Major issues regarding the environmental impact of the Roșia Montană Project regard the usage of cyanides, as well as the practice of open-pit mining,[REF] which would require the usage of a large area, including four mountains, which would, according to the opponents, "be turned into a desert" [REF].
The usage of cyanides has been a contentious issue, especially due to the fears of spillage into rivers and the groundwater.