Written by Vinicio Chacón (vichacon@semanario.ucr.ac.cr) www.semanario.ucr.ac.cr note rather
there was an "attempt to interfere with university autonomy."
as "untrue" qualified members the University Council of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) the allegations of Industrias Infinito that university authorities "did not fulfill their commitment" to provide participation in the process of discussing the Crucitas mining project.
That allegation was part of a paid by the company in the national press published on Sunday 7th June and this is an excerpt from a letter sent to the Council on 2. Industrias Infinito's complaint stems from the Special Commission Report of a professional academic, the University Council appointed to carry out a multidisciplinary study of the above draft chemical gold mining in the open.
Ivonne Robles, director of the Council, regretted that "the publication suggests that they were not given an opportunity for dialogue, when dialogue characterizes the UCR, all Council members are made aware of the effort as coordinator Alberto Cortes Commission to promote such dialogue, including in the file we have the different exchanges of written communications to establish communication between the parties. "
The official added that Industrias Infinito requested detailed information on the project as a map to locate the major works planned, in addition to all that the business itself considered necessary, "but never answered and that is the real reason why the exchange did not materialize."
as "untrue" qualified members the University Council of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) the allegations of Industrias Infinito that university authorities "did not fulfill their commitment" to provide participation in the process of discussing the Crucitas mining project.
That allegation was part of a paid by the company in the national press published on Sunday 7th June and this is an excerpt from a letter sent to the Council on 2. Industrias Infinito's complaint stems from the Special Commission Report of a professional academic, the University Council appointed to carry out a multidisciplinary study of the above draft chemical gold mining in the open.
Ivonne Robles, director of the Council, regretted that "the publication suggests that they were not given an opportunity for dialogue, when dialogue characterizes the UCR, all Council members are made aware of the effort as coordinator Alberto Cortes Commission to promote such dialogue, including in the file we have the different exchanges of written communications to establish communication between the parties. "
The official added that Industrias Infinito requested detailed information on the project as a map to locate the major works planned, in addition to all that the business itself considered necessary, "but never answered and that is the real reason why the exchange did not materialize."
"interference with university autonomy"
The Special Commission's work was to study the documents produced by the company in the Environmental Impact Study submitted to the National Technical Secretariat Environment (SETENA), and the resulting report of their analysis was accepted in full by the University Council (See UNIVERSITY on June 3.)
After the report became known, the company released the said paid advertisement in which he accused the Commission coordinator, Alberto Cortes, of reneging on the commitment to give them the space to raise their position "and thereby ensure due process in a respectful, objective analysis and technical accuracy, which was never fulfilled ".
The text states that "the resolution generated by the commission (...) analysis was based on general and inaccurate, and from people who have declared their strong opposition to the project (...) what ultimately discredits the objectivity , equity and ethical analysis. "
Thus, the accused paid field University Council "Make use of the credibility enjoyed by the University, with the sole purpose of influencing the reflections made on the Project Crucitas judges and justices of the Constitutional Court and lead efforts involving blockades in the streets to voice their opposition to the project" .
then proceeded to request that the Council abrogate the agreement by which welcomed the Report of the Special Commission and noted that its own assessment has been done "to verify the environmental and social viability" of the project with specialists such as Olman Murillo, in forestry, Thomas Sherman, on the management of cyanide, and economist Jorge Guardia.
The publication was produced with the firm responsible for José Andrés Soto Rivera, manager of corporate social responsibility Industrias Infinito. UNIVERSITY Soto sought both by phone and email but no answer to this medium.
Cortes stepped out of the statements and questions made by Industrias Infinito, which "no debate has been characterized by its position, several members of the Commission noted that the company has refused to participate in forums on the topic organized by various bodies. "
said "what does a campaign have made millions of relationships public, when they accuse us of wanting to manipulate public opinion and influence the judges of the Constitutional Court, it seems that they are projecting themselves as the company is looking to press, with its massive campaign, the judges " .
The Council representative said that since Feb. 5 was asked to visit the site on Crucitas Industrias Infinito, after the company requested a meeting that took place in March and it was agreed to postpone the original date of the visit , which would have made in April.
"We propose a date that coincides with a national meeting on the subject that took place there, but asked them to postpone it said they feared a violent act. Despite not share that fear, we agreed, and returning from the meeting I sent an email to Andres Soto, in which he detailed the studies we wanted to develop in the visit and give us a date, but never responded, "narrated Cortés.
The official also said that the representatives of the company had intended that a hearing be held in the Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, San José, "but for us it made no sense, because it made sense to go there with our committee and the experts of the company, wanted to see those forests that supposedly have no forest value, where excavations are intended to do and where they put everything they say they will install it, see a map and compare what they say with real-life experience. "
Thus, Cortes noted that "if the company now says it does not comply with due process and our word to give them a hearing, is lying." The official stressed that it was Industrias Infinito who defaulted on their part, "a late now deliver some documents to the University Council, most of which are presented in the SETENA and records of the Constitutional Court and are known for our experts. "
At the same time highlighted the fact that when it releases to the public a position based on scientific analysis and academic, "the University Council meets part of its mission, it is an ethical position, moral and politics, because we are an institution of weight that makes a serious and alert the community. "
For his part, Robles insisted that the company "was given every opportunity to raise his position." Thus, the College Board reported that its position embodied in an agreement already been published in national media on 14 June, in which "the Council rejects the disqualification of the specialists who formed the Commission and rejected the attempt by any political or economic power to restrict or prevent the dissemination of knowledge, intellectual honesty and freedom of thought in the UCR. "
The agreement also rejects the request to repeal the prior agreement that welcomed the Report of the Special Commission, and proposes the creation of a debate between experts from the UCR and the company.
Moreover, Héctor Monestel Council member and member of the Special Commission, said when he saw the field paid Industrias Infinito "My first reaction was anger, because it lies in all extremes."
After insisting that the Commission sought to company in search of her position, and visit the site, said that "the most outrageous is that they question the intellectual honesty of those who participated in the drafting of the Report" .
also Monestel called the company "makes an attempt to interfere with university autonomy by demanding abrogation of the agreement, but the Council's response is very clear and also invite them to make a discussion with experts the company and ours. "
Moreover, UNIVERSITY spoke to a number of professionals serving on the committee who expressed a deep dissatisfaction with the attitude shown by Industrias Infinito.
Thus, Gustavo Gutierrez, director of the School of Biology, said that "the dynamics used by the company leaves much to think, insist on speaking the truth but not the face, I contains all the efforts made to attended and we have not. "
He noted the multidisciplinary nature of the group of "people respected and strong presence in several instances "that was part of the Commission. Gutiérrez
questioned the attitude shown by not mentioning the company in its field paid multiple requests for them to attend the Commission, while in parallel uses propaganda activities as giving away a computer to members of a national team under football.
While he said that "they are not attached to the truth," the biologist said that "they have reversed the process, since many people who were confused and begins to question upon seeing that kind of attitude." Gutierrez also challenged them "to public debate, let's see if they dare. "
Meanwhile, another of the experts who participated in the scientific paper, Jorge Lobo, recalled that the point of view of technical mining representative expressed in the Environmental Impact Study, which was presented by same company and was based precisely the study by researchers at UCR.
But he said that since last year, before President Óscar Arias issued the questioned decree declaring the public interest of the mining project, the group Urgent Appeal for the homeland, which he is a part, sought this study and the company "reserves the intellectual property claimed to SETENA not deliver what we now speak of transparency when we live in the dark for a while." Demand
consult the opinion of the UCR
The report prepared by the Special Commission and was hosted entirely by the University Council, recommended inter alia that the courts to know the arguments about environmental issues of relevance and decide on them, "weigh the legal and scientific arguments of academic as the UCR and other external entities and are not limited to feasibility studies submitted to the SETENA.
regard cites the Bellavista Mine in Miramar, whose collapse in 2007 was warned by academics, despite the assurances provided by the studies submitted to the Secretariat.
In this sense, the biologist Jorge Lobo said that the initiative to "see SETENA officially UCR", reflects the need to broaden the perspective of environmental impact studies, because "in this case we are dealing with a which is very limited in terms of predictions of environmental damage, for example in extending the project obviate new impacts that may occur. "
Lobo stated that, given that these studies are made under contract by the companies concerned, it is desirable that "refer to the University for being independent-minded."
Meanwhile Gustavo Gutierrez, director of the School of Biology, said that the UCR is "a critical and objective source to large projects, but not only this university, but any of the four public universities."
"The problem is that for particular reasons the president (Oscar) Arias ignore us, but you should take the approach of the schools of biology, geology, or chemistry, where there may have interests in future projects that jeopardize the environment and economy. " Finally
Alberto Cortes, who coordinated the Special Commission, said the UCR has had "a consistent position to alert the country about what happens to environmental resources, as well as open pit mining has addressed issues such as abuse of pineapple production and real estate development in the South, in recent years have seen an incredible assault on the natural resources and do not shut up about it. " Cortés
added that when seemingly loose ends tied, "we realized that what happens is that there is a whole national development orientation highly destructive to the environment and the access concentrator to natural resources. "
Noting that the University is required to address these issues, as is its historic mission by its own laws ", said that since establishing a special commission to examine the case of water in Sardinal of Guanacaste.
Crucitas The dangers of
Some of the main points identified in the Report of the Special Committee are:
"The experience that Costa Rica has had with the gold mining open pit ha sido negativa, como lo demuestran los ejemplos de las minas Macacona, en Esparza; Beta Vargas, en Chomes, y Bellavista en Miramar, todas en Puntarenas.
-El impacto ambiental del proyecto Crucitas empieza por sus propias dimensiones, busca remover 33 millones de metros cúbicos de material para obtener cerca de 800.000 onzas de oro, ello implica el uso de equipo y maquinaria pesada y de explosivos, también un quebrador que debe “moler” la roca para extraer el oro diseminado en su interior.
-El Estudio de Impacto Ambiental no incluyó el uso de explosivos.
-Se utiliza cianuro para obtener el oro de la roca, una sustancia altamente tóxica, which, in contact with people and with living organisms, may cause death. "There are high risks of potential spills of cyanide deposits, a situation which was not considered in the study presented by the company to SETENA Infinito SA, and included security measures to prevent this," the report said.
-The excavation of 60 to 65 feet deep at the base of the hills Botija and Fortuna, beyond the level of local aquifer, which is only four meters deep, reaching the regional aquifer is deeper.
"There are no protocols for the planting of many species of flora that are eliminated by the project. This is of particular importance as it includes the almond necessary for the survival of the macaw, an endangered species.
-The restoration of water ecosystems removed by the project is "even more unlikely," it disappears with the mine environment that have been developed.
-Among the recommendations were accepted by the University Council, contained "sue" the government to repeal the national interest of the mining project rather Crucitas and declare a moratorium on open pit mining chemical.
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