Gold in Rosia Montana
Is Romania’s planned gold mine an environmental disaster or economic opportunity?
People demonstrate as they occupy a central boulevard in Bucharest against Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC), a Canadian gold mine project using cyanide, on September 2, 2013. (DANIEL MIHAILESCU / AFP)
It’s a gold rush many Romanians are protesting against. The Rosia Montana mining project, recently approved by the government, plans to turn a small Romanian town into Europe’s biggest open-cast gold mine. The Canadian company set to develop the mine says the town and its residents would benefit. But civic rights groups and environmentalists say the plan, which would use toxic cyanide to mine the gold and silver, would destroy villages and ancient Roman sites.
In this episode of The Stream, we speak to:
Catalin Hosu @CatalinHosu
Communications manager, Rosia Montana Gold Corporation
en.rmgc.ro
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.