Our Earth Institute's-Extractive Industry Accountability Conference
On May 23-24 Our Earth Institute hosted their first annual international conference on Extractive Industry Accountability in Washington, DC. Larson was able to attend with the assistance of the David Samuel Orr Fund For The Earth and Protest Barrick. The conference centered on working to develop an umbrella organization that will help organizations fighting extractive industries work together. The goal of this project is to create a network or organizations that can work together and have access to funding opportunities as well as scientists that might be needed to help conduct studies. Our Earth Institute's Extractive Industry Accountability Project is still in its developing stages and Larson's input was well received. If you would like more information on Our Earth Institute and this developing project or to provide your input please head to their website www.oei-dc.org.
Universal Periodic Review of the United States
On November 5, 2010 the United States will undergo their first Universal Periodic Review of their human rights practices at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was created in 2006 as a mechanism for the UN to be able to keep track of the human rights practices of the member states. The review is conducted through the Human Rights Council based upon the obligations and commitments put forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Shoshone delegates plan on attending the UPR of the United States and hope their UPR advocacy will continue to assure that all indigenous peoples are heard. It will also allow us to continue to voice the attacks on our Mother Earth and the lasting effects on all forms of life as we know it. Using our UPR advocacy we will be able to work to allow indigenous people globally to unite to protect their way of life.
Follow the link to read the reports:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR%5CPAGES%5CUSSession9.aspx
Follow the link to read the reports:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR%5CPAGES%5CUSSession9.aspx
Cortez Mine Expansion Project
In August the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released their Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the expansion of the Cortez Mine located in Beowawe, Nevada.
Barrick Gold Corp. is actively mining at Mt. Tenabo under the constraint of a “limited injunction.” The ability of the Western Shoshone to use this Mt. Tenabo for cultural and spiritual practice has been impaired. However, under the injunction, which significantly limits the pumping of groundwater, the waters of Mt. Tenabo are still being protected.
As part of the injunction court order the BLM was required to redo some of the analysis in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) including a meaningful mitigation plan for enormous pumping of groundwater (over a billion gallons) due to “dewatering,” particulate air emissions, and mercury emissions. The courts agreed with us that the analysis was inadequate, and the BLM has now released the revised analysis in a draft Supplementary EIS.
The proposed mitigation procedure for the dewatering impacts is to monitor springs, and once the spring flow drops below a predetermined “trigger” the plan is largely to replace the lost water from elsewhere. This replacement process is not protection of the springs. It also does not maintain the cultural significance of the impacted spring. To the Shoshone the water underground is connected, but each spring source has its own unique spirits that cannot be imported from another source.
The BLM must take a hard examination of the seeps and springs to determine whether each is connected to the aquifer that will be affected by groundwater pumping. There must also be analysis of mitigation approaches that prevent the source of the springs to be directly affected, especially for those that have special cultural and/or spiritual significance.
A full copy of DSEIS can be found here:
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/field_offices/battle_mountain_field/blm_information/nepa/cortez_hills_seis.Par.43919.File.dat/Draft_SEIS-508.pdf
Barrick Gold Corp. is actively mining at Mt. Tenabo under the constraint of a “limited injunction.” The ability of the Western Shoshone to use this Mt. Tenabo for cultural and spiritual practice has been impaired. However, under the injunction, which significantly limits the pumping of groundwater, the waters of Mt. Tenabo are still being protected.
As part of the injunction court order the BLM was required to redo some of the analysis in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) including a meaningful mitigation plan for enormous pumping of groundwater (over a billion gallons) due to “dewatering,” particulate air emissions, and mercury emissions. The courts agreed with us that the analysis was inadequate, and the BLM has now released the revised analysis in a draft Supplementary EIS.
The proposed mitigation procedure for the dewatering impacts is to monitor springs, and once the spring flow drops below a predetermined “trigger” the plan is largely to replace the lost water from elsewhere. This replacement process is not protection of the springs. It also does not maintain the cultural significance of the impacted spring. To the Shoshone the water underground is connected, but each spring source has its own unique spirits that cannot be imported from another source.
The BLM must take a hard examination of the seeps and springs to determine whether each is connected to the aquifer that will be affected by groundwater pumping. There must also be analysis of mitigation approaches that prevent the source of the springs to be directly affected, especially for those that have special cultural and/or spiritual significance.
A full copy of DSEIS can be found here:
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/field_offices/battle_mountain_field/blm_information/nepa/cortez_hills_seis.Par.43919.File.dat/Draft_SEIS-508.pdf
