World Gold Council
444 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022

RE: No Dirty Gold

Dear Council,

I urge that the World Gold Council take all necessary steps to ensure that its members respect social, environmental, and human rights principles so that gold mining is not tainted by human rights abuses or pollution. One of the your newest members, Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation, plans to dump mine waste from its Kensington gold mine into a fish-bearing mountain lake in Southeast Alaska. This could set a precedent for other U.S. mines to dump their waste in lakes and streams—something that hasn't happened since the Clean Water Act became law over 30 years ago. This extremely damaging action is not necessary, since the proposed and fully permitted 1997 Kensington design used a land-based waste disposal facility.

Dumping waste into a lake may be cheap and convenient, but this is exactly the type of irresponsible behavior that ethical consumers oppose. More than 50,000 individuals have signed the No Dirty Gold campaign's petition calling for an alternative to gold that is produced at the expense of communities, workers, and the environment.

Several of the world's leading jewelry retailers have also joined the No Dirty Gold campaign in calling for more responsible mining practices. Their desire to source from operations that meet social, environmental, and human rights standards is significant since the jewelry sector accounts for about 80 percent of gold consumption. And the Society of North American Goldsmiths passed a resolution at its annual conference this year calling upon the mining industry to produce gold in more ethical ways, stating that "the use of irresponsibly mined gold that harms people, communities, or the environment does not reflect our values."

The World Gold Council must ensure that its members are not producing "dirty" gold. I urge the World Gold Council—and its member companies—to adopt and implement the following Golden Rules:

• Respect basic human rights.
• Obtain the free, prior, informed consent of affected communities.
• Respect workers' rights and labor standards.
• Fully disclose information about social and environmental effects of projects.
• Do not dump mine wastes into the ocean, rivers, lakes, or streams.
• Do not contribute to armed or militarized conflict.
• Do not threaten protected areas or areas of high conservation or ecological value.
• Do not force communities off their lands.
• Do not produce uncontrolled sulfuric acid.
• Provide financial guarantees for cleanup and mine closure costs.
• Allow independent verification of all of the above.

I will join many millions of concerned citizens in the U.S. and around the world in closely monitoring your actions and those of your member companies regarding this crucial matter.