Chile’s new mining minister, Aurora Williams, on 20 May said the Santiago government would continue to respect an environmental ruling blocking the development of the Pascua Lama gold mine. The Pascua Lama gold and silver deposits straddle the border between Chile and Argentina in the Atacama region of the Andes. Canada’s Barrick Gold has a US$8.5bn development project for the mine, but it has been held up by environmental concerns on the Chilean side. Impatient with the delays, Argentina’s mining minister, Jorge Mayoral, has called on the Chilean government led by Michelle Bachelet to “put on its pants” and reach…