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)