Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-04-21-Speech-3-161"
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"en.20100421.7.3-161"2
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"We must agree that the ban on the use of cyanide in mining will become a priority issue for the environment not only in Romania, but throughout the whole of Europe as well. More than 25 major accidents and discharges have occurred worldwide between 1998 and 2006, making it increasingly obvious that cyanide has been posing a constant hazard to the environment for decades. These mining accidents raise a number of questions about practices and the application of regulations governing the management of cyanide, even if the companies involved are well-meaning.
In addition, the difficulty in managing the transport, storage and use of cyanide, combined with shortcomings in operating and maintaining tailing ponds, not to mention bad weather, can result in explosive situations, with a devastating impact on the environment. There are alternatives to the use of cyanide in mining, but they are not promoted by the mining industry, even though regulations are applied at European Union level to actively promote new emerging technologies which are safe.
In November 2005, MEPs and Member States adopted the Mining Waste Directive. This directive is an ineffective legislative instrument, resulting from great pressure exerted by the mining industry and concerns expressed by the countries in Central and Eastern Europe with regard to waiving any request and responsibility for cleaning up old, abandoned mining sites. Some of the loopholes in the directive become obvious if we consider that it does not, for instance, refer to cyanide emissions in air.
Let us take the example of the Roşia Montană mining development in Alba County. If operations get under way, it is estimated that 134.2 kg of cyanide will be emitted into the air every day, which will happen every day of normal operation. This means an annual volume of 48 983 kg of emissions or 783 728 kg over the mine’s 16-year operating life. In addition, there is not even any European legislation on air quality for such emissions. In this context, it is our moral duty to future generations, and in keeping with the global trends on banning the use of cyanide in mining, to support this legislative proposal."@en1
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