Newmont Corporation

Newmont Corporation operates a global portfolio of gold and copper mines, an industrial process that generates significant toxic waste. The company has accumulated $520,000 in environmental penalties documented by ViolationTracker, alongside a pattern of pollution allegations at its sites worldwide. In Ghana, the company has denied reports linking its Ahafo North Mine to pollution of the River Tano, following community complaints. In Nevada, a 2011 EPA investigation cited a Newmont mine for failing to properly identify and manage mercury-contaminated hazardous waste.

Current operations continue to face serious environmental challenges. In New South Wales, Australia, a community class action alleges a Newmont goldmine has created a "toxic legacy," with residents submitting scientific evidence of contamination to the company and the Environment Protection Authority. The 2023 proposed acquisition of Newcrest Mining was noted by Earthworks as a move that would see Newmont inherit additional assets with a "checkered history of harmful impacts," increasing its environmental liability profile. These ongoing issues across multiple continents demonstrate a recurring pattern of operational impacts involving toxic contamination.

Newmont Corporation is the world’s largest gold mining company, deriving its primary revenue from the extraction and processing of gold and copper. This business model inherently involves large-scale environmental disturbance and land use associated with mining non-fuel minerals.

The company’s global operations have been accompanied by repeated allegations of human rights abuses and significant regulatory penalties. In Peru, a U.S. lawsuit alleges that security forces for Minera Yanacocha, a joint venture where Newmont holds a majority stake, have harassed, assaulted, and threatened to evict Indigenous community members. A 2022 settlement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury resolved potential civil liability for four apparent violations of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations. Furthermore, ViolationTracker documents over 127 workplace safety violations with penalties exceeding $2 million, alongside environmental fines. A 2016 disclosure confirmed an internal investigation into compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. As noted by a Yukon legislator in 2022, “Allegations of human rights abuses have followed this corporation wherever they go.”

GRUFIDES / Global Witness — Newmont (NEM); Yanacocha gold mine (Cajamarca, Peru): operates on traditional territory of Quechua communities; Conga expansion project suspended 2016 following sustained indigenous community opposition and protests; violent clashes with security forces in 2012 left 5 dead; communities cite contamination of Andean wetland lakes (jalcas) that supply downstream water; opposition to expansion ongoing as Newmont proposes Yanacocha Sulfides project