The battle over the third modification to the Las Bambas Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is still raging. Abuse of process in such environmental assessments is core to abuse of rights to health and livelihoods, it is alleged. It is also becoming clear how communities manage to get on top of the science and the bureaucracy to achieve justice, a remarkable achievement.

There have now been three modifications to the original EIA and five ITSs, or Informes Técnicos Sustentatorios. Readers will recall that the latter, a ‘lower level’ form of regulation, do not require consultation. The Frente de Defensa de los Intereses y Desarrollo de la Provincia de Cotabambas has now launched a legal challenge (recurso de apelación) against the modification approved.

We reported in April on their detailed case as submitted to the SENACE against the modification. In a similarly detailed and technical report, they now claim that the new version of the EIA does not adequately take into account their concerns

Meanwhile Cooperacción continues to press the case for an ‘integrated’ EIA that brings together and reconciles the different items. Without that, clarity and appropriate monitoring will be impossible, it says.