The Government of the Dominican Republic has officially rejected a request by mining giant Glencore Xstrata to explore for nickel in a mountainous central Vegas province of the Caribbean nation. The Loma Miranda project, according to Environmental Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez, would have had a negative impact on local communities. The area is mainly covered by tropical forest.
Canadian miner Falconbridge had operated in the country for years before being bought out by Xstrata in 2006. This year, Xstrata joined Swiss commodities titan Glencore to form Glencore Xstrata in one of the largest mergers of its kind in recent history, to the tune of more than $70 billion.
