July 28, 2021
Audit of British Columbia’s Tailings Pond Regulations Casts Shadow on Government’s 'World Class’ Mining Claims
Audit of British Columbia’s Tailings Pond Regulations Casts Shadow on Government’s 'World Class’ Mining Claims
July 28, 2021
In 2014, a collapse of the Mount Polley copper/gold mine tailings pond unleashed 24 million cubic meters of wastewater into British Columbia waterways, becoming one of the worst mining environmental disasters in history. Subsequently, a myriad of new regulations were imposed, but a 2021 audit by the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation cites numerous ongoing shortcomings in data, ambiguous regulations, enforcement challenges and outright violations.
Latest News
Stringent New Standards for Tailing Pond Wastewater
November 2020
A joint report (August 2020) by the United Nations Environment Program and the International Council on Mining and Metals calls for much higher safety standards and regulations for managing mining tailings ponds.
Development of One of the World’s Largest Gold Mines Halted Due to Wastewater Disposal Risks
November 2020
Environmental approval for the biggest open-pit mining project in Latin America is being continually delayed due to environmental concerns about the difficulty of wastewater disposal and tailings dam safety.
BHP Brazil Tailings Pond Lawsuit at $6.3bn, Nearing Court Date
October 2020
The total claim for the 2015 BHP/Vale tailings pond collapse has risen to $6.3bn and is nearing a court date pending several jurisdictional disputes.
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