El Salvador Ends Metal Mining Ban: Economic Opportunity or Environmental Risk?
Staff Editor El Salvador Lifts Seven-Year Metal Mining Ban
In a significant policy shift, El Salvador’s Congress has approved a law lifting the seven-year ban on metal mining. The legislation, proposed by President Nayib Bukele, passed with a decisive 57 to 3 vote, marking a new era for the country’s mining industry.
The law includes provisions to protect environmentally sensitive areas, excluding mining activities in nature reserves and critical watersheds. Additionally, it prohibits the use of toxic mercury in gold mining operations, addressing some environmental concerns.
Under the new legislation, private companies seeking to open mines in El Salvador must form joint ventures with the government. This requirement aims to ensure state involvement and oversight in mining operations.
However, the decision has faced opposition from environmental groups and the Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas urged President Bukele not to reverse the ban, warning of potential permanent ecological damage. Civic and environmental activists staged protests near Congress, expressing their disapproval of the law.
Adalberto Blanco, a critic of the new legislation, described it as a “gift of pollution” for the country. A recent poll conducted by Central American University José Simeón Cañas suggests that a majority of Salvadorans oppose mining activities.
President Bukele, who previously called the mining ban “absurd,” has been a vocal proponent of the industry’s potential. In November, he proposed mining gold, citing it as a source of wealth for El Salvador. Bukele estimated the country’s gold reserves could be worth up to $3 trillion.
While exploration efforts have identified gold and silver deposits in El Salvador, no large-scale mining operations have taken place to date. The new law opens the door for such activities to commence.
The passage of this law comes at a time when President Bukele’s party holds a significant majority in Congress, and the political opposition in El Salvador is notably weakened. This political landscape has facilitated the swift approval of the controversial legislation.
As El Salvador embarks on this new mining era, the balance between economic development and environmental protection remains a central concern for many citizens and organizations within the country.
