Noranda Jamaica Bauxite Partners (NJBP) says industrial safety and the protection of the natural environment are major considerations in its operations.

In  a statement last Thursday responding to allegations from what it described as sectoral interest groups claiming that its operations damage Jamaica’s forest reserves, Noranda said that, as mandated by government’s mining regulations, all its  activities are carried out away from forestry areas and reserves.

“And this is in keeping with our obligations and the value we attach to the natural resources and ecology of the areas around which we mine,” the statement said.

Noranda also said that during mining all heritage sites and caves are secured. The company said, too, that during the mining process top soil and endemic and other species are removed and stored under controlled conditions as an obligation under the mining permit.

“Upon completion of mining, the species are replanted or returned to the specific location and carefully tended to facilitate their growth or regeneration,” the release added.

Fifty-one per cent of NJBP is owned by the Government of Jamaica, with the remaining 49 per cent owned by Noranda Bauxite Limited (NBL), a wholly owned Jamaican subsidiary of Noranda Aluminum Holding Corporation.

NJBP holds the physical mining assets and conducts the mining and related concessions. NBL manages the operations, pays all operating costs, and is entitled to all bauxite. It pays the government royalty based on the amount mined, an “asset usage fee”, customary taxes and fees, and a production levy.

In its statement last week, NJBP says the company has always partnered with communities through community councils for the implementation of constructive and mutually agreeable solutions to any environmental concerns that may arise.

Relating to its general surroundings, the company said that it has implemented various standard operating procedures aimed at limiting any impact on the natural environment.

“These include dust suppressant treatment systems, which help to prevent fugitive dust emissions, as well as the asphalting of and constant wetting of truck haul roads in the mines to prevent the release of dust into the atmosphere,” Noranda said.

An ambient air monitoring programme designed to monitor air quality around the plant, port and mines and surrounding communities is also in place to maintain compliance with the Natural Resource Conservation Authority, and World Health Organisation standards, the company said.

With regard to the current Cockpit Country debate, which has engendered much of the allegations against the company, Noranda said it is in full compliance with all Jamaican environmental regulations, and has not nor does it intend to mine within the Cockpit Country Protected Area designated by the Government in 2017.

 The company also reiterated that only about 15 per cent of the 8,335 hectares allocated will be mined.