The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Government has received no formal proposal for aragonite mining in North Andros, the Minister of the Environment and Housing said yesterday.

Kenred Dorsett said there was no formal approval request before his ministry, even though concerns have been expressed by Androsians about a proposal to obtain a 70-year aggregate mining lease in the island’s north.

Speaking with the media outside the Cabinet Office, Mr Dorsett said the matter had recently been brought to his attention by Andros residents.

“Either last week or the week before, residents of Andros brought to my attention a memo or a notice begin circulated by a private group who was meeting with the people of Andros for what they described as a proposed mining activity,” he added.

“There is nothing that is before the Ministry of the Environment in relation to that undertaking, and certainly from our perspective it is not something that is going to be taken very lightly.”

Mr Dorsett continued: “The Bahamas National Trust has already been in communication with me. The local administrators have attended those meetings, and I have a briefing on what was said, but Andros is a very, very special island.

“When it comes to mining activities throughout the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, the Commonwealth Secretariat is about to be completing a comprehensive regime for the entire extractive industries within our country. They’ll be here next month to complete that exercise, but there’s nothing before my Ministry in relation to what was being discussed in North Andros.

“Certainly, from my perspective, we have to look seriously at any proposed mining activities in Andros, which is unspoiled and is important so much to the biodiversity not only in the Bahamas, but even to the Americans.”

As to who is behind the purported proposal, Mr Dorsett said: “It seemed to be a family-owned company associated with the notice that I saw. No formal proposal is before me to comment on who is behind it. 

“From my perspective, if there is a development activity that may require some dredging or mining, it will go through the normal course of going through Environmental Impact Assessments and how it would be managed, but outright mining in Andros is not something that I certainly think will be considered favourably by this administration.”