TLG - Media, page-11340

"**na Sameby's lawyer about the environmental permit: "We are so disappointed"

**na Sami village is very disappointed after the Land and Environment Court's decision. They are now giving Kaunis Iron an environmental permit for existing and expanded mining operations.

- There are so many inaccuracies in this judgment, says Camilla Wikland, the Sami village's lawyer.

**na Sami village is badly affected by the heavy transport to and from the mine in Pajala. The roads go through large parts of their pastures. According to Camilla Wikland, the Land and Environment Court has completely avoided taking into account how the Sami village is affected.

- This is something that makes me very worried, if you are going to do such very narrow trials of the impact of reindeer husbandry in mining trials, and especially when it comes to transport, she says.

The Land and Environment Court writes that there are certain inconveniences for the reindeer industry, but that the activity will not significantly harm national interests.

- They should look at how reindeer husbandry is affected, they shouldn't just look at reindeer husbandry as a national interest, says Camilla Wikland.

Reduced production quantity

According to Kaunis Iron, the lifetime of the mine will be extended by at least 20 years with a new environmental permit. Before this environmental review, they have changed their production plan from 20 to 10 million tons of iron ore per year, something that the Land and Environment Court cites as a reason for approving the environmental permit. The increase was thus not as large as the company initially wished.

Haven't they gone a little further then?

- That reduction has no real effect for the Sami village and for reindeer herding. Even the amount of transport that is today affects the Sami village to such a large extent that it is not sustainable to continue reindeer husbandry in this area, says Camilla Wikland, **na Sami village's lawyer.

Possibility of appeal

**na Samiby has not yet decided whether they will appeal the verdict or not.

Others who had requested a rejection of the environmental permit were the County Administrative Board in Norrbotten, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Maritime and Water Authority.

The mine in Kaunisvaara is on Muonio Sami village's reindeer pastures. They have an agreement with the mine and have not opposed the future plans.

- We have an agreement with the mine that both parties have signed. The mine is already in place, says Hans Holma, Muonio Sami village."