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Uranium and Nuclear Power Industry

Japan’s nuclear plan is bad news for LNG, coal – by Clyde Russell (Reuters U.S. – June 2, 2015)

http://www.reuters.com/

LAUNCESTON, Australia, June 2 (Reuters) – The rise of China and India as energy importers has largely consigned Japan to the sidelines, but the world’s third-largest economy still exerts significant influence in some markets.

That’s why Japan’s long-term energy vision is too important to be ignored, given it is the world’s top importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), number three in coal and four in crude oil.

A consultative committee on Monday endorsed the government’s blueprint for the energy mix it hopes to achieve by 2030, with the proposal now open for public comment for a month ahead of a likely formal approval by the trade ministry mid-July.

While the proposal has attracted controversy over a plan for nuclear energy to generate 20-22 percent of the nation’s electricity, it’s also worth noting how it sees the rest of the generating mix.

Renewables are set at 22-24 percent, LNG at 27 percent and coal at 26 percent. This represents a decline in nuclear’s share of electricity generation from the 30 percent it held before the Fukushima disaster following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

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Saskatchewan Mining Association celebrates 50 years of mining – by Bruce Johnston (Saskatoon StarPhoenix – May 26, 2015)

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/index.html

Sask. offers ‘fertile ground’

Saskatchewan is considered one of the world’s most attractive places for a mining company to invest, with $7.3 billion worth of mineral production in 2014, world-class resources and a political climate that supports and encourages investment.

In fact, Saskatchewan ranked No. 1 in Canada and No. 2 in the world among jurisdictions that are attractive to mining investment, according to the Fraser Institute’s 2014 survey of executives of 4,200 global mining companies.

But that wasn’t always the case, as the sometimesrocky 50-year history of the Saskatchewan Mining Association shows. Even today industry and government don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, as evidenced by the SMA’s chilly response to the provincial budget’s deferral of capital cost deductions, which will cost potash producers $150 million this year.

As Neil McMillan, president of the SMA, noted there’s a fine balance between ensuring that shareholders get a reasonable return on their investment and the citizens get a reasonable return on their resource.

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[Saskatchewan mining sector] Reaching out to aboriginals – by Joel Schlesinger (Saskatoon StarPhoenix – May 22, 2015)

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/index.html

Lyle Acoose grew up on Ochapowace Cree Nation never realizing PotashCorp operated a major mine only 45 minutes away from his community in southeast Saskatchewan.

That is until he actually began work with the firm a few years back.

“I knew there was a mine in Rocanville, and I played hockey against kids from the community when I was younger, but until I got a summer job I didn’t really know anything about PotashCorp or its impact on the communities in which it operates,” says the human resources specialist with the Saskatoon-based multinational mining firm, the largest producer of potash in the world.

“At the time I didn’t know anybody from my community who worked for the mine, but that certainly has changed.”

Today the company of more than 5,000 employees – mostly in Saskatchewan – pays much more attention to ensuring it has a high profile in the province’s aboriginal communities. And that includes a formalized ambassador program among its First Nation and Métis employees to get out the message that there’s a bright future in the province’s mining industry.

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What you need to know: Some facts about mineral production in Saskatchewan, provided by the Saskatchewan Mining Association (Saskatoon StarPhoenix – May 21, 2015)

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/index.html

1 High-quality, economically mineable deposits of both potash and uranium are currently produced in relatively few jurisdictions in the world. Canada, Russia and Belarus together account for just over two-thirds of global potash production, and Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia produce twothirds of the world’s uranium.

2 Saskatchewan has the largest high-grade reserves in the world for potash and uranium.

3 The province boasts almost half of world potash reserves and eight per cent of known recoverable uranium reserves.

4 Canada’s mineral production was valued at $44 billion in 2013. Potash, coal and iron ore were the leading commodities by value of production.

5 Saskatchewan was Canada’s third-leading mining jurisdiction in 2013, with mineral production valued at $7.2 billion.

6 Potash was Canada’s leading mineral by value of mineral production in 2013 at $6.1 billion.

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Saskatchewan is to mining what Crosby is to hockey – by Bruce Johnstone (Saskatoon StarPhoenix – May 19, 2015)

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/index.html

To call Saskatchewan a major player in the global mining industry is a bit like saying Sidney Crosby is a good hockey player. Saskatchewan is a mining superstar.

It’s the world’s leading producer and exporter of potash, accounting for 30 per cent of the global supply of the agricultural nutrient potassium (one of three essential components of fertilizer, along with phosphorous and nitrogen.)

Potash was the top-ranked commodity produced in Canada in 2013, with a reported value of $6.1 billion, ahead of gold ($5.9 billion) and iron ore ($5.3 billion), according to Natural Resources Canada.

In fact, potash is the only mineral in which Canada is a world leader. And virtually all of that Canadian potash (96 per cent) was produced in Saskatchewan. (The remaining four per cent was produced at the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan mine at Sussex, N.B.)

Saskatchewan is also a world leader in uranium production, with nearly 16 per cent of the world’s supply of the nuclear fuel source, placing Canada second among uranium-producing nations after Kazakhstan.

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Nunavut review board decision on uranium mine “not what we expected,” Areva says – by Sarah Rogers (Nunatsiaq News – May 11, 2015)

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

But Areva will go on with summer exploration work

Areva Resources Canada Inc. says it is “disappointed” with the Nunavut Impact Review Board’s recommendation that the mining company’s uranium project not go ahead.

After almost six years of environmental assessment, the NIRB recommended May 8 that Areva Canada’s proposed Kiggavik mine, in exploration outside of Baker Lake, “should not proceed at this time.” The NIRB decided that, because Areva cannot provided a definite schedule for the project’s launch, the board cannot do an accurate assessment of the project’s environmental and social impacts.

But Barry McCallum, manager of Nunavut affairs for Areva, said the company submitted what it believed was a “sound” final environmental impact statement. “It’s not what we expected,” he said. “We were transparent in our plans to develop.”

The poor market conditions under which AREVA was developing its uranium project meant the mine’s timeline was never certain, although McCallum assured the project is part of the company’s plans.

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Kincardine nuclear waste site gets federal seal of approval – by John Spears and Lauren Pelley (Toronto Star – May 7, 2015)

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.

Deep Geologic Repository proposed by Ontario Power Generation at its Bruce site is “not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects,” report concludes.

A federal panel has given an overall seal of approval to the controversial nuclear waste disposal site proposed for a subterranean crypt below the Bruce nuclear station near Kincardine, Ont.

“The Panel concludes that the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects” given the measures contemplated to curb them, says the report by the Joint Review Panel.

The panel’s favourable view of the project, proposed by Ontario Power Generation, overcomes a major regulatory hurdle in the construction of the Deep Geologic Repository, or DGR in industry jargon, which would see nuclear waste buried hundreds of metres underground near the shore of Lake Huron.

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Participation of First Nations vital to success – by Tim Gitzel (Saskatoon StarPhoenix – May 7, 2015)

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/index.html

Tim Gitzel is president and CEO of Cameco Corporation.

Development of Canada’s wealth of resources has potential to deliver many generations of prosperity for Canadians.

We have what the world needs. Over the next decade, an estimated $675 billion in resource development projects are planned across Canada. This is a truly incredible opportunity.

We can attract billions in capital investment and become a trusted, reliable supplier of energy, minerals and other materials for the rapidly growing economies of China, India and other developing nations. These projects would deliver high-quality employment and business opportunities for many thousands of Canadians and strong, sustained revenue for governments.

However, without respectful, mutually beneficial partnerships between industry and Canada’s aboriginal people, none of this will happen.

Almost all of the major resource projects on the horizon have a footprint on aboriginal traditional territory. Aboriginal people must be effectively consulted and engaged in the development of natural resources and must share in the prosperity it brings. Otherwise, the incredible opportunity will be lost.

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Furious B.C. magnate says he’s caught up in ‘vicious’ smear campaign against Clinton charities – by Brian Hutchinson (National Post – May 6, 2015)

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

VANCOUVER — This seems out of character: Frank Giustra, one of Canada’s wealthiest and most guarded businessmen, is openly seething. Smacking the boardroom table and swearing.

“I can’t deal with this anymore,” snaps the mining and entertainment magnate. To his horror, he’s become hot political fodder south of the border. All because of his close relationship with former U.S. president Bill Clinton, suggestions of influence-peddling through related charities the two men established and a growing scandal ensnaring Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“I’ve spent the last 10 days doing nothing but dealing with media calls. I can’t get anything done,” Giustra says, his voice starting to crack the longer our interview inside his downtown Vancouver office this week continues. “It’s out of control. It’s a f—ing circus.”

A rags-to-riches multi-millionaire who normally shuns publicity, Giustra made his fortune as a stockbroker before “retiring” two decades ago, shy of his 40th birthday. An ugly, Bre-X-style gold mining scandal caused by others was singeing his feathers and creating what he describes as “internal conflict” at Yorkton Securities Inc., the Vancouver-based brokerage he headed.

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Giustra fights back after U.S. campaign smears – by Don Cayo (Vancouver Sun – May 1, 2015)

http://www.vancouversun.com/index.html

Vancouver mining magnate Frank Giustra finds himself caught up in the repeated mudslinging that surrounds Hillary Clinton’s campaign to become the next U.S. president. He doesn’t like it, and he’s fighting back.

His story has yielded big headlines in big-name media — The New York Times and The Washington Post, to name just two. And it has been playing out over the better part of a month as new angles are explored and old ones rehashed.

It’s a story made complex both by innuendo and by the muddying, glossing over or ignoring of timelines that might cast factual information in another light. And, of course, the Twitterverse and Internet are awash in vitriol from those who accept innuendo and suggestions as literal truth.

But the basic facts, neither damning nor exculpatory in themselves, are simple. They include:

• Billionaire Giustra and former U.S. President Bill Clinton, have become fast friends in the past decade. They travel the world together in Giustra’s jet to look in on philanthropic projects they jointly support. Giustra has given Clinton’s foundation many tens of millions of dollars, and he has raised many tens of millions more from rich acquaintances.

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U.S. to evaluate uranium mine cleanups on Navajo land -Justice Dept – by Sandra Maler (Reuters U.S. – May 1, 2015)

http://www.reuters.com/

WASHINGTON – (Reuters) – The U.S. government will put $13.2 million into an environmental trust to pay for evaluations of 16 abandoned uranium mines on land belonging to the Navajo Nation in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, the Justice Department said on Friday.

The Justice Department said the agreement was part of its increased focus on environmental and health concerns in Indian country, “as well as the commitment of the Obama Administration to fairly resolve the historic grievances of American Indian tribes and build a healthier future for their people.”

The investigation of the sites is a necessary step before final cleanup decisions can be made, it said in a statement, adding the work would be subject to the approval of both the Navajo Nation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The site evaluations focus on the mines that pose the most significant hazards and will form a foundation for their final cleanup,” Assistant Attorney General John Cruden of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said in the statement.

The Navajo Nation encompasses more than 27,000 square miles (70,000 square km) within Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.

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Uranium Mines Dot Navajo Land, Neglected and Still Perilous – by Leslie MacMillan (New York Times – March 31, 2012)

http://www.nytimes.com/

CAMERON, Ariz. — In the summer of 2010, a Navajo cattle rancher named Larry Gordy stumbled upon an abandoned uranium mine in the middle of his grazing land and figured he had better call in the feds. Engineers from the Environmental Protection Agency arrived a few months later, Geiger counters in hand, and found radioactivity levels that buried the needles on their equipment.

The abandoned mine here, about 60 miles east of the Grand Canyon, joins the list of hundreds of such sites identified across the 27,000 square miles of Navajo territory in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico that are the legacy of shoddy mining practices and federal neglect. From the 1940s through the 1980s, the mines supplied critical materials to the nation’s nuclear weapons program.

For years, unsuspecting Navajos inhaled radioactive dust and drank contaminated well water. Many of them became sick with cancer and other diseases.

The radioactivity at the former mine is said to measure one million counts per minute, translating to a human dose that scientists say can lead directly to malignant tumors and other serious health damage, according to Lee Greer, a biologist at La Sierra University in Riverside, Calif.

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Mongolia signals it will not pay US$100 million to Canadian uranium miner Khan Resources – by Terrence Edwards (Reuters/National Post – April 28, 2015)

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

The government of Mongolia signaled on Monday it will not abide by an international tribunal’s order to pay more than US$100 million to Canadian uranium explorer Khan Resources Inc., whose chairman died suddenly while in the country meeting with officials over repayment plans last week.

“The Mongolian government, in order to protect its own interests, will work for the invalidation of the arbitration award,” a statement by the justice minister, dated Monday, said.

The move comes just days after Jim Doak, Khan’s chairman and a well-known figure in Canada’s financial industry, died in Ulan Bator from reasons deemed to be natural causes on April 23, a day after talks between the two sides ended.

Grant Edey, Khan’s CEO, said in an e-mail that the meeting was short because the two sides “remained apart in their respective positions” and the company is confident the award will be upheld.

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Telfer, Giustra deny they tried to influence Russian uranium deal with donations to Clinton Foundation – by Peter Koven National Post – April 25, 2015)

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

A pair of Canadian mining magnates are denying suggestions that they donated to the charitable foundation of former President Bill Clinton and his family to help win U.S. approval to sell a uranium company to Russia.

Frank Giustra said the allegations have nothing to do with him, and are merely an attempt to “tear down” presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her election campaign. Ian Telfer, meanwhile, said he committed the funds before he ever realized he would do the deal with the Russians.

The New York Times reported on the donations in an explosive article this week. The story involves a former Canadian mining company called Uranium One Inc., in which Giustra and Telfer were two of the key principals.

In 2010, Uranium One began a process to sell itself to Rosatom, a state-controlled nuclear giant in Russia. Uranium One had assets in Kazakhstan and the United States, and multiple U.S. government departments had to sign off on the deal. One of them is the State Department, which was led at the time by Hillary Clinton.

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Fox News uses input from New York Times reporter (!) for ‘Clinton Cash’ piece – by Erik Wemple (Washington Post – April 23, 2015)

http://www.foxnews.com/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Earlier this week, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow devoted considerable time to examining the agreements of major media outlets with Peter Schweizer, the author of “Clinton Cash,” a soon-to-be-released book highlighting overlaps between the work of the Clinton Foundation and Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state.

No surprise, said Maddow, that Fox News would be partnering with such an author, who advised Sarah Palin and assisted the George W. Bush White House with speechwriting. Some surprise, said Maddow, that a news org like the New York Times would strike an exclusive agreement with Schweizer.

Now for an even bigger surprise: Not only did the New York Times work with Schweizer; it also worked directly with Fox News! See the segment below, in which New York Times investigative reporter Jo Becker provides input for the report of Fox News host Bret Baier on a “bombshell rocking the Clinton campaign.”

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