A presentation on the various mining projects given yesterday by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MICI) made clear the support being given by the government to the mining industry in Panama, provided it is done in a responsible manner, said Roberto Henriquez, the chief of the MICI. Henríquez said "we will enforce the law, we will be energetic, in Panama there is a mining policy and we see it as a sector of the country's development." He also said "in previous administrations, for ideological reasons institutions like the National Environmental Authority (ANAM) had policies are dedicated to shutting down the industry." Henriquez also said: "We will be very watchful of the projects, but we will not hamper them by hypocritically saying there's a mining policy and then preventing their progress by simply shelving paperwork for months so that the sector does not advance."
Projects - July Benedetti, president of the Mining Chamber of Panama said that during 2011 the mine at Cerro Quema could be activated, and that additionally there are another ten projects currently under study in the country. However, Henríquez explained the only mine with government authorization to extract gold is the Minera Petaquilla, which is being checked weekly. Faced with a possible increase of mining development in Panama, MICI plans to recruit more inspectors, and currently there are six on staff. Another action which could help the development of the mining industry in Panama would be a reform of the Mining Code, which dates from the 60's, said Henriquez. This is a plan backed by the ANAM Director Javier Arias, who said "We are always going to encourage the best mining practices in relation to the environment, the processes, and the communities so that they are protected to the maximum amount possible with the highest standards, through a reform of the Mining Code," and he added that his institution also lacks the personnel and resources to address these issues.
Regarding the Mining Code, Felix Wing, and attorney for the Center for Environmental Advocacy (CIAM) stressed: "It would be good to change the code because it ignores the issue of environmental care, but it should be clear that the law should not be changed in order to make life easier for those businesses who violate the collective interest." (Source - Panama America)
By Graham Land for greenfudge.org - Mercury – cheap and easy to obtain – is used to extract gold. As is the situation in Venezuela, Peru’s gold rush is poisoning the plants and animals of the rainforest as well as its people. But the immediate economic benefits of the gold trade make any actions to curb or stop the mining very difficult, despite the expressed wishes of Peru’s environment minister. Gold mining has also allegedly resulted in contamination of a valley in the Central American country of Honduras. An article in the Guardian describes how industry giant Goldcorp stands accused by NGOs and Honduran locals of poisoning the valley’s groundwater and streams with cyanide, arsenic, mercury and lead. Two studies by Newcastle University support the claims and an investigation by authorities in Honduras is on its way. Furthermore, farmers and other local residents mounted a protest against a gold mine in Panama last spring due to environmental concerns, according to an 
(CP) ROUYN-NORANDA, Que. — Pershimco Resources Inc. (TSXV:PRO), which currently has its strategic properties in Quebec and Mexico, has signed a letter of intent to acquire up to 85 per cent of the 
By Mary Triny Zea for La Prensa - The direction of Mineral Resources is organizing existing information on the Cerro Colorado mining project, in order to assess the options for the exploitation of copper deposits. At least five international companies have expressed interest in developing the mine. It was also reported the development of mining projects is part of the economic policies the government intends to implement in order to promote the rural sector. (Editor's Comment: By all accounts, the copper deposits in Cerro Colorado could eventually turn out to be the largest and most valuable in the world. Today copper is back up to 
By Mary Triny Zea for La Prensa - The potential mine in Cerro Colorado - which contains one of the largest copper reserves in the world - located in the Ngäbe Buglé reserve, will in fact be developed the Government of Panama confirmed. This project, in the same way as the Petaquilla gold mine has been advanced, will allow for further development in some of the poorest areas of the country, which is why the residents of the area should view this project in a good light, said Panama's Vice Minister of Commerce and Industry Ricardo Quijano, who added that there will be no damage as the environmentalists are saying, because Cerro Colorado is already a "barren hill." "One thing is a contract that does not favor the state (as in the case of Petaquilla), but we can not eliminate it. With Cerro Colorado we are going to do it in a responsible manner so that the mine generates much more wealth and payments for the state," he said. His words angered environmentalists, who said that "even if it is a barren hill it still has great ecological value." They are not examining the economic, ecological, and social consequences of the project, criticized environmentalist Demetrio Miranda, noting the watershed of the San Félix river and other tributaries are located in the area. The Center for Environmental Advocacy said you not only have to see if there are trees in the area to potentially be exploited; metal mining leads to acidification of waters and soil desertification, which in the future serve no purpose for other activities.
By DON WINNER for 
