Costa Rica’s government is pushing a controversial bill that could open the entire Cutris district in San Carlos—848 square kilometers—to open-pit gold mining. The proposal, known as bill 24.717, has environmental groups up in arms over the potential damage to forests, rivers, and wildlife. Introduced last year by President Rodrigo Chaves Robles, the bill would allow mining concessions through auctions, with no cap on the number of permits. It’s a sharp break from the country’s 2010 ban on open-pit metallic mining, which has held firm for 15 years.

The Flora and Fauna Preservationist Association (APREFLOFAS) warns the project could dwarf the environmental fallout of Crucitas, a failed gold mine in Cutris that covered 300 hectares. Crucitas, once pursued by Canadian company Infinito Gold, relied on a 143-hectare tailings pond to store toxic sludge laced with cyanide. Illegal mining in Crucitas today affects just 10 to 15 square kilometers, but legalizing mining across Cutris could amplify the harm exponentially, APREFLOFAS says. In March, the group submitted a 48-page report to lawmakers, highlighting risks like polluted rivers, wrecked landscapes, and lost forests in a region battered by tropical storms.

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