Belize to block mining proposal on environmental concerns

The Belize government will not allow mining near a coastal village due to environmental concerns, following reports of land purchases by US-based construction materials producer Vulcan Materials.

Sustainable development minister Orlando Habet said officials from Prime Minister John Briceño’s government made a decision that no surface mining will be permitted near Gales Point Manatee on the Caribbean coast, local news outlet Caribbean National Weekly reported on its website.

Vulcan is reported to have acquired or be planning to acquire several hundred acres of land near Gales Point Manatee, in an area called White Ridge farms, it added.

The cabinet “will not support any project development in Gales Point Manatee that will involve any type of mining, given the fact that there is this extremely sensitive nature of the area,” Habet said, adding that the decision reflected the importance of biodiversity and water resources.

Vulcan Materials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company, which is the biggest producer of construction aggregates in the US, saw its limestone quarrying operations suspended in Mexico last May following an inspection by environmental authorities and the suspension of a customs permit.

The company has secured permission for the suspension to be considered as part of a previously lodged international arbitration claim against Mexico, registered in 2019.