NGOs demand to annul public hearings on Zangezour Copper and Molybdenum Combine
"EcoRight" and "EcoLur" NGOs are demanding to annul the public hearings held at Zangezour Copper and Molybdenum Combine and to hold new hearings complying with the national and international legislation. The copies of this statement are addressed to Nature Protection Minister Aramayis Grigoryan and Kapan Mayor Ashot Harutyunyan, the copy is addressed to RA Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, EcoLur reports. “The public hearings on the amendment to the mining project from Qajaran copper and molybdenum mine (including changes in mining, expansion of mine area, prolongation of permit term)”, which were organized on 8 July 2016 in the canteen of Zangezour Copper and Molybdenum Combine, were held with gross violations, which didn’t enable o have access to information on environmental matter or access to right to decision-making. We think that the hearings should be recognized as invalid and new public hearings should be appointed ensuring the procedure of its organization prescribed in the legislation and to properly ensure the right of the stakeholders to participation,” the statement says. The statement also lists the violations of the requirements set in the governmental resolution 1325-Ն “On Determining Procedure of Public Notification and Organization of Hearings” particularly, about not posting the electronic version of the project on the websites of Nature Protection Ministry and Kapan Municipality. “Though two days before the public hearings we called Nature Protection Ministry and Kapan Municipality requesting to present the project to be able to familiarize with it, the project eventually didn’t appear on the websites… Then, the project is classified as A, and in accordance with clause 15 o the same resolution, the organizers should provide all the project-related documents at all stages of the hearings, such as EIA, Report on Social Impact Assessment, Mine Closedown Program, which hasn’t been performed…” Now what about the violations of RA Law “On Expertise and Environmental Impact Assessment”: several articles are violated – 26 (4) (on familiarization, grounds and terms of displaying information on the website of the competent body) and clause 6 (on the participation of the representative of the competent body). Clause 41 of the aforementioned governmental resolution has also been violated (on the provision of documents regarding the assessment of environmental impact, on replies to enquiries by the person submitting the project etc). It should be noted that the questions concerning Artsvanik tailing dump, its fullness were answered in a vague manner, which couldn’t be satisfactory for the participants under the conditions of non-availability of any documents,” the statement says.
