A protester demonstrates against the controversial Dominga megaproject for the extraction of iron and copper concentrate, outside the Ministry of the Environment, in Santiago, Chile, in January 2023. File Photo by Elvis Gonzalez/EPA
Sept. 19 (UPI) -- After nearly 12 years of review and controversy, Chile's Supreme Court has rejected appeals from President Gabriel Boric's government and environmental groups that seek to block the Dominga mining project.
The potential mine, situated in the Coquimbo region, has been one of Chile's most controversial in recent years because of its proximity to the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve, home to penguins, sea lions and bottlenose dolphins.
It was first submitted for an environmental impact study in September 2013.
The high court's ruling does not give the project a green light to operate, but sends it back to the Committee of Ministers -- made up of the economy, health, energy, mining and agriculture ministries -- that already voted against it three times.
