Nevada Gold Mines Fined for Environmental Violations
Three gold mining companies in Nevada have been fined $618,000 for failing to correctly report toxic chemical releases and waste management activities.
The EPA reached a settlement with three gold mining companies, all subsidiaries of Barrick Gold Corporation, for their failures to correctly report toxic chemical releases and waste management activities. The companies, Barrick Cortez, Inc., Barrick Gold US, Inc. and Homestake Mining Company, have agreed to pay a total of $278,000 in fines and spend an additional $340,000 to conduct an environmentally beneficial project.
The violations for which the companies were fined including incorrect reporting under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), failing to submit timely and correct Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for toxic chemicals.
Under the settlement, the companies will audit and correct their TRI reports in order to comply with EPCRA. The agreement also requires a $340,000 supplemental environmental project at the Cortez mine to identify the metal compounds formed in its oxide mill process. Each company will be expected to perform audits at other Barrick facilities across the U.S., correct reporting violations, and pay a $10,000 fine per violation.