What is the status of the Cerro Blanco project in Asunción Mita?

Cerro Blanco (gold, transboundary; Asunción Mita, Jutiapa, in a basin shared with El Salvador; Bluestone–Elevar Resources): a municipal consultation in September 2022 came out 87% against open-pit mining;… the environmental impact assessment (EIA) update approved on 9 January 2024 by the outgoing government was declared invalid on Jun 14,… 2024 by the environment ministry (MARN) and the energy ministry (MEM), with 7 documented anomalies (forged signatures, more than 900 pages lost); switching from underground to open pit requires a new project. It shows the inverse risk: an approved environmental instrument can be voided administratively if the file is flawed. OCMAL records the conflict, with damage since 1997 and conflict since 2007.