resources.
Protecting Water Quality

Barrick´s commitment is that there will be no significant impact on the water users in the valley, either in terms of quality or quantity. Barrick´s confidence in this commitment to the residents of the Huasco Valley is based on more than five years of measured water quality and quantity data in the project area. The system, as designed, will minimize the amount of runoff water coming in contact with mining operations. Multiple barriers of passive and active protection will be used to ensure that any surface or ground water that does come in contact with mining operations is captured and stored for treatment and subsequently completely reused in the mine operations. There are no planned operational discharges to the environment and there is sufficient capacity in the system to provide protection downstream of the project even in extreme runoff events during the life of the mine and after closure. Moreover, the anticipated closure requirements are being built into the project at the beginning of construction.

Additionally, the project will include a comprehensive water quality monitoring and management program, including 30 automated points from which data will be readily available in real time to the authorities and the public and subject to regular independent verification. The quality of water leaving Barrick property, some 15 km upstream of the nearest settlement, will be inspected, controlled and independently audited to comply with legal water quality standards. The expanded number of monitoring points is a direct result of community consultation and dialogue with stakeholders.

Is this just another case of empty promises?

Peru and Chile cannot afford to monitor environmental impacts, or enforce these contractual agreements.


.

Thanks Ape for clearing up the blatant lie.

And the picture of the poppy field.. honestly.. I have seen a 3 year old edit a picture better then that.

I thought the news had to be true?

Well my goodness, I do feel like an ass. I cannot believe I typed Peru, even AFTER I read the article. Although I must admit the Headline is mileading. In fact for some reason I even overlooked the blatant facts of the article itself. Did I even read it last night?

Oh well, I admit my foolishness and jumping the anti-bush wagon. Forgive me please.

Either way this is still an environmentally dangerous pursuit for wealth.

Originally posted by DYepes
Well my goodness, I do feel like an ass.

Oh well, I admit my foolishness and jumping the anti-bush wagon. Forgive me please.

These guys say what they need to say to get what they want - then they do whatever they want, and let their servants clean up the mess.

Don't apologise.

Gold mining is destructive to the environment, and sucks up precious fresh water. Doesn't matter if it's in Peru or not. Peru is a good case showing what can happen when people don't have water.

Either way this is still an environmentally dangerous pursuit for wealth.

Yep.

As I recall, the average gold mine pulls about 5 grams of gold from every ton of rock and earth - using arsenic and other dangerous chemicals for processing, then flushing it all with increasingly scarce fresh water.

So why does the world need all that gold? Where is it going? What is it used for that is so much more important than fresh water, clean soil and good food?


.

Poppy field photo came from here and it doesn't have a photoshop header in it either:
Tomgram: Ann Jones on Bush's Poppy Wars in Afghanistan
(non-profit Prometheus Institute based in Victoria, Canada)

That photo is tame, compared to these (viewer discretion advised):
Afghanistan Five Years Later - The Return of the Taliban - Photo Report Senlis Council
_______________________________

More Poppy Bush as the Gold Whore stories:

Exporting Corporate Control: A Gold Company with Ties to the Bush Family Tries to Muzzle a Muckraking

Bush Sr. Mining Company Goes for the Gold in Chile





Bush Sr. doesn't have to show up on public records and can be silent undisclosed partner and/or has set up an LLC to funnel money into. Bush Sr. was instrumental in getting Barrick into Chile in the first place and circumventing mining laws.

Barrick Gold Faces Determined Opposition at Pascua Lama and Veladero
miningwatch.ca


[edit on 13-11-2006 by Regenmacher]

SOFICROW :

Glad to be of service .

Regards the question of “ who watches the watchmen “ , I whole heartedly agree

I would want to see a neutral third party report on the environmental impacts , because I do not trust the chicken littles screaming “ corporate greed is evil “ , and I certainly do not trust Barrick corps in house reports – as any environmental protections are going to come out of Barrick potential profits .

And when they make statements like “ less than 5% of the gold reserves lie under the environmentally fragile glacier field “ [ paraphrased from Barrick website ]

I have a paranoid suspicion that they have redefined what is “ environmentally fragile , and what a “ glacier field “ actually is to the point that bill Clinton would be proud of their linguistic gymnastics .

But no rational person would recognise the terms in the context barrack use them .

Originally posted by 2stepsfromtop

ipsnews.net

In addition is the contamination from mining operations of the waters that irrigate Huasco valley. ''Gold mining dumps 79 tonnes of waste for every 28 grams of gold, and produces 96 percent of the world's arsenic emissions,'' according to economist Marcel Claude, vice-president of the international environmental group Oceana.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

The part that I highlighted is a blatant lie. What they fail to tell you is arsenic occurs naturally.

Arsenic Information

Arsenic occurs naturally in rocks and soil, water, air, and plants and animals. It can be further released into the environment through natural activities such as volcanic action, erosion of rocks and forest fires, or through human actions.
[....]

Yet they have the gall to blame the majority on gold geeez!!!! :shk:



[edit on 11/14/2006 by shots]

Anti Pascua-Lama Citizen Movement

Citizen sites translated w/Google

• www.noapascualama.org...
• www.fotolog.com...
• noapascualama.blogspot.com...

Additional Information:

Pascua-Lama Urban Legends
Pascua Lama Wiki

Main concern with the citizens and farmers about the 15,000 foot Pascua Lama mine site is that acid, mercury, cyanide and other pollutants will be leaching into the glacial waters that feed the valley's rivers. If tailings pile residuals and extraction chemicals leak into the rivers they will no longer be fit for human or animal consumption.

I suspect this will be another example of "corporate profit above people" and Chileans will be forced to relocate. 3rd world nations have an abyssmal record in protecting their natural resources from exploitation and destruction.

Originally posted by shots
The part that I highlighted is a blatant lie. What they fail to tell you is arsenic occurs naturally.

It's common knowledge gold mining is one of the worst polluters in the industry and it's mainly for vanity purposes, since 80% of gold is turned into jewerly.

Arsenic occurs naturally, but is highly stable when locked in rock strata. When those rock formations are mined and the gold bearing ore is sluiced, extracted and pulverized, arsenic will end up in the water table in abnormally high concentrations thru erosion and seepage from tailings piles/ponds and waste dumps. I have yet to see it not happen.

Arsenic is only one of a multitiude of deadly elements released into the surrounding ecosystem. The fish in the Sacramento River and around the San Francisco Bay area still have elevated mercury levels from the California Gold Rush days.

Gold Mining - a few facts
96 percent of all reported arsenic emissions, and 76 percent of all lead emissions in the US are from metal mines

OP, good find. Greg Palast, who was mentioned earlier in the thread, also says (in the same book) that Bush was associated with a mining company in Africa, that literally mowed people down so they could get to the diamond mines. If they would do that, they'd do anything. This was well-documented by Mr. Palast in his book. Regenmacher, good info, thanks.

Originally posted by Regenmacher

It's common knowledge gold mining is one of the worst polluters in the industry and it's mainly for vanity purposes, since 80% of gold is turned into jewelry.

No they are not that is what the green jeans crowd wants you to believe.

Various other manufacturing industries consume more than 10 times the amount of cyanide compounds than are used in gold mining to manufacture other products like nylon, polyamides, acrylics and certain plastics. And let us not forget cyanide compounds are likewise used to harden steel, electroplate copper and precious metals.



California Gold Rush days.

Gold Mining - a few facts
96 percent of all reported arsenic emissions, and 76 percent of all lead emissions in the US are from metal mines

Ah the good old Small dose of website; they are good liars and love to pass on false information. Kindly note they state Gold Mining - a few facts

Then go on to list the largest open pit mine in Bingham Canyon passing it off under facts about Gold when it is a copper mine DUH! Yeah real trust worthy site :shk:

They always start off using arsenic and cyanide and when that fails they move on and start claiming the radiation from power lines to the mines will kill ya which is known lie.


[edit on 11/14/2006 by shots]

Originally posted by shots
No they are not that is what the green jeans crowd wants you to believe.

Various other manufacturing industries consume more than 10 times the amount of cyanide compounds than are used in gold mining ...

Ah the good old Small dose of website; they are good liars and love to pass on false information. Then go on to list the largest open pit mine in Bingham Canyon passing it off under facts about Gold when it is a copper mine DUH! Yeah real trust worthy site

Yes, it's common knowledge that metal mining mining is the most toxic industry in America and that's according to the EPA too. I doubt the Chileans want a foundry or chemical plant by their glaciers either, so your comparisons are ludacris. What a manufacturing industry consumes verses the waste it produces are two different things.

Bingham Canyon is also the world's 4th largest gold mine, so you really don't look into things before opening your yap, ehh? Why don't you go look up what the major element is in 10k gold too. Better yet, the best test of your "blind ignorance and disregard for the enviroment is best theory" is to go drink a few gallons of water from a hard rock mine's tailings pond and then respond to the thread. Experience is the best teacher...

I would recommend several bottles of Chateau de Summitville...so chuggalug.



[edit on 14-11-2006 by Regenmacher]

Oooo. Another great link regenmacher.

Absolutely MUST post some copy:

False Promises: Water Quality Predictions Gone Wrong; Large Mines and Water Pollution

Water quality impacts from hardrock mines are very difficult to predict. Despite modern technology, government and industry predictions are often wrong, and the long-term environmental and fiscal implications are often severe. Here are ten examples of modern mines where the government and industry predicted little or no impact to water quality, yet significant impacts occurred.

So Barrick says they won't hurt the environment or water supply.

Yeah, sure.

Originally posted by Regenmacher

Yes, it's common knowledge that metal mining mining is the most toxic industry in America and that's according to the EPA too.

That is mathematically impossible because the rest of the words industry use ten times the amount of cyanide for other industrial purposes. Just which TRI report are you talking about there are hundreds/thousands ya know

Bingham Canyon is also the world's 4th largest gold mine, so you really don't look into things before opening your yap, ehh?

Fourth Largest Gold Mine in the world did you say????

Kindly furnish a source for that one that clearly states Bingham Canyon Mine is the worlds fourth largest gold mine.

As for looking it up I did and gold is not the primary metal mined although the site passed it off as such by not mentioning the copper at all.



[edit on 11/14/2006 by shots]

I dunno Regen. The post you link are .... shady at best.

And that picture of the poppy field.. I am sorry I don't care what website you mined it out of .. its fake. 100% fake.

You can put anything on the web.

The key is to have the ability to see what is real, and what is not.