No to seabed mining, says Juffa

By JESHER TILTO
NORTHERN Governor Gary Juffa says seabed mining is a serious issue that can have harmful effects on the country’s coastal communities.
“Leaders of coastal communities, if you do not stop this and do not watch this with critical concern, then you are failing your people,” he said.
“In fact, developed nations have banned seabed mining or have spoken against it because experts and scientists have stated that the unknowns are too great to ignore.
“Especially the areas that are referred to as the pelagic areas of the deep sea where life forms that are critical for the ocean begin their journey.
“The unknowns are too great,” Juffa added.
“But, we are a developing nation that does not have the scientific wherewithal to be to mitigate any negative repercussions from such an activity, we are willingly embracing this activity.”
Juffa said this during the grievance debate in Parliament on Friday.
“I was quite disturbed to hear Mining Minister Sir Ano Pala advise Parliament that the company, Nautilus Ltd, that had come here (in the mid-2000s) and convinced us to pay them US$300 million (about K1.1 billion) against the advice of the state solicitor and disappeared then re-branded itself in Canada and is now making its way back.
“This is very disturbing and I understand the minister has mentioned he has been speaking to them so perhaps he has a strategy to recoup that US$300 million and if so this is good to hear.
“But if he does not then I believe he should develop such a strategy and we should vigorously pursue this US$300 million that we just gifted away to a company that has not carried out this type of activity anywhere in the world.
“In fact, seabed mining (to date) has not been undertaken in any part of the world.
“I stood against this on Oct 18, 2012, and we received a petition with 22,000 signatures from coastal citizens who were concerned about what would happen if this horrible activity were to be undertaken.”