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Tuesday, June 5th 2012 - 23:53 UTC

Brazil re-assessing its 3bn dollars potash project in Argentina due to ‘political risk’

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1 Truth_Telling_Troll (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 12:08 am Report abuse

Mendoza is the California of Latin America in terms of environmental protections. A recent newspaper article put Mendoza as the province with the strongest green lobby. As a result, any mining project will be scrutinized in minute detail, and few if any have survived.

Mendoza is just not ready to put its water supply which feeds the huge oasis for organic fruits, wine, garlic, plus the tourism the mountains and environment bring, at risk.

2 rnbgr (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 12:15 am Report abuse

1. Truth do you think the national government wants this mine more than Mendoza ? or is it all up to Mendoza ? Looks like Vale is trying to negotiate here.

3 Truth_Telling_Troll (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 12:37 am Report abuse

I'm not against mining; however, the record of mining projects even in developed countries in regards to the environment is of some concern. In the USA and Canada many mountain areas have been grotestly mutilated by open-pit mining, and people in Mendoza are quite conscientious of nature. The city itself should be sere steppeland, but it is lined by millions of trees watered through an elaborate channel system, so the denizens live face to face daily with the delicacy of mother nature. You drive out of the city and the vineyards and the landcape is beautiful, but DRY. Our entire water supply sources from mountain rivulets and streams which consolidate into a handful of rivers.

Mendoza is one of the so-called powerful provinces; it provides more to the government treasury in taxes than it is afforded (in fact it is grossly underfunded). So the goverment leaves the province alone, and could not easily force the issue even if it had the desire to.

Vale and Mendoza should negotiate. But to reiterate, the green lobby is a puissant entity, so I don't know how much latitude the provincial government has. They are keen on these projects, but they must answer to their constituents and in Mendoza there is a more positive relationship between government and citizens than in other parts of Argentina.

4 GreekYoghurt (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 06:05 am Report abuse

Is someone keeping a tally of how many major investors have or are considering abandoning Mar de Mierda recently because of political risk? Seems to be quite a large number.

5 Brit Bob (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 11:18 am Report abuse

Perhaps it's a matter of getting out before you get nationalised by CFK and the Co.

6 BLACK CAT (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 12:10 pm Report abuse

1 Truth_Telling_Troll (#) Hey you forgot to mention the big bad refinery that sits in the middle of the vine yards that churns out Shite all day and nite, they like water more than organic veggies, which are not so organic once they soak up that hydrocarbon by product spewing into the air..............organic Mablec anyone?

7 tobias (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 01:07 pm Report abuse

Ins't the whole of Europe's soil the same as the 1km radius around the refinery? (which if you look at Google Earth, is sorrounded by desert, and a lot of the land that used to be agriculture around the area are now developments and country clubs). The good vineyard are WELL away from it.

Europe with all the wars and all the sh!t such destruction of buildings and weapons must have laid on the groudn, plus regular pollution, plus thepopulation concentration... Trust me my food source is 10k times cleaner than anything in Europe will ever be.

Aren't you in Europe the world's center for acid rain too? And who can forget Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and now Fukushima putting all the radiation in the Northern Hemisphere soil. How about the mad cow in the UK, France, and Netherlands? the intestinal infections in Scandinavia and Germany from Brussel Sprouts? The bad cucumbers in Spain and Portugal?

BLACK CAT... your black, from soot.

8 BLACK CAT (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 01:19 pm Report abuse

Tobias, do people cough politely and look the other way when you walk in a room? I bet they do. Try visiting Mendoza you see the refinery in the flesh. Google earth indeed. Psssssssssssssssst you also have nuclear plants dick head

9 ArmitageShanks (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 02:07 pm Report abuse

@5 Brit Bob

Yep. Here's another: www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/cameco-ends-joint-venture-in-argentina/article4228467/

Why would the big mining companies now invest in Argentina. The investment risk is too high.

10 jerry (#) Jun 06th, 2012 - 05:28 pm Report abuse

I suspect that some of the mining companies working in Argentina are very nervous right now.

11 British_Kirchnerist (#) Jun 07th, 2012 - 08:23 pm Report abuse

1. “Brazil” isn't the same as this Brazilian company
2. The company's problem is not with Cristina's government
3. Mendoza is right to implement its own labour regulations

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