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[http://www.rosiamontana.org]

Rosia Montana: RMGC tries to be above the law. As usual....

Alburnus Maior is calling upon the international community for 
solidarity and to react by submitting contestations to the relevant 
environmental authorities. The .EIA. section on www.rosiamontana.org 
contains all relevant information as well as standard contestations and 
contacts. 



Alburnus Maior Press Release
The Rosia Montana EIA: Try  Harder!

Rosia Montana, Romania; 7. January 2005 -  .Alburnus Maior.  yesterday 
submitted a detailed contestation to all relevant environmental 
authorities; shedding to light important omissions and irregularities in 
the Project Presentation Report (PPR) submitted by Rosia Montana Gold 
Corporation (RMGC). On 14. December 2004 RMGC initiated the 
environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure to obtain an 
environmental agreement for its 13Mt/a open cast gold mining project. 
Alburnus Maior is now asking for the suspension of the EIA until RMGC 
submits a PPR as requested by law and is calling upon the international 
community to do likewise. 
 
 Gabriel Resources (TSX: GBU), a junior Canadian mining company, intends 
 to realise Europe's largest open-cast mining development in Rosia 
 Montana entailing, amongst other, the involuntary resettlement of over 
 2000 people as well as the destruction of unique archaeological and 
 natural sites. From its onset the development has been beleaguered by 
 scandals, operational problems and vehement local, national and 
 international opposition. After encountering critical uncertainties as 
 well as debts Gabriel Resources entered in August 2004 a 10 percent 
 subscription agreement with Newmont Mining Corp. of Canada Limited, a 
 subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corp. (NTSE: NEM).

 Ministerial Order 860/2002 is the main normative act regulating an 
 environmental impact assessment (EIA). According to Alburnus Maior.s 
 contestation submitted to the environmental authorities yesterday, RMGCs 
 PPR is not according to the provision set out in this law and contains 
 vital omissions. Amongst the most important are the following:

 <sum> Failure to address the project in a transboundary context; as required 
 by Addenda II. of Annex II.2. of Ministerial Order 860/2002. 

 <sum> Failure to present any alternatives; as required by Art. 11(e) 
 Environmental Protection Law no. 137/1995, as amended and completed 
 according to GO 91/2002.

 <sum> Failure to address the project.s impact within the provisions 
 stipulated in the Convention on the sustainable protection and use of 
 the Danube water (Sofia, 1994) and the Convention on the transboundary 
 effects of industrial accidents (Helsinki, 1992).

 The contestation also lists how RMGC.s PPR contains contradicting 
 information; ranging from concession size - to the existence of a 
 feasibility study and how the project proposal violates a host of 
 applicable laws. 

 "We had to rub our eyes reading the PPR. We just couldn.t believe it. 
 Does RMGC believe to be above the law? They will just have to try again 
 and harder," comments Eugen David, president of Alburnus Maior. 

 Alburnus Maior is calling upon the international community for 
 solidarity and to react by submitting contestations to the relevant 
 environmental authorities. The .EIA. section on www.rosiamontana.org 
 contains all relevant information as well as standard contestations and 
 contacts. 

 * * * 
 For more information contact Eugen David on +40 (0) 740 280 309 and 
 Stefania