Republic of Mining

B.C. Energy and Mines Minister takes on tough portfolio – by Gordon Hoekstra (Vancouver Sun – August 1, 2017)

August 1, 2017

Michelle Mungall is a rural MLA from the Kootenays who has experience in social issues. She now takes on a ministry that encompasses economic, First Nation and environmental issues across a vast land base in B.C.

Mungall, a three-term MLA from Nelson-Creston and former Nelson city councillor, takes on a tough portfolio as major industrial projects involved in mining and energy are high-profile and often controversial. In her first week in office, Pacific NorthWest LNG cancelled its $11.4-billion project, citing poor global markets.

The project was one of several leading proposed liquefied natural gas projects — none of which have been built — promoted by the former B.C. Liberal government. The Pacific NorthWest LNG project was opposed by environmentalists and some First Nations and scientists. Another potential controversy is brewing over Taseko’s proposed $1.1-billion Prosperity gold and copper mine in the Interior, twice rejected by the federal government and opposed by the Tsilhqot’in Nation. The company was granted an extensive drilling permit in early July, in the dying days of the B.C. Liberal government.

Tanzania and Barrick start talks to resolve Acacia row – by Fumbuka Ng’wanakilala (Reuters U.S. – July 31, 2017)

August 1, 2017

https://www.reuters.com/

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) – The Tanzanian government and Barrick Gold have started talks to resolve a tax dispute involving the Canadian company’s subsidiary Acacia Mining, the president’s office said on Monday.

The government accuses Acacia, which is 63.9 percent owned by Barrick, of evading taxes for years by under-declaring exports and has banned exports of gold and copper concentrates.

Acacia denies the accusations, which have pummelled its share price, and said last week it had been hit with a $190 billion tax bill, which is equivalent to four times the East African country’s annual gross domestic product.

Al Gore warns us to watch out for manipulative fearmongers — like him – by Terence Corcoran (Financial Post – August 1, 2017)

August 1, 2017

http://business.financialpost.com/

Not many people remember Al Gore’s 2007 book, The Assault on Reason. It came out a year after Gore’s 2006 movie/book combo, An Inconvenient Truth. It’s hard to pick up the 2007 effort without a chuckle. As one reviewer put it at the time, Assault on Reason is “an aptly titled tome” that accurately reflects its contents.

Then there’s the book jacket that talks about the “politics of fear” and an opening chapter that warns: “If leaders exploit public fears to herd people in directions they might not otherwise choose, then fear itself can quickly become a self-perpetuating and free-wheeling force that drains national will and weakens national character.”

Fear, adds Al Gore the great climate fear-monger, can be promulgated using three techniques: repetition, misdirection and making the irregular seem regular. “By using these narrative tools alone, anyone with a loud platform can ratchet up public anxieties and fears, distorting public discourse and reason.”

How De Beers is being stymied in hunt for fresh diamond sources – by Allan Seccombe (Business Day – July 31, 2017)

August 1, 2017

https://www.businesslive.co.za/

De Beers, which is building a R20bn underground mine at Venetia in SA, is hampered in its hunt for fresh diamond sources by the country’s regulatory environment despite itching to spend millions of dollars here.

De Beers spends $35m a year on exploration in SA, Canada and Botswana but is running into headwinds in SA, which the miner reckons is one of the more prospective regions for new diamond sources.

There is an adage in the diamond industry that the best place to find kimberlites, the carrot-shaped ancient volcanic pipes bearing diamonds, is near other kimberlites. SA was a leading source of diamonds for nearly a century. However, De Beers’s efforts at securing diamond prospecting permits using an enormous century-old database has become nearly impossible.

Sudbury’s mine tailings worth billions – by Staff (Sudbury Star – August 1, 2017)

April 30, 2018August 1, 2017

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

There is money to be made – and saved – by finding new, environmentally friendly ways to deal with mine tailings in Sudbury and across Ontario. With this in mind, the Vale Living with the Lakes Centre in Sudbury on Wednesday will welcome its academic and industry partners for a two-day Elements of Biomining (EBM) research symposium.

The national network has received $4 million in funding from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation to develop biotechnologies for mine waste stabilization, and the recovery of valuable metals like nickel, copper and zinc.

To achieve this goal, Elements of Biomining will harness the capabilities of naturally occurring microbial communities. Researchers form the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia and Laurentian University make up Elements of Biomining.

Ukraine Coal Exports Part of Trump Bid to Counter Russia – by Ari Natter (Bloomberg News – August 1, 2017)

August 1, 2017

https://www.bloombergquint.com/

(Bloomberg) — A Pennsylvania company will send 700,000 tons of coal to Ukraine in a deal the administration of President Donald Trump heralded as an important tool to undercut the power Russia has over its European neighbors.

While Trump has pledged to improve ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his administration says it’s trying to use more U.S. exports of coal, natural gas and oil to curtail Putin’s sway with Russian natural resources. Ukraine had been reliant on Russia for much of its oil and gas, and its domestic thermal coal supply collapsed because much comes from the rebel-controlled eastern part of the nation.

“In recent years, Kiev and much of Eastern Europe have been reliant on and beholden to Russia to keep the heat on,” Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a statement announcing the coal-export deal. “That changes now. The United States can offer Ukraine an alternative, and today we are pleased to announce that we will.”

First Nations in Victoria court to stop mining permit – by Sarah Petrescu (Victoria Times Colonist – August 1, 2017)

August 1, 2017

http://www.timescolonist.com/

First Nations leaders, elders and community groups gathered on the Victoria courthouse steps Monday morning in support of Tsilhqot’in First Nations chiefs hoping to overturn a drilling permit issued to Taseko Mines in the last days of the B.C. Liberal government.

“We’re here to stop this permit and I think we will,” said Chief Russell Myers Ross from the Yunesit’in First Nation, who was joined by Chief Roger William from the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation.

The Tsilhqot’in are petitioning the Supreme Court for an interlocutory injunction to stop exploratory drilling around Teztan Biny (Fish) Lake, a traditional hunting, fishing, medicine gathering and spiritual region.

Mines can create Indigenous middle class in Ring of Fire: Opinion – by Stan Sudol (Toronto Star – August 1, 2017)

August 1, 2017

https://www.thestar.com/

Ontario needs to follow the lead of Nunavut, where Inuit communities have benefitted from successful gold and iron ore mines.

It’s been 10 years since the world-class Ring of Fire mineral district was discovered in the isolated James Bay Lowlands, about 500 kms northeast of Thunder Bay. Not one mine has been built.

During those 10 years, the equally isolated territory of Nunavut has built two gold mines (Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank and TMAC Resources’ Doris) and one iron ore operation (Baffinland’s Mary River).

A fourth gold mine (Agnico Eagle) should be in production in 2019 — and Sabina Gold and Silver Corp. A junior exploration company with a very rich precious metal deposit has just been given continued development approvals by the Nunavut Impact Review Board.

BHP’s Canadian potash plan not a done deal – by Matt Chambers (The Australian – July 31, 2017)

July 31, 2017

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/

It is unlikely that BHP’s latest $US4.7 billion ($5.8bn) plan for its Jansen potash project in Canada — which chief executive Andrew Mackenzie is aiming to have in directors’ hands for approval within a year — will go ahead without substantial improvements to design or the market outlook.

Mackenzie put the big Canadian potash project back on the drawing board as BHP’s major medium-term mining growth option, alongside a Spence copper mine expansion in Chile, just two months ago, after previously flagging a slowdown and even mothballing of the project. So it is expected to be a focal point of briefings after BHP delivers an expected full-year profit of $US7.2bn later this month.

At Spence, a $US2bn underground mine approval is looking very likely in the next few weeks, as copper sentiment is running hot and BHP has cut a previous cost estimate by a third, boosting the expected rate of return to around 15 per cent.

UPDATE 1-Philippines’ environment minister says ban on open-pit mining to stay in place – by Enrico Dela Cruz (Reuters U.S. – July 31, 2017)

July 31, 2017

http://www.reuters.com/

MANILA, July 31 (Reuters) – The Philippines’ environment minister Roy Cimatu said on Monday he would not lift a ban on open-pit mining imposed in April in an anti-pollution crackdown, as an inter-agency mining council reviews how miners are taxed in the Philippines.

Cimatu, a former general, was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte in May after Duterte’s previous choice as environment minister, firebrand Regina Lopez, failed to secure congressional confirmation after a drive to implement radical environment protection measures that raised mining industry hackles.

“There is a department order on the ban on open pit mining issued by Secretary Lopez,” Cimatu told a news conference in the capital. “It still stays.”

Future of US mining: House minerals subcommittee looking for ideas to foster domestic mining – by Shane Lasley (North of 60 Mining News – July 2017)

July 31, 2017

http://www.petroleumnews.com/

U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources sought input on how to foster a more robust domestic mining sector during a July 20 hearing, “Seeking Innovative Solutions for the Future of Hardrock Mining.”

“Hardrock mining on federal land in the United States has a storied past, a challenging present and multiple needs for reform,” Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, said. “From rocks to roads, rare earths to green technologies, and iron ore to wind farms, all infrastructure projects rely upon a mining operation.”

While everybody at the hearing agreed that the domestic mining sector is in need of reform, there were vastly different views about what needs to be done. Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-California, ranking member of the subcommittee, made the case for modernizing the Mining Law of 1872, suggesting this law that allows the staking of mining claims on federal lands is outdated.

Battle brewing over niobium mine bid near James Bay – by Ainslie Cruickshank (Toronto Star – July 30, 2017)

July 31, 2017

https://www.thestar.com/

Moose Cree First Nation says protecting lands could help Canada meet climate, UN biodiversity commitments.

A battle is brewing just south of James Bay between Moose Cree First Nation and a resource company that wants to develop the world’s next niobium mine in the heart of its traditional territory.

For now, NioBay Metal Inc. wants a drilling permit to confirm the results of an exploration program undertaken in the 1960s. Down the road, the company has plans to develop an underground mine to produce niobium, a metal that helps make lighter, stronger steel.

NioBay says the mine will cause minimal environmental damage and offers big benefits for Moose Cree, but the First Nation fears otherwise. The proposed mine site sits near the shore of the South Bluff Creek, a culturally significant area for Moose Cree members that borders the North French River Watershed, a region they consider protected. Now, they want the province to protect it too.

COLUMN-All eyes on China’s aluminium sector but little clarity – by Andy Home (Reuters U.k. – July 28, 2017)

July 31, 2017

http://uk.reuters.com/

LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) – It’s all about China. This has been the mantra of the industrial metal markets for over a decade. The country’s industrialisation and urbanisation programmes have been the core driver of demand growth across the metallic spectrum.

In the case of aluminium, however, China’s influence on the global supply chain is double-edged. As well as being the biggest user of aluminium, China is by some margin the largest producer, accounting for over 50 percent of global output.

That dominant role is now in focus as Beijing launches what looks like a multi-pronged attack on its aluminium producers. Production cuts in regions around the capital have been mandated for the coming winter heating season, which starts in November.

Cobalt explorer makes a move in historic camp: First Cobalt kicks off exploration program with promise of richer days ahead – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 28, 2017)

July 28, 2017

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Walking into a mining ghost town like Silver Centre is almost akin to experiencing what the first miners of the Cobalt camp’s famed Silver Rush faced at the turn of the last century.

But the focus this time is not on finding high-grade silver veins but exploring for cobalt, previously discarded as a waste material. For exploration crews, it’s like starting from scratch. “I grew up in Northern Ontario and crawled around mine sites all the time,” said Frank Santaguida, vice-president of exploration for First Cobalt Corp. “It’s surprising how quickly the land reclaims itself.”

His Toronto-based company has an option agreement with Canadian Silver Hunter to acquire 100 per cent of the former Keeley-Frontier silver and cobalt mine, a sprawling 2,100-hectare property, 25 kilometres south of the town of Cobalt.

U.S. coal exports soar, in boost to Trump energy agenda, data shows – by Timothy Gardner and Nina Chestney (Reuters U.S. – July 28, 2017)

July 28, 2017

https://www.reuters.com/

WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. coal exports have jumped more than 60 percent this year due to soaring demand from Europe and Asia, according to a Reuters review of government data, allowing President Donald Trump’s administration to claim that efforts to revive the battered industry are working.

The increased shipments came as the European Union and other U.S. allies heaped criticism on the Trump administration for its rejection of the Paris Climate Accord, a deal agreed by nearly 200 countries to cut carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels like coal.

The previously unpublished figures provided to Reuters by the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed exports of the fuel from January through May totaled 36.79 million tons, up 60.3 percent from 22.94 million tons in the same period in 2016. While reflecting a bounce from 2016, the shipments remained well-below volumes recorded in equivalent periods the previous five years.