Nevada Mined

Newmont Mining Co. will undergo social-responsibility review

It wasn't enough to be acquitted of pollutey wrongdoing in Indonesia; the world's largest gold-mining firm is begging for more green cred. This week, 91.6 percent of Newmont Mining Co.'s shareholders approved an independent review of the company's environmental and social impacts worldwide. Along with the high-profile trial in Indonesia, Newmont's operations in Ghana, Peru, and Native American lands in Nevada have provoked "a pattern of community opposition," said Julie Tanner of Christian Brothers Investment Service, which introduced the resolution. Tanner noted that protests were beginning to affect stock prices, and giving faith-based shareholders moral qualms. For its part, Newmont took the unprecedented step of advocating for the review. Said a Newmont spokesperson, "We do need to know where we can improve. There's nothing worse than having an issue out there and not knowing about it until it's too late or festered into a big problem."