E-Tech International is a nonprofit based in New Mexico, USA, that provides environmental technical support to communities in less industrialized countries on the potential environmental impacts of large development projects. We work closely with partners in indigenous federations; local, state, and national governments; civil society; academia; and industrial professionals, as well as with the companies proposing or conducting the development. E-Tech is transparent in approach and becomes involved at the request of the communities and only when we feel our presence can positively influence the lives of community members.
Guatemala - Mining
Cyanide tailings solution is sprayed into air at Marlin Mine.
Students of San Miguel near Marlin Mine
E-tech director, Richard Kamp and E-tech scientist Ann Maest at the gate of Marlin Mine
E-Tech involvement in Guatemala has centered around preocupations concerning mining and specifically, a relatively new mine, the Goldcorp Marlin Gold Mine. Oxfam America requested E-Tech to investigate predicted water quality impacts for the Marlin Mine in documents that led to International Finance Corporation (IFC) support and to compare the predicted water quality with actual water quality impacts. We conducted an in-depth analysis of data provided by Goldcorp, mining opponents, 2 mining ministries, and an "independent" monitoring project funded largely by the mine.
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Ecuador - Mining
E-Tech's Ann Maest examines a wildcat goldmining site
Ecuacorrientes transports us to Mirador Project site
View toward one of the quebradas to be filled with escombrero overburden at Mirador
March 2012: Evaluation of the stability of the EcuaCorriente Mirador Project tailings management facility and an estimation of Financial Assurance requirements for the proposed mine. The two analyses were prepared by Jim Kuipers, PE, for E-Tech International. Download the document (Español)
Chief Scientist Ann Maest and Director Dick Kamp traveled to Ecuador in January, 2011 at the request of the Prefect (elected head) of the Province of Zamora Chinchipe to visit and analyze potential mining impacts from proposed large-scale open pit copper mines (Chinese Ecuacorrientes Mirador) and underground gold mines (Kinross Aurelien Fruta del Norte project). We also visited and flew over a variety of wildcat smaller-medium scale mines.
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In the News
March 21, 2011 A portrait of Director Dick Kamp and E- Tech is included in Wall Street Journal article: "Second Acts.. portraits of people who are taking new paths..." read the article