Interview with Jane Regan of Haiti Grassroots Watch, co-author of recently-published 'Gold rush in Haiti: Who will get rich?' On Democracy Now, June 1, 2012.
Pulitzer Center grantee Jane Regan discusses with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! possible consequences of allowing Canadian and U.S. mining companies to explore one third of northern Haiti.
After years of rumors that mining companies were exploring in Haiti, Canadian and U.S. corporations now confirm they have permits to mine gold in more than 1,000 square miles in northern Haiti. Haiti’s new prime minister says the estimated $20 billion worth of minerals in Haiti’s hills could help liberate it from dependency on foreign aid and rebuild from the devastating 2010 earthquake. But many worry the mines will be a boom for foreign investors and a bust for local communities.
We speak to Jane Regan, lead author of "Gold Rush in Haiti: Who Will Get Rich?" The report by Haiti Grassroots Watch was published Wednesday in The Guardian and Haïti Liberté. "You’ve got a perfect storm brewing whereby you’re looking at giant pit mines in the north, in a country that’s already environmentally devastated, and giant pit mines being run by Canadian and American companies," Regan says. "Most of the money that’s made and most of the gold that’s dug up will go straight north."