MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Mining projects debate heats up in Argentina as provinces unite to defend industry
The Argentine government faced with growing resistance to mining projects without the proper environment and resources assurances, which has led to demonstrations and sometimes violent clashes with police, has sponsored the creation of the Federal Mining Organization which brings together all those provinces with mining interests. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules“All this red-tape around shooting indigenous leaders just doesn't help our ability to make profit.”
Feb 16th, 2012 - 11:29 am - Link - Report abuse 0De Vido, Morenito, Randazzo, Garre etc.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 11:35 am - Link - Report abuse 0If only we could just get rid of them.
Mining companies exist to make a profit AND THAT'S BUSINESS.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 01:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0On the way to make that profit they employ people and pay them wages: the people have a choice whether to work for them of not.
They also pay taxes to the government, the the people they employ also pay taxes.
What is the problem here?
Outsiders, like the bunny hugging 'environmentalists' clearly started the trouble. It is about time the Regional Governors stood up to the trouble makers.
You can bet foreign money and spies will be embedded in this body.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 02:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Yoghurt you can't surprise anymore you may as well get genuine or quit.I,at least won't read your posts,I've read my last one.goodbye yoghurt.
The problem Chris is that historically mining companies have had atrocious environmental records, even in Europe and the USA. Its one thing to make money (fine), another to make money and doing so by not providing a mininum of environmental safety.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 03:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0In the end I believe the poorer provinces in the northwest will go ahead as such industry is simply too difficult to not . In a richer province like Mendoza though, which has a much more diversified economy in which some sectors require a healthy environment (fine wine, tourism and ski, agroindustry, mineral spring water), the environmental lobby may deter most investments.
“You can bet foreign money and spies will be embedded in this body.” >> Ah, another person who works for PressTV
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:05 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Yoghurt you can't surprise anymore you may as well get genuine or quit.I,at least won't read your posts,I've read my last one.goodbye yoghurt.” >> Read this (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR13/006/2011/en) and this (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR13/006/2011/en) before you accuse me of not being genuine.
Now you can get back to goose-stepping.
I wonder how many environmental protesters will get beaten up this time around?
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 03 ChrisR (#) - I think that you are entirely correct. Mining can be done with proper environmental controls and has been done very successfully in the past (and is being done so in the present)
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Mining companies do not only operate in argentina in this manner.Their greed for profits and lack of concern for the environment happens wherever they operate.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 09:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0How is it that these fights Occur still over what should now come under a company's ethical policy.Of course for some idiots,profit justifies all things.They can't be expected to change,they'll never realise the world of capitalism has changed since their glory days of the 19th cent.
8 jerry
Feb 16th, 2012 - 09:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I agree.
The fabled Yuleno thinks that capitalism has changed.
Only in ARG. Nobody with half a brain would even think of investing in the place.
It's their 4 biggest export that's all they need is less U$ coming into the coffers. What's better pretty landscape or a full belly? I wonder what the poor would choose? Usually environazis have more of a problem with aesthetics but try to win their arguments with an exaggerated pollution issue.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 10:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@11 I for one agree with the checks and measures that environmental sustainability provides for keeping capitalism in check.
Feb 17th, 2012 - 08:52 am - Link - Report abuse 0Somewhere near the Philippines is a swirling torrent of millions of plastic bags clearly outlining the fact that capitalism and mass consumerism is about earning money and not caring about the fact humanity even exists. How many suicides per iPhone is it currently?
I don't want to live in my rubbish bin, and I'd rather my children didn't.
12 GreekYoghurt
Feb 17th, 2012 - 09:46 am - Link - Report abuse 0yankeeboy was not saying you had to abandon the environment. But he is quite correct in my EXPERIENCE that these people use all sorts of made up reasons to try and prevent genuine projects from going forward.
What is clearly wrong are these protesters, who are not representative of the people, attempting to stop much needed money coming into the area. Quite what 'millions of plastic backs in the Phillipines has to do with this escapes me.
If you were one of the poor people in this area with a chance to earn good money and look after your children in a much better way, would you reject it.
This does not mean that mining companies should not abdicate their responsibilities to the environment.
@13 I'm just expressing an economic viewpoint that common sense doesn't sit within faceless capitalism. If we ignore the environment, then we end up fracking for natural gas under Lancashire and wondering why there are earthquakes in Manchester (http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2011/10/17/shale-fracking-causes-earthquakes/). The plastic bags are just the realisation of people's lack of understanding of the consequences of the outcomes of rampant consumerist capitalism. Who exactly is going to be cleaning them all up?
Feb 17th, 2012 - 10:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0I'm not a communist, a nimby, nor a beardy weirdy, I just a proponent of sustainable trade that doesn't like living in a toilet.
14 GreekYoghurt
Feb 17th, 2012 - 01:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0But I suspect you run a petrol / diesel car and have gas central heating? In other words you want the utility of gas and oil but don't want to think of how or where it comes from. NIMBY jumps to mind.
Fracking has to be done in an intelligent and experienced manner. Which is a contradiction in terms when it comes to Argentina.
Forget the earthquakes and concern yourself with contaminating the artesian wells problems.
Fracking for gas is one thing. It can be done and a profit made. So far as I can tell no-one has yet gotten oil out of the ground without problems or making a profit.
Nothing is black and white in the petrochemical business: it can only be a trade off - minimising the 'damage' against the loss of utility.
@15 I've never personally owned a car and use public transport and my home is heated by a combination of ground source heat pump and a tiny shared gas unit for deepest winter. I know where oil comes from and I intentionally minimize my usage of it.
Feb 17th, 2012 - 04:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Fracking is not something people currently know what to do. Even experienced frackers like those in Lancashire fully admit they don't know the seismological effects of what they are doing. Water supply, earthquakes, etc ... it's not really a great choice even when considering energy security of your country.
Best option is actually nuclear energy, but not the French-loved nuclear method we currently use because this is incredibly dirty and can cause bed-wetting scenarios (see Japanese tsunami). Thorium is the current bet.
I use oil, I just like to minimize my energy footprint. Doesn't make me a Nimby.
16 GreekYoghurt
Feb 17th, 2012 - 06:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Very interesting response, I take the NIMBY comment back as you obviously DO think about what you do with your life.
Absolutely spot on with nuclear, especially thorium. Probably not in my lifetime though. :o(
Yes 11# a predictable position by you.Check out your environmental disaster,the dust bowl.
Feb 18th, 2012 - 01:28 am - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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