Vallourec will contest fine imposed by MG after overflow of dike in iron mine

French steel pipe maker Vallourec has said it will contest a R$288.7 million fine received from the Minas Gerais government for environmental damage caused after the Pau Branco mine dike overflowed on Saturday in Nova Lima (MG), it said. the company this Wednesday (12).

As a result of the incident, the company’s operations at the mine have been suspended and company teams are in discussions with authorities about a “rapid restart”, added Vallourec.

“Some materials from a pile of waste associated with Vallourec’s Pau Branco mine operations have slipped into a storm water dike, causing it to overflow and resulting in the interruption of traffic on a nearby highway,” the company reiterated in a statement.

The notice of infraction was received by Vallourec on Monday night (10) and indicates that the French mining company was assessed for “causing intervention of any kind that results in pollution, degradation or damage to water resources, plant and animal species, ecosystems or the natural or cultural heritage, or that harms the health, safety and well-being of the population”.

“The company was considered a repeat offender, as in 2020 it was fined for failing to comply with the deadlines for sending documentation related to water dams. This caused the fine to be doubled, under the terms of the legislation”, said the Superintendent of Inspection of Semad ( Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development), Alexandre Leal.

Among the visible and immediate environmental impacts, according to Feam (State Environmental Foundation), are the degradation of the landscape, pollution of water bodies, with the increase of suspended solids, in addition to the potential death of fish and suppression and degradation of habitats. aquatics and riparians.

(Collaborated by Marta Nogueira and Douglas Gavras)