Federal court ratifies agreement between Samarco and Brazil authorities

The Brazilian Federal Court of Appeal this week ratified an agreement between the joint venture (JV) partners of the Samarco iron-ore operations and a number of Brazilian parties. In March, mining major BHP Billiton and its JV partner Vale entered into an agreement with the Federal Attorney General of Brazil, the states of Espirito Santo and Minas Gerais, as well as other public authorities to start restoring the environment and communities affected by the Samarco dam failure, which claimed the lives of 19 people. Under this agreement, the two companies would establish a foundation that would facilitate environmental and socioeconomic programmes to provide compensation for damage caused by the November tailings dam failure.