Mining for Closure: Policies, practises and guidelines for sustainable mining and closure of mines

Uncontained mine wastes – Gold mining area, Romania Photograph by Philip Peck

Further, and again important to discussions listed in Section 2.3.1, the proposal contains an obligation to provide for an appropriate level of financial se- curity to reinforce the “polluter-pays” principle. It will be required that sufficient funds be available to leave waste sites in a satisfactory state after closure. Provisions will be made to cover situations such as those where a company goes into receivership, be- comes insolvent or even engages in asset-stripping. Miller (2005, p23), indicates that once the directive is finalized, European countries would be required to amend any existing requirements for mine recla- mation and associated financial assurance to agree with its terms. As with most EU environmental ini- tiatives of the commission, the industry position as represented by that author is at this stage wary. For the future development of mines in European countries it is important that the new directive rep- resents the appropriate degree of integration of en- vironment and economy. There is a need to apply the provisions with the appropriate care in order not to jeopardize the survival of companies and thus avoid the environmental and social problems associated with unanticipated closure. As has been indicated, the measures in the proposal are to act as a complement to those outlined in the Seveso II Directive 96/82/EEC on the control of ma- jor-accident hazards involving dangerous substances. As such, they include the establishment of a major- accident prevention policy and a safety management system. Demands regarding public information are

and is of special relevance to this discussion. 51 In its more than 500 pages, it addresses activities related to tailings and waste-rock management for ores that have the potential for a significant environmental impact. In particular, the work sought out activities that can be considered as examples of “good prac- tice”. The intent of the document is to raise aware- ness of such practices and promote their use across all activities in this sector. It covers waste from all sectors of the extractive industry and specifically fo- cuses on operational issues connected with waste management, prevention of soil and water pollu- tion, and the stability of waste management facilities with a particular focus on tailings ponds. In the Directive, conditions to be attached to op- erating permits are detailed. These are intended to ensure that sufficient environmental and safety measures are in place in order for waste manage- ment facilities to receive authorization. There will be requirements that waste be classified before dis- posal and the method of management be chosen to suit to its particular characteristics and ensure the long-term stability of the heaps and ponds used for permanent storage of large amounts of waste. An- other key provision is that operators of waste man- agement facilities should draw up closure plans as an integral component of the overall operating plan. Proper monitoring will also be required dur- ing both the operational and the after-care phases.

51. The report details of all BREFs are available for download at http://eippcb.jrc.es/pages/FActivities.htm

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MINING FOR CLOSURE