Jamaican government promises environmental responsibility and economically beneficial bauxite production – Aluminum Insider

The Jamaican government this week reiterated its commitment to sustainable and economically competitive bauxite production.

Speaking at the opening of the Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited (JBM) pop-up museum, Minister for Transport and Mines Audley Shaw promised that a major component of bauxite production on the island would be environmental liability.

“I want to assure the country that even if we continue to mine bauxite, we will pay even more attention to environmental issues. We will ensure that we do what we have to do to protect the environment and that we have a good land reclamation so that our farmers can still use our land, etc.

Shaw went on to say that the task would not be accomplished by a single stakeholder.

“We can work together. I want to say to environmentalists […] let’s not be enemies because there are things we can do to improve the way we farm and restore our lands.

Minister of State at the Department of Industry, Investment and Trade, Norman Dunn, said bauxite production was key to the island’s economic success.

“Bauxite and the associated benefits we accrued from this particular mineral in Jamaica would have given us the financial latitude to enhance our development.”

The museum opened to showcase the history of bauxite mining in Jamaica, which shipped its first load of ore in 1952.