Goldmine Expansion Crisis

OceanaGold is a prominent gold mining company based in Melbourne, Australia, but it operates all around the world. Recently, there has been conflict over one operation the company owns named the Haile Gold Mine. This gold mine is located in Kershaw, South Carolina, and has been a valuable gold mining location since the dawn of the 19th century. At the moment, the gold mine still has the potential to earn upwards of 2 billion dollars in both gold and silver for future miners. Unfortunately, OceanaGold has violated several environmental codes during the course of its mining at the site since 2017. The South Carolina department of health and environmental control, also known as the DHEC, has fined the company in charge approximately 128,000 dollars.

Chemical substances like cyanide have supposedly been discovered within bodies of water close by to the gold mine. Cyanide is fatal to the human body because it causes headaches, anxiety, confusion, seizures, hypotension, and vomiting just to name a few symptoms. It can also impact the wildlife and the environment in South Carolina drastically, killing animals that drink from contaminated streams and lakes. The chemical is primarily used to separate the gold from its raw ore, and OceanaGold violated the environmental code in South Carolina by releasing more than they were allowed to into the open (9.2 micrograms per liter instead of the permitted 5.2 micrograms per liter) in December of 2020. However, cyanide was not the only chemical released into the ground, atmosphere, and water. Thallium, another toxic metal, forced the DHEC to fine the mining company repeatedly. Mercury, which can also be extremely deadly to humans, was released into the atmosphere and has already begun negatively impacting wildlife by damaging fish.

All these chemicals combined have had a devastating effect on the ecology of Kershaw, South Carolina. In fact, one test result shows that every single water bug that was placed in toxic output water from the facility was killed almost immediately. The authorized percentage of bugs that should have died was 40% percent or lower, but OceanaGold had clearly disregarded that standard. Although gold mining has been present for thousands of years, the environmental impact its having is substantially changing, due to advanced machinery and large-scale harmful mining practices. However, there is a way all of us can help protect the environment in not only South Carolina, but other gold mining locations in North Dakota, Colorado, and Montana. Here are a list of charities below you can donate to.

Charity List

-EarthWorks

-Earthworks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development while promoting sustainable solutions.

-https://www.earthworks.org/donate/

-The Sierra Club Foundation

-The Sierra Club Foundation promotes climate solutions, conservation, and movement building through a powerful combination of strategic philanthropy and grassroots advocacy. The Foundation is the independent fiscal sponsor of Sierra Club’s charitable environmental programs.

-https://act.sierraclub.org/donate/rc_connect__campaign_designform?id=70131000001hPsPAAU&formcampaignid=701310000008koOAAQ