Mining Conflict and Opposition – Page 12

Blood Gold in the Brazilian Rain Forest – by Jon Lee Anderson (The New Yorker – November 4, 2019)

November 6, 2019

https://www.newyorker.com/

Indigenous people and illegal miners are engaged in a fight that may help decide the future of the planet.

One day in 2014, Belém, a member of Brazil’s Kayapo tribe, went deep into the forest to hunt macaws and parrots. He was helping to prepare for a coming-of-age ceremony, in which young men are given adult names and have their lips pierced. By custom, initiates wear headdresses adorned with tail feathers. Belém, whose Kayapo name is Takaktyx, an honorific form of the word “strong,” was a designated bird hunter.

Far from his home village of Turedjam, Belém ran across a group of white outsiders. They were garimpeiros, gold prospectors, who were working inside the Kayapo reserve—a twenty-six-million-acre Amazonian wilderness, demarcated for indigenous people.

Gold mining is illegal there, but the prospectors were accompanied by a Kayapo man, so Belém assumed that some arrangement had been made. About nine thousand Kayapo lived in the forest, split into several groups; each had its own chief, and the chiefs tended to do as they pleased.

Sudbury junior miner permitted to drill on contentious ground – by Colleen Romaniuk (Northern Ontario Business – October 31, 2019)

November 4, 2019

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Flag Resources obtains provincial permit to resume exploration at Wolf Lake, despite opposition

An environmentally contentious mineral exploration program in the Sudbury area will be allowed to proceed.

Junior miner Flag Resources (1985) Limited, a holder of mining leases in the Wolf Lake area, has been issued a mineral exploration permit by the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, with no conditions attached.

The decision was announced on Oct. 31. Flag Resources applied for the permit earlier this fall. The permit will allow Flag to perform exploration drilling to assess mineral resource potential in the Township of Mackelcan in the Wolf Lake region, 47 kilometres northeast of Sudbury.

Investors fear looming safety risks of mining waste dams – by Barbara Lewis (Reuters U.S. – October 31, 2019)

November 1, 2019

https://www.reuters.com/

LONDON (Reuters) – A global inquiry into how mining companies store billions of tonnes of waste in huge dams, launched after a collapse in Brazil killed hundreds, shows about a tenth of the structures have had stability issues, investors said on Thursday.

The research was led by the Church of England (CoE) and fund managers after the collapse of a Vale (VALE3.SA) dam in January unleashed an avalanche of mining waste on the Brazilian town of Brumadinho, killing an estimated 300 people.

A waste, or tailings dam, is the most common waste disposal method for mining companies, whether they’re extracting iron ore, gold or copper. They are among the largest man-made structures on earth, with some towering dozens of meters high and stretching for several kilometers.

Mining’s unlikely heroines – Greta Thunberg and AOC – by Frik Els (Mining.com – October 30, 2019)

October 30, 2019

https://www.mining.com/

Exponential expansion of global mining is the dirty little secret – and glaring blind spot – of Green New Deal evangelists and zero-carbon climate warriors

Leftwing darling Alexandria Ocasia Cortez’s proposed Green New Deal, despite its flimsy 14 pages total, is nothing if not all-encompassing and vaulting in its ambition. The bill was also crucial to Ocasia Cortez’s rapid ascent to acronym status and anointing as the queen of green.

Thanks to her How Dare You tour, 16-year old Greta Thunberg is now the undisputed leader of the growing ranks of school-bunking climate crisis warriors all over the world.

The Greta show arrived in MINING.COM’s hometown of Vancouver last week to take Make-Love-Not-CO2 youths (and second-life hippies) on yet another march and bridge-blockade. The footslogging Greta groupies are beginning to resemble the disastrous 1212 children’s crusade – with higher ground now doing service for holy land.

Coal mining in Indian forests is turning local villagers into environmental watchdogs – by Kuwar Singh (Quartz India – October 29, 2019)

October 30, 2019

https://qz.com/india/

Every day, Ram Lal Kariyam checks the river stream that flows through Salhi, his village in the Hasdeo Arand forest of Chhattisgarh. He is on the lookout for any brown slurry from the coal-washing facility of the sprawling mine nearby.

“Earlier they would discharge dirty water four times a week,” said the 28-year-old farmer, a member of India’s Gond tribe. “Now it’s rare.” Driving this improvement are forest dwellers like him, who consistently monitor the coal mine for environmental violations.

The central state of Chhattisgarh produced the highest quantity of coal in India in the last financial year. Most of its mines are open-cast—the ground on top has to be destroyed as the coal beneath is too shallow for underground mining. It leads to greater air pollution due to the blasting of land as well as loading and unloading of overburdened soil.

U.S. House to vote on legislation banning mining near Grand Canyon – by Robin Bravender (Arizona Mirror – October 29, 2019)

October 30, 2019

Home

WASHINGTON — The full U.S. House is slated to vote this week on legislation to permanently ban uranium and other hardrock mining near the Grand Canyon.

The effort is a longtime priority for Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. And while the measure is expected to clear the Democratic-led House, it faces opposition from Republicans and uncertain prospects in the GOP-controlled Senate.

The debate on the House floor will pit Grijalva, the lead sponsor of the bill, against Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, who will be leading the GOP opposition. Grijalva expects fireworks. “You should probably sell tickets to that one,” he joked in a recent interview with Arizona Mirror.

Minnesota Supreme Court won’t take up copper-nickel mining rules – by Jimmy Lovrien (Duluth News Tribune – October 29, 2019)

October 30, 2019

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a challenge by environmental groups over the state’s copper-nickel mining rules.

Environmental groups argue the Department of Natural Resources’ rules regulating the mining of metals that do not contain iron — such as copper, nickel and other precious metals — were too vague and, therefore, unenforceable. The DNR maintains the rules were strong yet flexible.

But in August, Minnesota Court of Appeals unanimously upheld those rules, and called the DNR’s non-ferrous rules “valid.” Six environment groups had filed the original appeal, but only two groups, the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, petitioned the Supreme Court to review the case after the Court of Appeals upheld the rules.

Hudbay vows appeal after court affirms Arizona project ruling (Reuters Canada – October 29, 2019)

October 30, 2019

https://ca.reuters.com/

(Reuters) – Hudbay Minerals on Tuesday vowed to appeal a court ruling that barred the Canadian miner from building a major copper mine in the United States after losing its bid to have a judge revisit the decision.

U.S. District Judge James Soto late on Monday said there was no basis to reconsider an earlier ruling that overturned approvals for the company’s contentious Rosemont project in southeastern Arizona, delivering a setback for Hudbay as it seeks to revive plans for the stalled $1.9 billion open-pit mine.

Hudbay’s director of investor relations, Candace Brule, said the company was disappointed with the decision and would proceed with an appeal as it studies next steps for the project.

President Pinera Says Chile ‘at War,’ Calls on People to Choose Sides – by Laura Millan Lombrana and Sebastian Boyd (Yahoo/Bloomberg News – October 21, 2019)

October 21, 2019

https://finance.yahoo.com/

(Bloomberg) — Thousands of protesters gathered in Chilean city squares on Monday after a weekend marked by images of soldiers and police clashing with demonstrators and shooting at masked looters. The Chilean peso and local shares slumped.

Chile is enduring a fourth day of rioting and protests in the worst social unrest since the country returned to democracy in the late 1980s to become Latin America’s most prosperous nation.

Eleven people have died and 1,500 have been arrested in a wave of arson attacks, looting and riots that have brought cities to a near standstill. President Sebastian Pinera declared a state of emergency Friday and called on the army to restore order.

Protest against open-pit gold mining planned during Nova Scotia mining show (Canadian Press/Bloomberg – October 18, 2019)

October 21, 2019

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

HALIFAX — A public rally critical of open-pit mining practices was set to take place in the Halifax area Friday as business leaders get together to promote Nova Scotia’s growing gold industry.

Demonstrators planned to gather over the lunch hour during the Nova Scotia Gold Show at a hotel at the Halifax airport. Sean Kirby, director of the Mining Association of Nova Scotia, said millions of dollars of investment are coming to the province.

But as industry speakers are discussed projects, protesters were set to hold an information session to discuss how to prevent further development of open-pit gold mines in the province.

Ring of Fire developer faces tide of opposition to Sault ferrochrome plant – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – October 17, 2019)

October 17, 2019

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Noront CEO seeks to clear the air on smelter technology, environmental safeguards

Erin Brockovich might be the most watched movie in Sault Ste. Marie these days. When Noront Resources president Alan Coutts grabs the mic at the Delta Hotel on Oct.23 for the first of, likely, many community presentations, he’ll have to reassure residents that the Sault won’t become Hinkley, Calif., and remind them that his company’s proposed ferrochrome smelter isn’t getting built anytime soon.

“We have no interest or intention of doing anything that could potentially harm the people of Sault Ste. Marie or our (future) employees,” Coutts told Northern Ontario Business.

Five months after the Steel City was selected as the home of Noront’s proposed $1-billion processing plant, opposition began to swell after a group of physicians released a letter to local politicians suggesting there could be an exodus of medical professionals from the community if the furnace were to become reality.

Joan Kuyek: Our job is to take our governments back from the mining interests – by Joan Baxter (Halifax Examiner – October 16, 2019)

October 17, 2019

https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/

Joan Kuyek, one of this country’s most distinguished community organizers and analysts of the mining industry, will be in Nova Scotia this weekend to promote her new book, Unearthing justice: how to protect your community from the mining industry. In 1999, Kuyek co-founded MiningWatch Canada, and was its national coordinator until 2009.

She has taught at Algoma University in Sault St. Marie and Queen’s University law school in Kingston, and has worked extensively with many First Nations and other communities to help them understand the mining industry and how best they can protect themselves and the environment from harm it causes. She is also the author of the 2011 book, Community organizing – a holistic approach.

While in Nova Scotia, Kuyek will be launching her new book at a panel discussion on gold mining on Saturday, October 19 in Halifax, and then again in Tatamagouche on Sunday, October 20.

Alamos Gold suspends Turkish mine construction – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – October 15, 2019)

October 15, 2019

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Canadian mining company Alamos Gold Inc. is suspending construction of a new Turkish gold mine after it failed to obtain a timely renewal of a mining concession.

The development comes a few months after thousands of protesters flooded the area in the vicinity of the proposed mine in northwestern Turkey, taking issue with deforestation and the company’s planned use of the chemical cyanide at the site.

The mining concession expired on Sunday and Alamos says it is working with the Turkish department of energy and natural resources to try to obtain the renewal of the concession.

[Copper Mining] THE BOUGAINVILLE REFERENDUM AND BEYOND – by Ben Bohane (Lowyu Institute – October 8, 2019)

October 9, 2019

http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Australia has a long history and a complicated relationship with Bougainville, an island group to the east of the PNG mainland that was administered by Australia as part of Papua New Guinea for 60 years between 1915 and 1975.

On 23 November 2019, its 300 000 people will commence voting in an independence referendum, and a clear majority is expected to vote for independence from Papua New Guinea. The Bougainville Peace Agreement requires PNG and Bougainville to negotiate an outcome after the conclusion of the referendum, and Canberra has indicated that it will respect any settlement reached between them. James Marape, the new PNG prime minister, has expressed a clear preference for an autonomous, not independent, Bougainville.

With geostrategic rivalry growing across the Pacific, Australia will need to step up its engagement and consider further policy approaches to Bougainville if it wishes to remain a trusted peace and security broker in Melanesia. If the people of Bougainville vote for independence and are unable to reach agreement with the government of Papua New Guinea, the Bougainville issue may precipitate another regional crisis.

Alaska Natives and fishermen sue EPA for reversing Pebble Mine decision – by Richard Read (Los Angeles Times – October 8, 2019)

October 9, 2019

https://www.latimes.com/

SEATTLE — Trump administration officials broke the law when they reversed course and gave a green light to a proposed copper and gold mine near Alaska’s Bristol Bay, mining opponents said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Alaska Native, commercial fishing and economic development organizations said the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision July 30 to step aside and let the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determine whether to permit the Pebble Mine was “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion” and illegal.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage is the latest challenge to the project that the EPA’s Seattle branch criticized in written comments July 1 before abruptly reversing course, withdrawing the agency’s option to block the proposed open-pit copper and gold mine.