"Tanzania fines Acacia $2.4m over environmental damage"

Tanzania’s National Environment Management Council (NEMC) has fined London-based miner Acacia Mining TZS5.6bn ($2.4m) due to pollution from the company’s North Mara gold mine. The fine, over alleged failures of the mine’s tailings storage facility, is the latest in a series of disputes between the company, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, and the national government...

Last week, the NEMC continued to pressure Acacia by issuing the mine with an environmental protection order (EPO) following a meeting between government ministers and North Mara management. The size of the second fine appears to take into account the issue of the EPO and Acacia’s inability to improve the mine’s environmental performance despite repeated government intervention and an order to construct a new tailings facility. Despite the fines and orders, production has not been suspended at the project, and Acacia has provided no details on the construction of new storage facilities.  “The North Mara gold mine has been given two weeks to pay the fine and three weeks to rectify the problem at its tailings storage facility,” mining minister Doto Biteko told Reuters. “If the mine fails to comply [with] the order, tougher measures will be taken against it.”