Mining Group Has Concerns on Global Tailings Dam Safety Standards

The world’s largest mining trade group said on Monday it has concerns with standards being considered for global tailings dam safety, especially how the new rules will apply to new and existing facilities.

An independent panel backed by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) released draft standards for tailings dams last Friday. The review was sparked by the deadly collapse of a Vale SA-owned facility last January.

“There are things in there which we may feel are tough to implement, practically,” Aidan Davy, ICMM’s chief operating officer told the Tailings and Mine Waste 2019 Conference in Vancouver. “There’s still some way to go before ICMM can endorse the final standard.”

(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder Editing by Chris Reese)