Decree 430-18 by which the Province of “Pedernales” is declared as “Avila” Mining Fiscal Reserve, for the exploration and evaluation of possible “rare earth” deposits developed directly by the State or through contracts

In 2018, the President of the Dominican Republic signed Decree 430-18 to declare for 10 years the Province of Pedernales as an “Avila” Mining Fiscal Reserve due to the presence of rare earth elements in the zone.  

Particularly, the geochemical studies carried out by the Sysmin II Cooperation Program, sponsored by the European Union in 2011, detected the following geochemical anomalies of rare earth elements: Praseodymium, Neodymium, and Europium.

The Dominican Republic President signed Decree 430-18 in accordance with article 17 of Law No 146-71 (mining law), which indicates that the government has the power to declare a specific mining zone as a fiscal reserve for the exploration and evaluation of mineral substances deposits, for the establishment of exploitations through special contracts, or for other state interest’s reasons.

The declaration of the area as a fiscal reserve aims to promote the mining industry’s development through the exploration and exploitation of the most important and priority minerals. 

Further, the declaration of the Pedernales Province as a fiscal reserve implies that any mining operation within the zone will be awarded through public bidding and a subsequent execution of special contracts agreed with the State (article 19 of Law No 146-71).

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