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EPA Mine Spill in Colorado Could Have Been Prevented, Probe Concludes – by Matthew Brown (Associated Press/ABC News – October 22, 2015)

http://abcnews.go.com/

BILLINGS, Mont. — Government investigators squarely blamed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday for a 3 million-gallon wastewater spill from a Colorado gold mine, saying an EPA cleanup crew rushed its work and failed to consider the complex engineering involved, triggering the very blowout it hoped to avoid.

The spill that fouled rivers in three states would have been avoided had the EPA team checked on water levels inside the Gold King Mine before digging into a collapsed and leaking mine entrance, Interior Department investigators concluded.

The technical report on the causes of the Aug. 5 spill has implications across the United States, where similar disasters could lurk among an estimated hundreds of thousands of abandoned mines that have yet to be cleaned up. The total cost of containing this mining industry mess could top $50 billion, according to government estimates.

The root causes of the Colorado accident began decades ago, when mining companies altered the flow of water through a series of interconnected tunnels in the extensively mined Upper Animas River watershed, the report says.

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Despite barriers to adoption, cost pressure driving renewed mining interest in renewable energy – by Henry Lazenby (MiningWeekly.com – October 22, 2015)

http://www.miningweekly.com/page/americas-home

TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Mine operators are in the current subdued economic reality increasingly looking at renewable electricity sources as a way to reduce current and future costs at operations; however, lower commodity prices hinder the widespread adoption of renewables, as falling profits and lower fuel prices maintain certain barriers.

This had resulted in miners shifting their primary motivation for implementing renewable projects to being a financial solution to drive down costs and improve productivity. Previous “softer” motivations involved the improvement of a project’s environmental footprint or satisfying social responsibility commitments, AngloGold Ashanti global VP of energy management and electrical asset integrity Bill Allemon told an audience during the third annual Energy and Mines summit, in which Mining Weekly Online participated.

Speaking during a panel discussion examining energy priorities, timelines and new technologies, he noted that while the company’s activities were mainly focused on the African tropical belt, where hydropower generation was impacted by ten-year drought cycles, the company had highlighted that each cycle was getting worse and more punctuated.

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UPDATE 2-Vale posts $2 bln loss on weak Brazil currency, low iron ore prices – by Stephen Eisenhammer and Marta Nogueira (Reuters U.S. – October 22, 2015)

http://www.reuters.com/

Oct 22 (Reuters) – Brazilian miner Vale SA on Thursday posted a net loss of $2.1 billion in the third quarter due to low iron ore and nickel prices and a weakening real against the dollar.

The result was slightly less than analysts forecast, and shares in Vale rose by 2 percent in morning trade as investors responded favorably to the world’s No.1 iron ore miner cutting production costs and debt.

Vale produced a record amount of iron ore during the period and reduced cash costs to $12.70 a tonne, which it says is the lowest in the industry.

Despite rising production, Thursday’s loss is Vale’s fourth in five quarters. The company is struggling to absorb the cost of building a giant new mine in Brazil’s Amazon region as its cash take drops. The miner posted net revenue of $6.51 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $1.88 billion.

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Trudeau’s promises to aboriginal people feared to be unachievable – by Gloria Galloway (Globe and Mail – October 23, 2015)

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.

OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau has made some big promises to Canada’s indigenous peoples, and the head of the Assembly of First Nations says he is anxious to get working with the incoming Liberal government to see those commitments realized.

But critics say some of the goals that Mr. Trudeau has set for himself as he tries to improve the lot of the country’s aboriginal people are impractical, wrong-headed or simply beyond his ability to deliver.

Mr. Trudeau – during a virtual town hall last week aired by APTN, Canada’s indigenous television network – said he would repeal or reform many pieces of legislation that do not respect the rights of indigenous peoples, including their right to be adequately consulted about issues that affect them. He also said he would give the First Nations a veto over development in their territories.

Mr. Trudeau promised last spring to implement all 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on indigenous residential schools, many of which are far-reaching.

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Nickel Rim miners return to work today – by Jim Moodie (Sudbury Star – October 23, 2015)

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

It will be with heavy hearts and no doubt an eerie sense of their own vulnerability that miners return to work at Glencore’s Nickel Rim South facility near Skead tomorrow. Operations were scheduled to resume Friday, according to a Reuters report, after being shut down Tuesday due to the underground fatality of employee Richard Pigeau.

The worker, 54, was killed when he was struck by a piece of equipment, the Ministry of Labour reported. According to CBC, the accident occurred 5,000 feet below the surface.

Little else is known, however, about the circumstances of the tragedy, pending the outcome of a Ministry of Labour investigation and a separate probe that will be carried out jointly between Mine Mill 598/Unifor and the employer.

No funeral arrangements had been made publicly available by Thursday and the family of the late miner were asking that their privacy be respected in this difficult time. 

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Flinders reseacher’s new material lays waste to mercury pollution (October 20, 2015)

http://www.flinders.edu.au/

A brand new, dirt cheap, non-toxic polymer that literally sucks mercury out of water and soil is set to become a game changer in the battle against one of the world’s most reviled pollutants.

The dark red material, developed by Flinders University’s Dr Justin Chalker, is made from the industrial waste products sulphur and limonene and turns bright yellow when it absorbs mercury.

Dr Chalker says the new polymer is cheap to produce due to the global abundance of waste sulphur and limonene. That makes it affordable for use in large-scale environmental clean-ups, to coat water pipes carrying domestic and waste water, and even in removing mercury from large bodies of water.

This has significant implications for human health and wellbeing as mercury exposure – whether through the skin or through ingestion, such as eating contaminated fish, is proven to damage the central nervous system and is particularly dangerous to pregnant women and children.

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Commodities: Gina Rinehart is queen of Australia’s desert – by Jamie Smyth (Financial Times – October 21, 2015)

http://www.ft.com/

The ‘iron lady’ is opening an $11bn mine as rivals cut investment and her children vie for more control

It has taken two decades to develop, $11bn of investment to build and is at the centre of a bitter family feud. But Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, is finally poised to achieve her ambition and that of her late father, Lang Hancock, to develop, own and operate an iron ore mine.

“This is the holy grail she has been aspiring to her whole life,” says Michael Yabsley, a former adviser, of the Roy Hill project that formally opens next month. “It’s Gina’s crowning glory.”

The first ore exports from Roy Hill, 1,100km from Perth, will be a landmark moment for Hancock Prospecting, a private company controlled by the 61-year-old heiress who has earned the nickname “iron lady” as much for her uncompromising personality as the commodity that built her family’s fortune.

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Cut forecasters some slack, but don’t bet on accuracy either – by Nastassia Arendse (Mineweb.com – October 21, 2015)

http://www.mineweb.com/

Some get the call right more often than not.

Humans are inherently obsessed with knowing the outcomes of the future. In some cases, forecasters are bad at predictions. The business of forecasting happens all the time when it comes to financial markets, especially from the likes of Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citigroup, and the myriad of other investment banks that employ analysts. The financial media and investors clearly believe that the forecasts add value, or they wouldn’t tune in.

The majority of investors subscribe to the investment newsletters and reports published by the Wall Street oracles. Most of them employ sophisticated and complex models that are used to forecast growth and other market factors. Evidence from events such as the dot.com bubble and the 2009 financial crisis show that you would perform just as well if you had simply guessed.

“There are too many different opinions and it is also not clear what the time horizon of the various forecasts is,” says Rowan Williams, Director at Nitrogen Fund Managers.

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Is iron ore headed for US$40 per tonne? – by Cole Latimer (Australian Mining – October 22, 2015)

http://www.australianmining.com.au/

Pundits are predicting a massive decline and a new low for iron ore.

Vice president for Citigroup’s China commodities research group, Ivan Szpakowski, has pointed to a new recent low for the metal of US$40 per tonne next year, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

it comes as the price of iron ore hits its lowest point since late July, and the benchmark 62% Fe import price at the port of Tianjin fell to the US$52.50, although it is yet to reach the seven year low seen in early July of US$44.59.

According to Szpakowski, the slowdown in Chinese demand coupled with oncoming oversupply thanks to record production rates from Vale and BHP is likely to drive down the price below US$50 per tonne by the end of this year, and to US$40 per tonne or lower by the end of the March quarter next year.

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Documentary film looks at effects of mine on Attawapiskat – by Tanya Talaga (Toronto Star – October 22, 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.

What is it like for a northern First Nations community to live beside a diamond mine?

Documentary filmmaker Victoria Lean zeroes in on what it is like for the Attawapiskat First Nation to be neighbours with the Victor diamond mine in her film After the Last River.

The Victor mine, owned by global mining giant De Beers, is just 90 kilometres west of Attawapiskat, a community in James Bay District that has battled floods, an ongoing housing crisis and a massive diesel spill underneath an old school.

Lean set out to tell a story about the consequences of mining in one of the most ecologically sensitive areas in the North, and in doing so she unearthed the challenges of a community struggling to exist.

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[Liquid sulphur dioxide] Rail access was key to Calabrian choosing Timmins – by By Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – October 22, 2015)

The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.

TIMMINS – Mayor Steve Black had a tangible example of some good news for Timmins Wednesday, when he made his first ever state-of-the-city address. Speaking at the Days Inn, as part of Small Business Week, the mayor was able to point to a table at the front of room where several American businessmen were sitting.

“As noted a few weeks ago, Calabrian Corporation will be opening a new liquid sulphur dioxide production facility in Timmins. The company hails from Texas and the site in Timmins is part of the Canadian expansion plans,” said Black, adding that he expects the businessmen are now becoming Blue Jays fans.

Calabrian is the leading producer of liquid sulphur dioxide in North America and has secured a five-acre site in the east end of Timmins to build a new plant. The mayor said he was pleased the Timmins Economic Development Corporation worked tirelessly to bring the company to Timmins.

“We are very pleased the company will create jobs and opportunities for local residents. Having a new mining supplier in our municipality is certainly welcome news,” said Black, who asked company representatives to stand and be recognized at the lunch event.

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Few details released about Sudbury miner’s death – by Jim Moodie (Sudbury Star – October 22, 2015)

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

The worker killed underground Tuesday at Nickel Rim South Mine near Skead has been identified as Richard Pigeau, but neither his employer nor his union were willing to say much yesterday about the miner’s life, or death.

“We just contacted the family, so don’t want to be disrespectful to them, because they’re just making arrangements right now,” said Anne Marie MacInnis, president of Mine Mill Local 598/Unifor.

In a release issued Wednesday, the local expressed “great sadness” over the loss of a “union brother,” and extended “sincerest condolences” to the family, friends and co-workers of Pigeau.

MacInnis said the union would have more comments to make once the Ministry of Labour releases the site and health and safety committees operated through Mine Mill and Glencore are able to begin their own investigation into the tragedy.

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Now Oppenheimer properties edge out of De Beers’ Diamond Route – by Martin Creamer (MiningWeekly.com – October 20, 2015)

http://www.miningweekly.com/page/americas-home

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Oppenheimer family, which three years ago sold out of diamond company De Beers, announced on Tuesday that it was delinking the properties of E Oppenheimer & Son from the Diamond Route, which takes in the 250 000 ha of cross-regional land that originally kept potential diamond thieves far away from diamond diggings, but which is today geared to conservation and ecotourism, incorporating new and largely undiscovered natural wonders, as well as historical and cultural elements.

In an opening address to the sixth Diamond Route research conference in Johannesburg, Nicky Oppenheimer, who launched the initiative at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 while chairperson of De Beers, said that long and hard thought had been put into separating “and it seems to me that this is the right time for the Oppenheimer properties to separate themselves from the Diamond Route”.

Oppenheimer emphasised that the decision was not being taken with any sense of conflict or anger but was the result of the “inevitable drifting apart that takes place when entities are no longer rubbing shoulders, joined at the hip”.

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Editorial: What to expect from a Liberal government in Canada – by John Cumming (Northern Miner – October 20, 2015)

The Northern Miner, first published in 1915, during the Cobalt Silver Rush, is considered Canada’s leading authority on the mining industry.

The stunning return of the Liberal Party of Canada to majority status in the federal election held Oct. 19 surprised most people in Canada, who had expected at best a surge to minority government from third place behind the ruling Conservative Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party of Canada.

Instead, Canadians woke up to a new political landscape, with voters having taken the middle ground by rebuking the worn-out, pro-big-business Tories but not wanting to roll the dice on the more left-leaning, inexperienced NDP.

Shown the door were the two most recent ministers of natural resources: Conservative Greg Rickford lost his seat in Kenora, Ont., to Liberal Bob Nault, who had a close race with the former provincial NDP leader Howard Hampton; and previous Minister of Natural Resources and current Finance Minister Joe Oliver lost his seat in Toronto. Nault was quick to give some credit for his victory to First Nations communities in the the Kenora region, who mobilized to support him.

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[Ivanhoe Mines] Despite commodity slump, Canadian firm seeks to launch major copper project in DR Congo (Mail and Guardian Afric – October 21, 2015)

http://mgafrica.com/

“Even if China is running out of steam or slowing down today, other countries are still asking for copper.”

COPPER prices have fallen 20% in the past 12 months, but Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines is taking the long view as it invests in a new giant deposit in the Democratic Republic of Congo, eyeing a future deficit in the market and rising global demand.

The discovery at Kamoa in the southeast of the vast mineral-rich country has been presented as one of the biggest finds in copper mining in many years, though DR Congo is already Africa’s top copper producer and one of the world leaders.

“We think we can begin production at the end of 2018,” Louis Watum, the head of Ivanhoe DRC, told a recent mining conference in Kinshasa.

But in the commodities market, mining companies have been struck by a sharp fall in prices, affected by the economic slowdown in top consumer China.

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