Offbeat | Dominican president vetoes new national park

A proposal to create a new national park that would have blocked the expansion of a nickel mine in the forested mountains of the central Dominican Republic was vetoed Tuesday by President Danilo Medina.
Medina sent the measure back to the Senate with a letter saying he had “serious doubts,” about the effects of the proposed creation of the Loma Miranda National Park in an area where a multinational company was seeking to expand its mining operations.
The president also said there had not been any studies that concluded it was environmentally necessary to protect the area, covering about 16 square miles north of the capital with a national park designation.
Medina said that his veto was not approval for mining at Loma Miranda and that the project would only be authorized “after they have completed all the required environmental impact studies.” AP