Ok Tedi Mine - BHP-Billiton/Inmet

Washington, D.C. — A new World Bank report calls on the mining company Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP) to immediately close the troubled Ok Tedi mine in Papua New Guinea due to the environmental damage being caused by the mine. In response to the report, international environmental groups including U.S.-based Mineral Policy Center, the Australia-based Mineral Policy Institute, MiningWatch Canada, and Papua New Guinea's Non-governmental Environmental Watchdog Group, called on BHP to take full responsibility for mine cleanup by implementing a comprehensive mine closure plan.

The Export Development Corporation has been brought forcefully to our attention by communities and non-governmental organizations that have to deal with the impact of Canadian mining development abroad. They want to know what role Canadian institutions play in perpetuating the problems they face, and what — if anything — Canadian citizens are doing to support them.