Current:Home > ContactPanamanian commission visits copper mine shut down after court invalidated concession -消息
Panamanian commission visits copper mine shut down after court invalidated concession
View
Date:2025-04-16 00:30:17
PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s government on Thursday inspected a huge copper mine shut down after the country’s Supreme Court ruled in November that the government’s concession with a Canadian mining company was unconstitutional. The deal had triggered widespread street protests.
The administration of President Laurentino Cortizo has promised to carry out an orderly closure of First Quantum Minerals’ mine.
The process will take years if carried out in a way to avoid environmental impacts, according to the company, the government and outside experts.
The mine’s closure meant the loss of thousands of jobs. A small staff has remained to maintain the sprawling property.
Last March, Panama’s legislature approved an agreement with First Quantum allowing local subsidiary Cobre Panama to continue operating the copper mine for at least 20 more years. The open-pit mine was temporarily closed in 2022 when talks between the government and First Quantum broke down over payments the government wanted.
The new contract also included the possibility of extending the concession for another 20 years.
The deal set off weeks of protests. The protesters, a broad coalition of Panamanians, feared the mine’s impact on nature and especially on the water supply.
First Quantum has requested arbitration block Panama’s decision or obtain damages.
On Wednesday, Cobre Panama said in a statement that “the abrupt halt to operations before the useful life of the mine is unusual, so additional planning and preparation are needed.”
It said that at the government’s request it will present a preliminary “safe preservation and management” plan Tuesday with an eye toward the mine’s permanent closure.
An intergovernmental commission representing various agencies visited the mine Thursday. The government also invited representatives of some civil society groups. Last week, a team from the Attorney General’s Office visited as part of an investigation into complaints about possible environmental violations.
veryGood! (43)
Related
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Beyoncé single-handedly raised a country's inflation
- Clean Economy Jobs Grow in Most Major U.S. Cities, Study Reveals
- Trump’s EPA Halts Request for Methane Information From Oil and Gas Producers
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- All 5 meerkats at Philadelphia Zoo died within days; officials suspect accidental poisoning
- Shoppers Can’t Get Enough of This Sol de Janeiro Body Cream and Fragrance With 16,800+ 5-Star Reviews
- Lawsuits Seeking Damages for Climate Change Face Critical Legal Challenges
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Are there places you should still mask in, forever? Three experts weigh in
Ranking
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Inside Tori Spelling's 50th Birthday With Dean McDermott, Candy Spelling and More
- Video shows man struck by lightning in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, then saved by police officer
- Biden set his 'moonshot' on cancer. Meet the doctor trying to get us there
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Some electric vehicle owners say no need for range anxiety
- U.S. Intelligence Officials Warn Climate Change Is a Worldwide Threat
- 'The Last Of Us' made us wonder: Could a deadly fungus really cause a pandemic?
Recommendation
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
San Diego, Calif’s No. 1 ‘Solar City,’ Pushes Into Wind Power
Nathan Carman, man charged with killing mother in 2016 at sea, dies in New Hampshire while awaiting trial
Sniffer dogs offer hope in waning rescue efforts in Turkey
DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
The Truth Behind Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover's Confusing AF Fight on Summer House
Shell Sells Nearly All Its Oil Sands Assets in Another Sign of Sector’s Woes
Wildfire smoke blankets upper Midwest, forecast to head east