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Mining and Climate Change, Part 3: Multiple Issues with Conservative Party Approaches to Emissions Management – by Steve May (SudburySteve.blogspot.com – April 15, 2012)

http://sudburysteve.blogspot.ca/

Steve May is the CEO of the Sudbury Federal Green Party Association (Opinions expressed in this blog are my own, and should not be interpreted as being consistent with the views of the Green Party of Canada – Steve May)

Is it sensible that the Conservative Party, which has embraced cutting environmental regulations and environmental assessment processes in the name of economic growth, could ever be a threat to Canada’s resource sector? On first blush, it would seem highly improbable that would be the case, but keep in mind that for the Conservative Party, not all natural resource sectors are created equally.

The Conservative Party’s policies significantly favour Canada’s fossil fuels sector over all other resource sectors. In fact, Conservative policies will actually jeopardize the important success of Canadian miners over the medium and long term. And it all has to do with carbon pricing (well, maybe not “all”, as I can’t help but recall the uneven and apparently arbitrary application of the “net benefit” provisions of the Investment Canada Act in the Potash Corp. matter a few years back).

Although the Conservative Party of Canada is not in any way, shape or form considering putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions, the fact of the matter is that it’s the only national political party in Canada which is opposed to carbon pricing.

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[Vale] Mining company to raise fish underground – CBC News Sudbury (April 20, 2012)

 http://www.cbc.ca/sudbury/

The tree nursery at Vale’s Sudbury Creighton Mine will become home to a fish hatchery
 
Nickel mining giant Vale will be pulling something new out of the ground in Sudbury — fish. Vale has already been growing tree seedlings in a green house deep in the warm underground for decades, but now the company wants to raise rainbow trout right next to them.

The trees are planted in Sudbury to re-green the landscape scarred by mining. And the fish will be put into lakes “that may have been stressed by mining activities in the past,” said Glen Watson, Vale’s senior environmental specialist.
 
“Northern Ontarians love their fish. Sudburians, in particular, love their fish. We have a lot of lakes to put them in.” Underground heat helps fish grow

Vale has spent the past five months raising Rainbow trout in an above-ground facility. On Thursday it released 4,000 fish in the Onaping River. Now that the system is tested, the project will begin underground at Vale’s Creighton mine.

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NEWS RELEASE: VALE STOCKS ONAPING RIVER WITH LOCAL GREENHOUSE-RAISED FISH

Mark Palkovits-Vale Environment Group (Vale Photo)

SUDBURY, April 19, 2012 – Lately, there have been more than just seedlings growing in Vale’s surface greenhouse in Copper Cliff.

In November 2011, Vale’s Environment Department initiated a pilot project to raise rainbow trout for stocking in Sudbury area lakes and rivers. Rainbow trout fingerlings were placed in two 1,500 litre tanks in Vale’s surface greenhouse. 

Vale consulted with local fish farming expert Mike Meeker of Meeker’s Aquaculture on Manitoulin Island in order to set up the operation and define the operating procedures. Vale also worked with the local office of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to choose an appropriate water body in which to release the Rainbow Trout. 

After five months of feeding and caring, the fish grew to approximately 20 centimetres long, and were transported to the Onaping River for stocking. This location was favoured by Vale due to historical mining impacts on the river system. 

(L to R) Lisa Lanteigne, Mark Palkovits, Glen Watson - Vale Environment Group (Vale Photo)

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Mining and Climate Change, Part 2: Canada’s Commitment to Reducing Greenhouse Gases – by Steve May (SudburySteve.blogspot.com – April 14, 2012)

http://sudburysteve.blogspot.ca/

Steve May is the CEO of the Sudbury Federal Green Party Association (Opinions expressed in this blog are my own, and should not be interpreted as being consistent with the views of the Green Party of Canada – Steve May)

In my previous post, I wrote about the growing importance of the mining sector to Canada’s economy, and about why it’s important for our governments to enact the right carbon pricing policies. In this post, I’m going to talk about Canada’s historic commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to combat climate change, and why Canadians continue to demand action, and how action may impact the mining sector.

The Crises with Our Climate

There is no doubt whatsoever that human industrial activity is causing global climate change to the point that our rapidly changing climate is leading towards a crisis unlike any we have encountered before. This crisis is already having planetary impacts. Coupled with rising prices for non-renewable energy resources, particularly oil, the climate crisis will change not just our physical environment, but our economic circumstance, and social and political institutions as well. These changes are inevitable. That’s why I believe it’s best to plan for them, rather than to let them overtake us.

The mining sector will not be immune from these changes.

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Mining and Climate Change, Part 1: Toward a Sustainable Future – by Steve May (SudburySteve.blogspot.com – April 13, 2012)

http://sudburysteve.blogspot.ca/

Steve May is the CEO of the Sudbury Federal Green Party Association (Opinions expressed in this blog are my own, and should not be interpreted as being consistent with the views of the Green Party of Canada – Steve May)

When people think about how Canada’s resource sector is driving economic growth, we tend to first think about the extraction of fossil fuels, such as oil and gas. Certainly, the stories about Canada’s growing fossil fuel sector are constantly found throughout the mainstream media, and tar sands petroleum companies have even been placing their own television and print media ads, in a public relations effort intended to combat negative environmental perceptions.

But there’s been a low-key success story which many Canadians aren’t aware of in one of Canada’s natural resource sectors. The mining industry has been quietly booming in Canada for some time now, and the future continues to look very bright (see: “Canada’s mining boom takes a back seat to no industry”, Globe and Mail, April 4, 2012). The mining industry’s success story doesn’t come as a surprise to Sudburians, and Northern Ontarians, because we see those successes almost daily. However, for other Canadians, especially those living in large urban centres, mining remains a somewhat remote afterthought.

Mining: the Bedrock of Sudbury’s Success

Sudbury’s history is the history of local mining.

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Anmar Mechanical part of Vale’s environmental upgrade – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – March 31, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Anmar Mechanical and Electrical Contractors Inc. is one of dozens of local companies that will benefit from Vale Ltd.’s $2-billion Clean AER Project. The Lively-based company has won the contract to fabricate four converters that are a big part of the environmental upgrade of the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex.

Anmar president Gianni Grossi won’t reveal the exact amount of the contract, but says it is in the neighbourhood of $15 million — and could employ as many as 700 of his employees at the peak of construction.

Each of the converters is 44 feet long and 13 feet in diameter, and is made of two-inch boiler-plate steel that will stand up to high temperatures in the smelting process. Anmar has also bid on contracts for other parts of the Clean AER (Atmospheric Emissions Reduction) Project. His company is also involved in other work during shutdown and other times at Vale facilities.

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ACCENT: Clean AER in works for Sudbury – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – March 31, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Dave Stefanuto tells the story of taking his two young sons to Science North, where they love the space exhibits on the top floor.  One time, he pointed the boys to a photograph of Apollo astronauts walking on the rocky landscape that was Sudbury in the 1970s.

“How come they’re wearing shorts on the moon?” one of his sons asked him, to which Stefanuto replied: “That’s not the moon, that’s Sudbury.” It’s a sobering reminder that Sudbury wasn’t always as green as it is today.

Sudbury was the butt of jokes four decades ago and for years after those astronauts visited a city whose landscape was a dead-ringer for the moon. Anyone who has visited the Nickel City in the last 25 years has had no reason to laugh at us. In three years’ time, they will have even less.

Stefanuto, 39, has come back to Sudbury after seven or eight years spent working for Vale in Newfoundland and Labrador. He came back home to head up Vale’s $2-billion Clean AER (Atmospheric Emissions Reduction) Project.

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Brazilian miner [Vale] invests $3.4 billion in Sudbury complex – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – March 19, 2012)

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.

Vale makes capital commitment

Five years after Inco was purchased by Brazilian mining giant Vale, the company is pouring unprecedented levels of capital into its operations across Canada, with the North poised to reap a share of the benefits.
 
In November 2010, Vale announced it would be embarking on a $10-billion investment program across the country over the next five years, with a third of that going into its Sudbury operations.
 
“For Sudbury, $3.4 billion has been targeted over the next few years,” said Angie Robson, manager of corporate affairs for Ontario operations at Vale. “It certainly speaks to Vale’s commitment to Sudbury and the fact that we certainly have a long future of mining here.”
 
Dick DeStefano, executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Services Association (SAMSSA), said the promise of spilloff from the Vale investment is unique because that amount of capital from a company has never been concentrated in such a short period of time.

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[Sudbury Vale] Smelter reno awarded – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – March 15, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

An American company has won a $55-million contract to design and supply a new sulfuric acid plant for Vale Ltd.’s smelter in Sudbury — part of a massive, multibillion-dollar retrofit of the facility.

“We are very pleased that Vale has selected our technology for this important project, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with Vale,” Andy Kremer, vice-president of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., said in a release.

The new acid plant is part of Vale’s Clean Atmospheric Emissions Reduction (AER) Project. The overall project is designed to cut sulfur dioxide emissions at the Sudbury site by more than 70% from current levels, and and cut dust and metal emissions by up to 40%. Vale considers the $2-bllion Clean AER Project to be the most significant environmental investment ever contemplated in the Sudbury Basin.

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Vale Ltd. moves ahead with $2-billion emissions reduction plan at Sudbury stack – by Hugh McKenna (Winnipeg Free Press – February 17, 2012)

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Mining giant Vale Ltd. is moving ahead with a $2-billion plan to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions at its smelter in Sudbury, where the company’s so-called superstack has long been seen as a monument of industrial development and pollution.

The initiative, which the Brazilian-based company describes as the largest in the history of Ontario, and likely Canada, has a goal of slashing emissions at the smelter by 70 per cent over several years.

“This reduction is in addition to the 90 per cent reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions realized since 1970 and complements the ongoing success story that is the regreening of the Sudbury region,” Vale said in making the announcement Thursday.

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Vale to cut [Sudbury] emissions – by Rita Poliakov (Sudbury Star – February 17, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale has finally approved the Clean AER Project, a $2 billion investment that will reduce sulp hu r dioxide emissions at Vale’s Sudbury smelter by 70%.

The Clean AER (atmospheric emissions reduction) Project, one of the largest environmental investments in Ontario’s history, will include retrofitting the smelter complex. Along with the environmental benefits, Clean AER will mean more local jobs. At the peak of construction, which should start around April, Vale expects to have 1,300 workers on-site.

The initiative comes after the bitter Vale strike, which created tension in the community between the company and its employees. “This really represents our commitment to the city with respect to sustainable development,” said Vale project director Dave Stefanuto. “We recognize there are great assets in Sudbury, not only in terms of the facility, but in terms of the people. We recognize the importance of hanging on to those assets.”

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Vale approves $2B clean air project in Sudbury – by Peter Koven (National Post – February 16, 2012)

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

Mining giant Vale SA has greenlighted a massive $2-billion emissions reductions project in Sudbury, Ont., that ranks among the biggest environmental investments in Ontario’s history.

The so-called Clean AER project (for Atmospheric Emissions Reduction) will be unveiled Thursday after years of anticipation in the region. The goal is to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from Vale’s nickel smelter by 70%, bringing them well below government-regulated limits that come into effect in 2015.

“It was really felt that these are core assets to our company and to our future, and we have to maintain those assets,” project director Dave Stefanuto said in an interview. “So I don’t think it was too difficult a decision for our executives to make with respect to funding the project.”

The project will create plenty of economic activity in Sudbury, as it requires an estimated eight million man-hours of labour and as many as 1,300 workers onsite during the peak construction period.

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NEWS RELEASE: VALE APPROVES $2 BILLION [SUDBURY] ‘CLEAN AER’ PROJECT

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, February 16, 2012 – Vale has approved a $2-billion investment in the “Clean AER Project”, one of the largest environmental investments in Ontario’s history. 

The Clean AER Project (AER stands for atmospheric emissions reduction) will see sulphur dioxide emissions at Vale’s smelter in Sudbury reduced by 70% from current levels. This reduction is in addition to the 90% reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions realized since 1970 and complements the ongoing success story that is the re-greening of the Sudbury region. 

“This project is an important undertaking and will utilize the latest technological innovations available to us to retrofit our smelter complex,” said John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer, Vale Canada Limited and Director of Base Metals for Vale’s North Atlantic operations. “We are creating a new legacy through this project – cleaner air for Sudbury, Ontario and Canada. It’s a proud day and great news for all of us who work, live, and raise families in this wonderful community.”

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Sydney Tar Ponds to get a facelift – by Emily Jackson (Toronto Star – November 25, 2011)

The Toronto Star, has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion

Sydney, N.S., will soon boast its own version of Central Park, with one small caveat — it will be built on top of a former hazardous waste site. The park will mark the final phase in the $400 million cleanup of the Sydney Tar Ponds, pools of toxic waste caused by more than 100 years of runoff from a steel plant.

Controversies surrounding the cleanup will linger for years, but all parties involved seem excited to move on from the toxic mess and finally transform the space into something positive. “At the end, the community was tired of fighting about the actual cleanup mechanism,” said Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor John Morgan.

The polluted sludge was mixed with cement, covered with an “impermeable” cap, and then buried under the soil where the park will be built. While people argued if this was the best way to remediate the waste (many wanted it to be burned), there has been very little bickering over what to do with the land once it’s actually clean, Morgan explained.

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Miners turn to renewable energy to cut costs – by Brenda Bouw (Globe and Mail – November 16, 2011)

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

VANCOUVER – Mining companies are gluttons when it comes to energy use as they haul, grind and process ore, but soaring costs and environmental concerns have many turning to cleaner alternatives.

With energy now representing about 25 per cent of production costs, more companies are making huge long-term investments in wind, solar and other renewable energy projects to cut expenses and clean up their operations.

Companies such as Barrick Gold Corp., Teck Resources Ltd. and Rio Tinto PLC have ambitious wind-farm projects under way that will reduce energy costs and provide the much-needed social benefit of showing the communities where they work that progress is being made to reduce their environmental footprint.

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