President Luis Abinader on Monday ordered a suspension of any activity connected to GoldQuest Mining’s Romero gold and copper project after thousands of people in San Juan province demonstrated over environmental concerns.
The Romero Project, being advanced by Canada’s GoldQuest, has been the focus of sustained public opposition in the area. Earlier on Monday the company acknowledged the demonstrations and said it remained committed to transparent development. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the president’s directive to halt operations.
Protesters on Sunday walked roughly 20 kilometers across San Juan to reach the Sabaneta Dam, a critical source of water for local communities. Demonstrators have signaled they fear the mine could threaten that water supply and contaminate farmland that supports local livelihoods.
"When citizens express worries and concerns, our duty is to act with caution and transparency," Abinader said in a video message explaining the government’s response. He noted that exploratory concessions for the site were granted in 2005 but that the project has still not received a permit for exploitation. "Under our administration, the initiative has remained solely in the environmental assessment phase," he added.
GoldQuest has argued it would employ physical extraction methods it described as less harmful and has said the project would generate long-term benefits for the local population. Despite those assurances many residents of San Juan province remain worried that mine pollution could damage the agricultural land on which they depend.
Ruben Moreta, who leads a local water protection movement, warned on Sunday that the protests would persist if there was no action from the president. He said the demonstrators represented a broad cross section of the community, including teachers, doctors, agronomists, engineers, lawyers, street vendors and taxi drivers.
The Dominican Republic is also home to Pueblo Viejo, Latin America’s largest gold mine, which is majority owned by another Canadian company, Barrick Gold. The presence of that large operation is noted in the public discussion over mining’s environmental and economic footprint in the country.
Context and immediate developments
- The president ordered a suspension of any activity related to GoldQuest’s Romero Project following mass protests over environmental and water concerns.
- The Romero Project has exploratory concessions from 2005 but has not been granted an exploitation permit and has remained in environmental assessment under the current administration.
- GoldQuest acknowledged the protests and said it supported transparent development and less harmful extraction methods; the company had not commented on the president’s halt order at the time of reporting.
Local reaction
Thousands marched to the Sabaneta Dam to express fears that a mine could jeopardize a key water source. Local organizers and leaders stressed the diversity of participants in the demonstrations and indicated that protests would continue if authorities did not respond to their concerns.