By Staff Writer
ROSEAU, Dominica, Mar 25, CMC – Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, Wednesday, dismissed suggestions that the site being developed for the international airport is also being used for mining precious metals.
The construction of the multi-million international airport located at Wesley, northeast of here, is a major infrastructure project with an estimated cost of over one billion EC dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents), primarily funded through the country’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme.
Under the CBI programme, foreign investors are granted citizenship of Dominica in return for making a substantial investment in the island’s socio-economic development.
Skerrit told a news conference that the government continues to comply fully with the guidance of the Physical Planning Division and is actively engaged in the established approval process.
“All required procedures are being followed, and the relevant technical teams remain in close coordination with the regulatory authorities to ensure that every aspect of the project meets national standards and expectations.”
Skerrit said that preparatory works and planning activities are being responsibly managed to ensure that once all approvals are finalised, the project can proceed efficiently and without unnecessary delay.
“Any activity currently ongoing on the site, that is, at the Deux Branch site, is in full compliance with permission granted by the Physical Planning and Development Authority to install the crossing equipment on the site.
“I want to emphasise that contrary to public pronouncements from some, current activity at Deus Branch is within the limits of the law. So there’s no violation of any law in the country. Again, and for the avoidance of any doubt, there is no mining for copper, gold, diamonds, or silver.”
Skerrit said that while he would welcome finding some of these precious metals, he wanted to reiterate that “we are not mining for copper …or any other metals or minerals from beneath the earth’s surface at Deux Branch.
‘We are only engaged in quarry activities solely and absolutely for the international airport. And once the airport stops needing such material, activities at Deux Branch will come to an immediate halt.”
Skerrit said that the quarrying operations “are solely and absolutely for the international airport,” adding that those who are protesting against copper mining are wasting their time.
“I want to make this point, and it is really time for us to put this mischievous and politically motivated allegation to rest. What is planned for Deux Branch is a quarrying operation to extract construction materials for the international airport. That’s all. There’s nothing else.”
Skerrit acknowledged that the environment will be impacted, noting “this is why you conduct an environmental impact assessment study…and so, once the airport stops needing aggregate for its construction, we will stop the impact”.
Skerrit said that despite the opposition, his government remains committed to delivering “this transformative national investment…in a manner that is both responsible and forward-looking”.
He reiterated that the international airport is a “strategic investment” in Dominica’s future, which will unlock opportunities for tourism, trade, job creation, and long-term economic growth for the population.
“We just cannot, as a nation, rely on the limited capacity of Douglas Charles (Airport) to grow our economy to our satisfaction. When young people go to universities, and they come back… they’re looking for particular jobs, looking for particular pay.
“The people who are investing in the tourism-related services need to ensure that we have more consumers of the goods and services. We can build all the hotel rooms we have, but if we cannot bring people in to occupy them, they have no value to us.”
He also said that a person investing at least EC$200,000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) in acquiring a vehicle to transport people, is not doing so only to transport locals.
“He’s looking to transport tourists coming to Dominica. That’s the only way he’s going to pay his bus back,” Skerrit said, giving more examples of locals investing in the tourism sector as a result of the airport.
“And for us to grow our gross domestic product (GDP), we must produce more. And how do we produce more? By subjecting ourselves to an airport that has been impacted by storm after storm?
He said after Tropical Storm Erica had impacted the island in August 2015, killing at least 20 people and leaving several others missing, the government spent more than EC$200 million to fix Douglas Chelsea Airport.
“How many times can we fix Douglas Chelsea Airport? That kind of money, when we all know that storms are going to come, and other countries that are moving ahead because they have international airports.
“Investors will come if they can come in. People will come if they have access. Somebody who has to stop on an island, then come to Dominica, will choose to stay on the island where they made the first stop. ”
Skerrit said this is why the government insists that the airport is a strategic investment in Dominica’s future, adding, “This is why we pursued geothermal.
“We could have said, let’s abandon it. You know? But because this is so crucial. Our farmers need to sell more. How do we get flowers exported and be fresh as a gift to someone? Not by sending it in a container or sending it in a cargo vessel. No, it has to be flown.
Skerrit said that the last thing the government wants is to build an airport and then, when the plane lands, there’s a sinkhole in the runway, or the tunnel collapses because the material wasn’t there,” he said, defending the mining operations in the vicinity.
“And so, we are mindful that there will always be voices seeking to delay, disrupt, or derail progress. That is not new, and make no mistake about it. While we respect and welcome the right of every and any Dominican to speak up in defence of the environment, it is equally clear that in many instances, these actors are driven by political motives.
“But the government will not be distracted. We will not be derailed in our efforts towards bringing greater economic prosperity to our people, and creating more opportunities for the young people of this country,” he told reporters.
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