Tighter restrictions on mining
Environmental regulations on mining are in the process of being strengthened. This comes in the wake of repeated leaks of poisonous run-off at the nickel mine operated by the Talvivaara Mining Company in Sotkamo, Lapland.
According to Tiina Kämäräinen of the environmental protection department of Lapland’s Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, the Talvivaara incidents have led to a higher level of public concern about the environmental cost of mining. The effect on waterways is a particular source of worry, she says.
Mining in Lapland causes other worries also; the latest controversy surrounds the Australian company Dragon Mining’s proposed gold mine in Kuusamo. If the mine goes ahead it will spell trouble for the local tourist industry, according to local travel organiser Jokke Kämäräinen.
HT
