According to a Bloomberg report on December 25, El Salvador’s National Assembly recently overturned a seven-year-old ban on metal mining and is set to enact a new law. Under the new law, the Salvadoran government will be granted exclusive authority to regulate mining activities both on land and at sea. The law will also prohibit the use of mercury in mining operations and designate areas unsuitable for metal extraction as natural reserves. According to media reports, in 2017, El Salvador became the world’s first country to impose a comprehensive ban on metal mining. Since taking office in 2019, newly elected President Nayib Bukele has been advocating for mining as a means to boost economic development, despite opposition from environmental groups. Last month, the president posted on social media that the value of gold deposits located on just 4% of the country’s total land area amounts to as much as $132 billion—equivalent to 350% of El Salvador’s GDP.