Published: March 22, 2016 |

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Compañía Minera Maricunga (CMM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kinross Gold Corporation, has been notified by Chile’s environmental regulatory authority (the SMA) of a resolution commencing a legal process that will seek to require CMM to close the Maricunga mine‘s water pumping wells located in the Pantanillo area of Region III. In response, Kinross made the following statement:

Kinross is committed to responsible environmental management. CMM has taken numerous measures and performed various studies over the years to understand the causes of the current situation and mitigate, as appropriate and permitted, any impacts of its water use. Kinross wishes to also underscore that the Atacama Region has suffered from a protracted drought for many years, resulting in a drop in groundwater levels across the region that is unrelated to CMM’s operations.

CMM only recently received the resolution and will review it thoroughly with its legal counsel. CMM will respond within the periods allowed by law, and intends to file an appeal with the appropriate Environmental Tribunal. CMM disagrees with the allegations on which the resolution is based, and intends to defend itself vigorously. As noted by the SMA in issuing the resolution, procedurally the closure order of the pumping wells must still be presented to and upheld by the Environmental Tribunal in Santiago. In addition, the SMA has publicly stated an intention to seek an expedited injunction. CMM similarly intends to vigorously oppose this unprecedented action by the SMA.

The Maricunga mine continues to operate normally but relies solely on water from Pantanillo wells to support its operations.

As this matter remains subject to ongoing legal proceedings, Kinross cannot provide more detail at this time.

About Kinross Gold
Kinross is a Canadian-based senior gold mining company with mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, Mauritania, and Russia.

To stop by Kinross Gold’s website, CLICK HERE

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