“I think people talk too much anyway. Sometimes people are talking to me and in my mind I’m just like “shut up, shut up, shut up...blah blah blah blah.” – Ellen DeGeneres. Crystallex put out a comment that somewhat eased the fears of the market, essentially saying that Minister of Environment Yubiri Ortega’s talking of late was consistent with her negative sentiment in the past, as well as that of the Director General. As you already know, she said Venezuela won’t allow new open-pit mines for gold, diamonds, or coal in large part because it causes deforestation. Crystallex said her comments were in conflict with the Las Cristinas Environmental Impact Study approval, Construction Compliance Guarantee Bond Request and Environmental Tax request issued by the same Ministry. In other words, all of the requirements have been met by Crystallex. Unfortunately, lawmakers have the ability to change laws. What ultimately matters is what Hugo Chavez thinks, not what the laws say. It is curious to note that perhaps no other country in the world has banned open-pit mining. An estimated 50,000-75,000 mom and pop miners make a living utilizing open-pit mining, though apparently Ortega’s bad is focusing on the issuance of new open-pit mines, not existing ones. Is this a way of favouring Gold Reserve (GRZ) while shutting up Crystallex’s aspirations? A worthwhile Chavez related article ran over the weekend New York Times titled “Chavez Seizes Greater Economic Power”.