Dear Editor,
Miners are seeking tiny fraction of the forest for direct mining.
EXEMPT ACREAGE means:-
A tiny acreage of between 1,600,000 million acres and 2,000,000, million acres, which is to be exempted from the rules of the Norway MOU, and the rules of the LCDS programme, or any such other programme, and comprised of an ACCUMULATED, WHEREVER & WHENEVER YEARLY MINED total exempt acreage of between 1,600,000 and 2,000,000 acres out of a remaining forest total of 34 million acres, after taking out the Amerindian Community Areas, which totals over 5 million acres. (In a 39M total Forest area), to allow our miners TO DO DIRECT MINING,
DIRECT MINING means :-
Mining, that has been done as in the past, but with the avoidance of dirtying, although short term, especially important rivers where people live down river, and to mine in a way, to automatically back fill mined out areas, so as to prevent large areas remaining with very large depressions, to facilitate greater regeneration of forest trees, even though the miner would have to deposit a restoration bond, which will be used to pay for the restoration of the mined out areas, if the miner fails to do so himself.
For this very tiny (compared to 39 million acres) total accumulated exempt acreage of between 1,600,000 and 2,000,000 acres, our miners cannot and must not be burdened by any difficult mining conditionalities, and must be allowed to mine, producing near US500 million dollars in FC, from this yearly tiny area of 0.0256 % of the forest, under the following 10 conditions:
1) NO COMPULSORY EXPLORATION BEFORE MINING.
2) NO NOTICE, (except in #3), whether 6 Months or otherwise must be given, neither this year nor next year, by any existing or new Miner, before he/she, is ALLOWED to mine. ( Notice, #3, to GGMC is enough)
3) GIVING NOTICE TO GGMC, All Miners, with the exception of the very small “Porknocker” type miner, is to fill out the GGMC form, indicating where and which of their Mining Properties, they intend to Mine.
Filling out this GGMC Form, is enough NOTICE to the GGMC.
4 ) NO INVOLVEMENT OF GUYANA FORESTRY COMMISSION (GFC) in giving permission to the Miner to Mine, or have anything to do with the Mining Laws or Mining Regulations.
5 ) NO HIGHER, LAND REHABILITATION CHARGES– Any deposits to GGMC for land rehabilitation/reclamation charges, must not be greater than G$ 100,000.00 for any Prospecting or Mining Permit area. We continue to advocate that the GGMC, should use 1%, of its highest royalty charges in the world, to help with land reclamation. This 1% of 300,000 ounces of Gold a year, is equivalent to 3,000 ounces, or US 3 Million Dollars or 600 Million Guyana Dollars, leaving them with 4% of 300,000=12,000 ounces or US 12 Million Dollars or Gy 2.4 Billion dollars.. And when Gold production reaches 500,000 ounces, GGMC’s 5% royalty would be 25,000 ounces or US 25 Million dollars/ G 5 Billion dollars. Royalty is only a part of GGMC’s General Revenue
7 ) THERE MUST BE NO RESTRICTIONS OR DELAYS, if a Miner wishes to change from a Prospecting Permit to a Mining Permit.
8) THERE MUST BE NO RESTRICTIONS, if a Miner wishes to work and TO PAY for his entire Mining Permit of 1200 acres.
9) FOR THIS YEAR 2010, Miners must be allowed TO MINE, ON A PROSPECTING PERMIT, to allow for a gradual transformation, to a Mining Permit, on January 1st, 2011.
10) THERE MUST BE NO BANNING/PREVENTION OF THE USE OF MERCURY, especially during the exempted period, as long as there is no practical, no safer and no economic alternative method to replace Mercury. Hundreds of Mercury containing items are being dumped, without any restrictions, on all our solid waste dump sites, all over Guyana. Let us take care of this very hazardous problem, that is damaging the health and confronting over 100 thousand persons, especially in Georgetown.
Bacteria from dump sites, convert the waste mercury into dimethyl mercury, a highly toxic organic compound that is volatile and is released in landfill gas, and causes it to rise into the air, and is carried by the wind for what ever distances, and then falls to earth, when the conditions are right. When the Solid waste sites are on fire, the problem is even greater as Mercury when heated, turns into a vapour, and easily rises into the air, and travels, while depositing its mercury, where we mistakenly think our people do not inhale it, and our fish are free of it. Mr. Royston King, of Environmental Community Health Organization (ECHO), may wish to take a look at this serious problem happening “right under his nose” and start preventing the dumping in his waste sites or the burning of hundreds of mercury containing items, as well as the dangerous Heavy Metals, emitting from the GPL oil burning furnaces, and the Bauxite Chimneys, while both are emitting some mercury. What is ECHO doing about all these dangers to thousands of people right here in Georgetown, and Region 4 &10 generally. What about starting a research and testing for these dangers.
MINERS, WHO HAVE THE MACHINERY CAPABILITY, when removing any large trees to mine, could put these aside, especially if they are in a Logging area, so that a Logger could check them to see if they are economic or marketable trees, and if he could use them. The positive side to this, is that in more than 90 Plus percent of the Mining areas, in the Alluvial fields, the trees are not marketable ones, as trees like Greenheart, Purpleheart, and scores more, cannot grow under those wet alluvial conditions, while the other positive side is, that the regeneration of trees, after mining is fast and furious. The negative side for the Miners is, that the Media and their Photographers, unfortunately only Photograph the “fresh” existing working mining areas, not that all of them who take these photographs, really want to be “hurtful” to the Miner, but because, the previously mined area is covered by re growth, and any previous space is not visible any more, for the Photographers to find where the previously mined out areas were.
I am of the firm opinion that almost the entire Guyanese public, cannot believe/comprehend the fact that, our miners are only removing a tiny area of the entire forest, to get this colossal sum of near US 400 /500 Million Dollars, in Gold and Diamonds, yearly.
Sometimes, we feel like inviting, all those who write in the newspapers, accusing our miners of destroying the forest, and worst yet saying that we are destroying the Environment, and to take them on an Aircraft trip, from Ogle over the forest, and I am sure many of them would get a heart attack, for when they look down, and see no open spaces between the trees, for hours of flying, they would wish that they could see an open space just temporary left by mining, so that their plane could crash land safely, should it have any problems.
I am also appalled when I hear senior members of Government, saying the same thing, that Miners are destroying the environment and could only guess what is their motive for saying so, when these intelligent men, some in important decision making positions must know that in any extractive Industries, there must be some disturbance, while they fully know that over 90% of it in Mining, is only temporary.
WHAT IS THE DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT IN MINING THAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT??
A) Is it the cutting of mainly the non economic Trees—Trees grow back and cover the Canopy.
B) Is it the holes left in the ground— plans are in place to fill most of the holes in Mining — The removal of Bauxite, the removal of SAND, STONE leave bigger Holes, more like craters. Were bauxite, sand & stone quarries ever asked and made to fill in their holes?
C)Is it Mercury—-More and more Miners are using Retorts. Hundreds of pounds of Mercury-containing items are dumped on city waste dumps. We are eating fish caught from just Offshore which contains Mercury and Toxic Heavy Metals.
The sugar estates spray poisonous Chemicals on cane, which poisons leaches and is consumed by humans and animals, through the Estate trenches Do we hear any complaints about these dangerous health hazards to the main section of the population other than from mining.
Please, stop unfairly criticizing Mining. Any Intelligent person would know, that you are terribly misinformed or have an ulterior motive. There are very few other extractive Industries, which produce as much as US 300-500 Million Dollars in Foreign Currency earnings, within such a small area.
Because of the country’s very high unemployment situation, especially among the mainly unskilled workforce, it is vital that we do nothing to reduce the numbers in the Gold and Diamond Mining operations in the Interior, and that is one of the reasons we have set out the Ten (10) Point Conditions, we expect would continue.
Could anyone imagine what would happen, if we close, or even reduce Mining, and the 20,000 workers, who “man” the dredges and other mining operations, return to their homes in search of work. I know it would be catastrophic.
We look forward to His Excellency President Jagdeo, giving our Miners the requests made in this Ten (10) point proposal, allowing our Gold and Diamond Miners, to have the TINY area we are requesting, exempted, and to allow our miners to continue to do Direct Mining, as they have been doing for years, but in a more caring manner, as we do not see how a request for such a very small percentage of the total forested area, together with the tiny area of 0.0256 % worked yearly, allowing Regeneration of the forest, year after year and far too important to the employment and lives of over 150 Thousand persons, the massive FC earnings, warrant such restrictions as is being contemplated, while all this Gold and Diamonds, are produced SOLELY by our small and medium scale Miners, which production threatens TO DOUBLE THE EXPORT EARNINGS of Sugar, Rice, and many others, put together.
How in God’s Name, could anyone even think of miniaturizing the Small & Medium Scale Gold & Diamond Mining Industry.
Especially by introducing unnecessary and difficult mining conditions, in a poor, undeveloped country like Guyana, where there are no employment opportunities, like factories and other industrial outlets, to offer the Mining workforce.
Patrick Pereira MS
Member—GGDMA.
I am a member of the GGDMA, a dedicated organisation, whose executives solemnly swear to protect the interests and survibal of all the Gold and Diamond Miners and their Mining Industry, above all personal & other interests.
EXCAVATOR MACHINERY POOL FOR SMALL MINERS— ONLY POSSIBLE WITH HAVING THE EXEMPTIONS AND MINING CONDITIONS, SOUGHT.
Dear Fellow Miners.
I propose, in assisting to start an Excavator Pool, where these excavators, would be made available to work ONLY for the Small Miners.
The small miner is threatened with extinction from mining, because the authorities say that if they do not have the use of an excavator to build settling ponds and remove the heavy sticky clay overburden, which travels unsettled for miles, and down rivers, they will not be allowed to continue to mine. I have heard important people say, over and over, that the day is here where there is no longer a place for the small miner in mining. I have always objected strongly to that belief, and have noticed lately, that new measures which were planned to be put in place, would make small miners, history, regardless what some people under “plenty people pressure”, are now “temporarily” saying.
Contrary to the rhetoric being spread by some people to “divide and rule” that the larger miners are using the smaller miners to lobby for them, I wish to state that the larger and financially stronger miners, would survive with all the mining regulations, and they do not need the smaller miners to help them, but hundreds of the smaller less financially strong miners, will never be able, I repeat, will never be able to economically survive. It would profit the larger miners, not to help the smaller miners, since if the majority of smaller miners “go out”, there will eventually be more and richer permit areas available to the larger miners, but the larger miners are fighting to help the smaller miners, for who knows the faith of the larger miners, could one day be in jeopardy and when they may really need help then, there would be no one left to help them. Every miner must stay together.
However, the survival of a lot of small miners could only be guaranteed, if our proposal to get the exemption sought, from the Norway or LCDS programmes, and the Direct Mining Conditions mentioned in our ten (10) point proposal, is approved and accepted.
It would be totally impossible for us to get any Hire Purchase Agreement from any Machinery Supplier or any Loans from any Bank, for such a Programme, if the Miners, especially small Miners have to contend with serious, almost un workable Draconian Mining Regulations.
I am proposing that, should we be able to get his Excellency President Jagdeo to agree to give us the type of exemption and conditions, we require, in this proposal, to mine over a tiny part of the forest, and 10 of the most important conditions, then the following will happen.
We will Purchase either one to five CAT 320 type Excavators, within a reasonable period of time, depending on how much money we could get our larger miners to put up, as well as other organizations, with the intention of having an eventual machinery pool of between near Fifteen Excavators, solely to be used for the small miners.
I have had discussions with a head of an Organisation, who has promised me that they would “match” any amount of money that we could raise.
Now a CAT 320 Type excavator costs approx, G 26 Million Dollars, of which we need to find 30% or 8 Million dollars for each Excavator.
If we decide to go for Two Excavators at first, we would need to find G16 Million dollars, of which I was promised G8 Million Dollars, but only if we could raise the first half of the amount of G8 Million Dollars
As soon as our Miners succeed in getting President Jagdeo to accept the conditions in our Proposal, my Pereira Mining Group will put up G 2 Million Dollars to start the project, so we would need to find another G6 to 7 Million dollars to purchase Two Excavators, paying for Insurances etc.
The balances to pay monthly etc, will be met from the Gold produced.
I am sure that the GGMC will be willing to allocate good potential Gold anomalous Mining areas, for such an important programme.
The other conditions, like which organization owns the machinery which group of small miners, whether in rotation or not, will get the use of the Excavators, as well as which area it will go to Mine, will all be worked out by a special dedicated management committee, to be set up for this purpose.
This is a golden opportunity, and it rests in hands of the Miners to convince President Jagdeo to give the miners, the accumulative Exemption, which they seek, and who we are sure will produce 500,000 Ounces of Gold for 2010, at a Foreign Currency Revenue of over US 500 Million Dollars, giving the GGMC a Royalty Revenue of US 25 Million Dollars, and the GRA, a tax Revenue of US 10 Million Dollars, making this a total of US 35 Million Dollars, or G 7 Billion Dollars, to the two Government agencies. The revenue above to the GGMC is only from Royalty, and do not include the many other areas of revenue.
Even the workers on Dredge Operations will take and send home G 2 Billion Dollars from 20% of US500 Million dollars.
We are pleading with our Miners, to sell all their gold, to legal buyers, preferably to the GGB, since it gives us massive bargaining Power, when we produce and declare such high volumes of Gold, and we are also asking “other “ buyers to desist from buying Gold, and not declaring it, as it could seriously damage the future of our miners, and mining Industry. Had we not produced and sold over 300,000 ounces of Gold, we would have been heading for history, especially with all the jealous “friends” we have attacking us, for our miners not selling all their Gold legally. But those same “friends” were silent, when not too long ago, when it was said that a large part of our economy was run by hundreds and hundreds of millions of US dollars of illegal drug money. Did we hear from those same “friends”, how many millions of US dollars in Taxes and Royalty, our country was losing, from that lucrative trade.
In the Timber Industry, external forces saw to it that clever restrictions were introduced, so that they would gradually take its economic toll on our unfortunate unsuspecting Loggers. Miners swear that they are not going to let the same thing happen to them.
These ads are dedicated to helping save our less financially strong Small and Medium scale Gold and Diamond Miners, from their impending economic death, if planned difficult mining regulations are introduced and other “Death Warrant” previous objected to regulations, are enforced, which we repeatedly argue, are totally uncalled for, in this our undeveloped and poor country.
Professor Krause of the Netherlands famously and honestly said, that Developed Countries should reduce their emissions by 75%, while under developed and Developing countries should increase their emissions by 75%, to allow their economies to grow.
Our Government must never forget that the greatest environmental disaster is the poverty of our people.
We look forward to His Excellency President Jagdeo, giving our Miners the requests made in the proposal, as we do not see how a request for such a very small percentage of the total forested area, together with the tiny area of 0.0256 % mined yearly, warrants such restrictions, while this Gold and Diamonds, which are produced SOLELY by our small and medium scale Miners, threaten to DOUBLE the export earnings of Sugar, Rice, and many others, put together.
Yours faithfully,
Patrick Pereira. MS
