Newmont and pollution

Newmont and pollution

I have always tried to avoid telling people how to do their
jobs, but I find myself thrust into that position having just
finished reading the article titled Activists accuse PT Newmont
of polluting (The Jakarta Post, May 1, 2001). As a news
organization, The Jakarta Post didn't fail on any professional
standard, having sought comment from the company regarding the
accusations made by the environmentalists. Overall, while the
story isn't necessarily balanced, at least it's not completely
unfair to the unfairly accused. But I'd like to ask the Post why
this story qualified as "news"?

Network for Mining Advocacy (Jatam) and Indonesian
Environmental Forum (Walhi) have been saying that PT Newmont
Minahasa Raya has polluted the environment for years now without
ever offering one shred of actual proof to back up their claims.
Somehow their claims are still published. The Walhi report
referenced in the article, titled "From Minamata to Minahasa",
lacks credibility by any scientific standard and no respectable
researcher in this country or any other would consider putting
their name on it. As usual, Walhi and Jatam have done nothing but
seek to create conflict in the local communities by using scare
tactics and fraudulent "science". They never offer real evidence
to back up their claims nor do they ever seek solutions to the
alleged "problem" they discover. There is nothing "new" about
this story.

News is when something interesting or out of the ordinary
occurs (or doesn't occur). For instance, why have Walhi and Jatam
done nothing about illegal mining, which is the real
environmental issue in northern Sulawesi? Illegal mining dumps
anywhere from 15 to 60 tons of raw mercury into the waterways of
northern Sulawesi every year. And, by the way, it's not just
northern Sulawesi that's being irreparably damaged by illegal
mines using mercury. It's also happening in Central Kalimantan,
South Sumatra and right here in West Java.

There will be another Minamata in Indonesia if someone doesn't
do something soon to stop the rampant illegal mining in this
country. And it will partially be because Walhi and Jatam ignored
the problem in order to make baseless accusations about companies
like Newmont and to satisfy the whims of their misguided
leadership.

Where has Walhi and Jatam been over the past two years as the
problem with illegal mining has grown out of control? Why haven't
Walhi and Jatam done anything to combat one of the most pressing
environmental problems in Indonesia? What are Walhi's and Jatam's
plans for the future to combat the illegal mining industry? The
answers to those questions would definitely be a news story.

Newmont isn't employing the "hey look over there" strategy.
Given the fact that we do not use mercury or arsenic in the
processing of our ore, we are stead fast in our belief that we
are being wrongly accused and maliciously maligned by Walhi's
and Jatam's "environmental advocacy". Not only have we conducted
five different independent environmental audits in the past three
years specifically addressing the allegations that Walhi and
Jatam continue to make, we have also been working on pragmatic
solutions to the problems created by illegal mining (since Walhi
and Jatam aren't).

Newmont has developed small-scale technology that allows
illegal miners to process their ore without the use of mercury.
Working with several Manado-based environmental groups, Newmont
is trying to put this technology into the field in order to
reduce or eliminate the use of mercury.

The company is also assisting in public information campaigns
about the dangers of mercury contamination. Thank heavens there
are environmental groups out there who are tackling the real
environmental problems facing Indonesia today. The fact that
Walhi and Jatam aren't among those groups is an important news
story that everyone, including the Post, seems to be overlooking.

EDWARD PRESSMAN

Director of Technical Affairs

PT Newmont, Jakarta