Costa Rica’s legislative assembly voted unanimously on Tuesday to ban all new open pit metal mining projects in the country.
The legislators approved a reform to the country’s mining code that prohibits the activity, a change that Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla proposed in May, during in her first days in office.
The reform does not affect the Crucitas gold mine project, a proposed open pit gold mine in the country’s northern zone owned by the Canadian company, Infinito Gold LTD. That project being reviewed by the country’s Administrative Appeals Court, a process that is expected to determine whether work at the mine can move ahead.
A ruling on Crucitas is expected as soon as next week.
On Wednesday, press officials at Casa Presidencial had not yet set a date for Chinchilla to sign the reform into law.
