The Mining Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, made up of nine legislators, is one of the Commissions that has gained prominence in recent years as a result of the boom in activity. From there, legislators draw up laws but also observe their application from the Executive. Faced with the promise of mining, positions are beginning to divide, between asking for greater external and internal control, from the Executive itself towards the companies or control towards the executive itself. Beyond the different positions, they all project the same objective: the exploitation of resources for the benefit of communities without neglecting the environment.
The Mining Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, made up of nine legislators, is one of the Commissions that has gained prominence in recent years as a result of the boom in activity. From there, legislators draw up laws but also observe their application from the Executive. Faced with the promise of mining, positions are beginning to divide, between asking for greater external and internal control, from the Executive itself towards the companies or control towards the executive itself. Beyond the different positions, they all project the same objective: the exploitation of resources for the benefit of communities without neglecting the environment.
“We see that there is an exaggerated delay in the granting of Environmental Aptitude Certificates”
Guillermo Durand Cornejo
For deputy Guillermo Durand Cornejo, we must advance faster in exploitation. Regarding the exploitation of lithium, he warned that “today it is there but tomorrow we don’t know,” in reference to the potential competition it has against other minerals and scientific progress. “Meanwhile in our province it is not taken seriously and we are not rushing so that the product that is needed can be exploited,” he explained and assured that “there is an exaggerated delay in granting the Certificates of Environmental Aptitude.” In this context, he exemplified that during a meeting with representatives of the Taca Taca company (a company that will exploit copper in Tolar Grande and that is in the advanced exploration stage), the legislators were informed that “since 2019 the company has a procedure started and as of today it does not have the certificate. And on the other hand we see that the company complies with everything it is indicating,” he assured. Durand Cornejo highlighted that the activity “could be infinitely bigger, more exponential,” if the executive “put their efforts together,” and explained that “companies do not inject one more peso until they have the Certificate of Environmental Aptitude. There is no difficulties for the government to get it started,” he concluded.
“We should do more specific and stronger work to contain the communities and make them see and be part of the progress”
Juan Esteban Romero
Meanwhile, the president of the Mining Commission, Juan Esteban Romero, differed and highlighted that it is necessary to mature some processes so as not to water the “seed of anti-mining.” In that order he assured that “the line is quite thin and there are some who need to advance in their projects, but we have to think about the future,” he indicated. At the same time, he stressed that the projects that are presented, such as Taca Taca, “can change the productive matrix of the province.” Although he clarified that beyond the benefits “it must still be sustainable and responsible with communities and the environment.”
The president along with other deputies of the Commission traveled to Tolar Grande a few days ago where they met with officials and neighborhood associations. “We should do much more specific and stronger work to be able to contain the communities and make them see and be part of the progress that mining offers, supporting them with infrastructure and training,” he specified.
Regarding what happened to the Korean mining company Posco, where 15 unregistered foreign workers were detected, Romero assured that the case “not only affects the company but also the activity in general.” For this reason, he assured, “the executive should give resources to the Ministry of Mining so that it has the tools and power to carry out controls,” as part of “an effort to have strong institutions and if there are proven irregularities, be ruthless with sanctions.” . In this way, the official indicated, “the message” that will be given is that “the laws must be followed here and workers from Salta must be hired.” Asked if it could be due to the need for qualified labor not available in the province, he insisted that for this reason “we must look five years from now” so that “workers can be trained.”
