Municipalties worry state is doing too little phosphate research
Municipalities in Lääne-Viru County are calling on the state to do more research on the phosphate rock in their county before involving foreign partners.
A joint appeal soon to be sent to Estonia's top politicians stresses that long-term harmful effects must be thoroughly considered alongside revenues before agreements are concluded.
The Geological Survey's phosphate studies focus on examining the quality of the mineral resources at the Toolse deposit and the potential impact of mining and processing on groundwater.
The results of the studies are expected by next summer. If it is found that further in-depth studies are economically justified, the government plans to organize a concession competition to involve foreign partners.
"If you look at the typical logic of mineral resource development, there should still be two more stages after the current one, during which more precise and additional studies are conducted to determine different impacts and various costs, and to assess whether the activity is reasonable or not," said Tiit Kaasik, head of the Mineral Resources Department at the Geological Survey.
The municipalities of Lääne-Viru County want the state to conduct more thorough socio-economic and environmental studies of strategic mineral resources before involving foreign partners.
According to the municipalities, the information obtained from the Aru-Lõuna limestone quarry study area is insufficient, as it does not consider the impact on residential and agricultural land.
"Those 10 square kilometers are just a test pit next to Kunda, and you cannot make decisions based on that," said Peep Vassiljev, chairman of the Rakvere municipal council.
Phosphate studies could already be more thorough at this stage, said environmental scientist Erik Puura.
"What are the local conditions and what do the local people think? And that we would jointly seek an answer to the question of what truly constitutes environmentally sustainable mining, in my opinion, we have not yet managed to define this clearly," he said.
The Lääne-Viru County Association of Municipalities plans to send a joint appeal to the government, the Riigikogu, and the president next week.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Helen Wright
