Norway decided on Friday that mining waste can be dumped in the fjords. The government won a lawsuit against environmental organizations that tried to block the plan.
After a 15-year struggle, Nordic Mining has been given the green light to unload 170 million tons of mining waste at the bottom of the Ford Fjord, writes Watchman. According to critics, this threatens marine life and puts biodiversity at risk.
Nordic Mining will extract the garnet and rutile minerals. Garnet is used as an abrasive and rutile is used in paint, cosmetics, medical implants and artificial joints, among other things. During its extraction, other types of stone and minerals that are not used are released, which is called mining waste.
The company was allowed to unload 4 million tons of waste annually. But Nordic Mining expects a loss of about 1.2 million tons annually.
The area allocated for this purpose is 4 square kilometers and covers 4 percent of the bottom of the fjord.
The court ruled that two environmental organizations pay the legal costs of the lawsuit. This is approximately 130,000 euros. The organizations will not appeal the ruling due to limited resources. They are hoping for outside support.
According to the organization, the fjord is, among other things, a breeding ground for cod and a migration route for salmon from four rivers. In addition, mine waste particles can be spread over a large part of the sea.
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